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This manuscript is the preprint version of a conference paper that is accepted for presentation and publication, International Conference on Future Energy Solutions (FES2023) to be held in Vaasa, Finland, 12-14, June 2023.

A significant part of global energy consumption is related to buildings, most of which is consumed through façades. To address this issue, the Second-Skin Facade system is considered one of the most effective solutions for new and existing buildings. Furthermore, the use of textiles for building skin has been growing, creating smart, flexible, and advanced envelopes. The performance of the Second-Skin Façade depends strongly on the boundary conditions, and its adoption in the Nordic climate is scarcely investigated. In this research, the digital twin of the ZEB Test Cell Laboratory in Trondheim (Norway) is developed using a dynamic simulation software, then calibrated and validated based on experimental data. This digital twin is used to conduct a comparative numerical analysis to assess the potential benefit of the textile Second-Skin Façade in the Nordic region. Seven simulation cases have been realized in total, varying the control logic through four operating states based on the global vertical solar irradiation and the indoor and outdoor air temperatures. The results show that the Second-Skin Façade adoption allows the reduction of the yearly average indoor air temperature by up to 3.5°C, lowering the energy needs for heating and cooling demands by up to 21.4%.

Planning for sustainable neighborhoods is a high priority for many cities. It is therefore important to take the right decisions during the planning phase to ensure that important aspects are considered. One of these important aspects is to consider the harvesting of solar energy in the best possible way. It is however difficult to define the best ways to exploit the incoming solar energy. Solar energy can be used by means of active solar energy production, passively by means of daylighting buildings or outside buildings on the ground for direct solar access or thermal comfort. This different usage can sometimes be conflicting (for example at a building level, in order to maximize the photovoltaic production, it may be necessary to use all the surfaces, therefore preventing the access to daylight). The access to daylight in the street is appreciated during cold days, but shading is preferred during the hotter days.

The study deals with the application of retro-reflective (RR) and angular-selective retro-reflective (AS-RR) coatings on surfaces (i.e. the street ground and the south-exposed façade) within the urban canyon. Solar analyses were conducted at different latitudes (Oslo, Milan, and Cairo) by varying the urban canyon height-to-width ratio (H/W) to determine the variation in solar irradiation absorbed by north and south façades. Both summer and winter conditions were considered, and up to five material patterns (one reference case and four enhanced scenarios) were investigated for each combination of latitude and height-to-width ratio values. A validated Monte Carlo-based numerical model was used to conduct full-ray tracing analyses and to simulate the behavior of these coatings. The outcomes allowed the development of guidelines for the adoptions of RR and AS-RR materials in different scenarios. It was demonstrated that RR and AS-RR materials applied to the street performed better in low-density urban environment (H/W ≤ 0.5) with a consequent increase of the solar energy gains on the north façade by up to 15%. Employing RR and AS-RR materials on the south-exposed façade showed greater effectiveness on high-density urban canyon (H/W ≥ 2.0) and reduced by up to −8% the solar irradiation absorbed by the façade. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Solar Energy Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Evaluating how the sources of uncertainty in solar modelling (e.g., input parameters, developed model chain) can influence the results’ accuracy is one of the main challenges when applied at high latitudes. In this study, a multi-stage validation workflow is implemented around five main stages: data acquisition, data quality check, solar radiation modelling, photovoltaic energy modelling, and experimental validation. Different data sources such as satellite observations, numerical reanalysis, and on-site ground measurements are considered as inputs, while the outcomes from each step of the model chain (e.g., decomposition modelling, transposition modelling, photovoltaic energy modelling) are compared against observations recorded from the solar radiation network at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU-Solarnet) in Trondheim (Norway). In the first and second validation stages, the decomposition and transposition models with measured input parameters show the best accuracy indicators, but they do not fulfill the validation criteria. Conversely, in the third validation stage, the photovoltaic energy models with on-site ground measurements as inputs are experimentally validated. In conclusion, at high latitudes, the most accurate results are obtained when monitored solar irradiation data are used instead of satellite observations and numerical reanalysis. Furthermore, the shortest model chain is preferred, with equal data sources.

Urban analysis at different spatial scales (micro- and mesoscale) of local climate conditions is required to test typical artificial urban boundaries and related climate hazards such as high temperatures in built environments. The multitude of finishing materials and sheltering objects within built environments produce distinct patterns of different climate conditions, particularly during the daytime. The combination of high temperatures and intense solar radiation strongly perturb the environment by increasing the thermal heat stress at the pedestrian level. Therefore, it is becoming common practice to use numerical models and tools that enable multiple design and planning alternatives to be quantitatively and qualitatively tested to inform urban planners and decision-makers. These models and tools can be used to compare the relationships between the micro-climatic environment, the subjective thermal assessment, and the social behaviour, which can reveal the attractiveness and effectiveness of new urban spaces and lead to more sustainable and liveable public spaces. This review article presents the applications of selected environmental numerical models and tools to predict human thermal stress at the mesoscale (e.g., satellite thermal images and UrbClim) and the microscale (e.g., mobile measurements, ENVI-met, and UrbClim HR) focusing on case study cities in mid-latitude climate regions framed in two European research projects. The work leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. 308497, Project RAMSES—Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation, and Sustainable Development for Cities (2012–2017) and from the European Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 73004 (PUCS/Climate-fit.city). The APC was funded by the Research Group of Building and Technology, De partment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Advanced building envelope systems can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improve the energy flexibility of buildings while maintaining high levels of indoor environmental quality. Among different transparent envelope technologies, the so-called double skin facades (DSFs) have been since long time proposed as an effective, responsive building system. The implementation of DSF systems in a real building is highly dependent on the capabilities of the prediction of their performance, which is not a trivial task. The possibility to use whole-building energy simulation (BES) tools to replicate the behaviour of these systems when integrated into a building is, therefore, a crucial step in the effective and conscious spread of these systems. However, the simulation of DSFs with BES tools can be far more complex than that of more conventional facade systems and represents a current barrier. This article is based on evidence from the scientific literature on the use of BES tools to simulate DSF, and provides: (i) an overview of the implementation of DSFs systems in BES tools, with the current capabilities of some selected BES tools; (ii) a comprehensive review of recent, relevant simulation studies, where different approaches to modelling and simulating DSFs are reported; and (iii) the identification of current gaps and limitations in simulation tools which should be overcome to increase the possibilities to correctly predict the performance of DSFs when integrated into a building.

This review study, framed in the Work group 4 “Photovoltaic in built environment” within the COST Action PEARL PV, CA16235, aims to examine applications of integrated and applied photovoltaic technologies on ten landmark buildings characterised by distinctive geometries, highlighting the aesthetics of their architecture and quality of PV integration based on a proposed set of seven criteria. The selected building samples cover a large design diversity related to the quality of PV systems integration into building envelope that could serve as a basis for general guidelines of best architectural and technological practice. After introducing the problem and defining the research methodology, an analysis of ten landmark buildings is presented, as representative models of aesthetics of their architecture, photovoltaic integration and implementation and energy performance. The study concludes with the main characteristics of photovoltaic integration on landmark buildings. The paper is intended to support both engineers and architects in comprehending the convergent development of contemporary architecture and photovoltaic technology, as well as the need for a closer collaboration, sometimes resulting in architectural masterworks that promote the diffusion of photovoltaics to the public. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This work presents a validated workflow based on an algorithm developed in Grasshopper to parametrically control the building’s shape, by maximizing the solar irradiation incident on the building envelope and minimizing the embodied emissions. The algorithm is applied to a zero-emission building concept in Nordic and Mediterranean climate zones. The algorithm enables conducting both energy and environmental assessments through Ladybug tools. The emissions embodied in materials and the solar irradiation incident on the building envelope were estimated in the early design stage. A three-steps optimization process through evolutionary solvers, such as Galapagos (one-objective) and Octopus (multi-objective), has been conducted to shape the most environmentally responsive ZEB model in both climates. The results demonstrated the replicability of the algorithm to optimize the solar irradiation by producing an increment of solar incident irradiation equal to 35% in the Mediterranean area, and to 20% in the Nordic climate. This could contribute to compensate the additional 15% of emissions due to the higher quantities of employed materials in the optimized design. The developed approach, which is based on the parametric design principles for ZEBs, represents a support instrument for designers to develop highly efficient energy solutions in the early design stages © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Highly- and retro-reflective materials have recently been investigated and proposed as a new urban coating solution to reduce the so-called urban heat island effect. The present study aims at providing a numerical model for assessing inter-buildings solar reflections when these materials are applied to urban canyon’s surfaces. The proposed model includes a function that accounts for sunray angle dependency of the solar reflectance, which is specifically important with regard to retro-reflective behavior. The novelty of this numerical model based on a Monte Carlo simulation approach implemented in the Matlab simulation environment is to conduct full raytracing solar analyses which can reproduce the energy exchange phenomena and simulate optical material properties. Experimental validation and inter-software comparison are carried out with measured data collected in an experimental facility in La Rochelle, France, in addition to simulation results from the Radiance-based Diva for Rhino tool. The results of the numerical model developed are in line with the values measured in the physical model (daily percent variation of 1.3% in summer) and within the boundary conditions defined in the present work. The residues, which were calculated for the hourly values throughout the day, are found to be in the range of +/- 10 W/m2, with the arithmetic average and standard deviation equal to – 2 W/m2 and 7 W/m2 respectively. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

A systemic approach for integrated urban energy planning and design can increase energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources and bioclimatic strategies to lower the energy footprint at building, district and city scale. Such approach requires experts that are not just proficient in their distinct energy-related disciplines, but, above all, that are trained in interdisciplinary project cooperation. This approach was adopted in the summer course entitled Sustainable energy in cities. Held in Shanghai, China in July 2015, it provided international and interdisciplinary training as a learning environment for students and staff. It consisted of plenary presentations from researchers, local urban decision-makers and industry, discussions, and student group work with the final goal to develop smart sustainable strategies for a new residential district in Shanghai. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

The analysis of local climate conditions to test artificial urban boundaries and related climate hazards through modelling tools should become a common practice to inform public authorities about the benefits of planning alternatives. Different finishing materials and sheltering objects within urban canyons (UCs) can be tested, predicted and compared through quantitative and qualitative understanding of the relationships between the microclimatic environment and subjective thermal assessment. This process can work as support planning instrument in the early design phases as has been done in this study that aims to analyze the thermal stress within typical UCs of Bilbao (Spain) in summertime through the evaluation of Physiologically Equivalent Temperature using ENVI-met. The UCs are characterized by different orientations, height-to-width aspect ratios, pavement materials, trees&rsquo, dimensions and planting pattern. Firstly, the current situation was analyzed, secondly, the effects of asphalt and red brick stones as streets&rsquo, pavement materials were compared, thirdly, the benefits of vegetation elements were tested. The analysis demonstrated that orientation and aspect ratio strongly affect the magnitude and duration of the thermal peaks at pedestrian level, while the vegetation elements improve the thermal comfort up to two thermophysiological assessment classes. The outcomes of this study, were transferred and visualized into green planning recommendations for new and consolidated urban areas in Bilbao.

Solar energy can be exploited efficiently in building facades using building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). This study presents a methodology to optimize the design of fixed, parametrically modelled PV integrated shading devices (PVSDs) based on multi-objective optimization (MOO) coupled with integrated thermal, electric, and lighting simulations. The goal of this work is to gain insight into the potential benefits of using optimization algorithms for PVSD design. This task is carried out by evaluating the extent to which competing solar energy uses can be balanced with regard to thermal, visual and electrical parameters; and investigating whether existing simulation tools successfully characterize the complexity associated with PVSDs. The methodology developed is used to design and assess the performance of different optimized configurations of a fixed exterior louvre PVSD installed on the southern face of an office building in a Nordic climate. The parameters used for the optimization were the number of louvre-blades as well as their individual tilt angle and position along the vertical axis. This allowed the introduction of a higher degree of eclecticism through the optimization process compared to standard shading systems. The three objectives of the optimization were the total net energy demand, the energy converted by the PV material, and the daylighting level in the zone measured as the continuous daylight autonomy. The results highlighted that configurations with smaller louvres counts were preferable for the specific case study and that optimization increased the performance of the PVSD compared to a reference case. The results of the study also demonstrated that the application of the proposed methodology was able to improve the exploitation of solar energy through a multi-domain facade, and thereby that advanced simulation tools, in this case, allowed overcoming the limitations of more standardized facade configurations. Based on these findings, it is assumed that methodologies like the one developed in this article can be a starting point to stimulate successful discussion and foster fruitful collaboration between researchers, stakeholders, and facade manufacturers, resulting in the development of innovative technological solar integrated facade solutions.

Daylight availability is an important aspect that can potentially improve both the quality and the energy performance of buildings. However, it is not always straightforward easy to assure that an increase in the daylight availability leads to a reduction of electric energy use for artificial lighting. In this study, experimental measurements and numerical simulations were conducted to analyse the relation between the uses of artificial light and the daylighting availability for different groups of users who lived for one month each in a Zero Emission Building single-family house located in Trondheim, Norway. The use of electric lighting and the outdoor environment conditions (irradiance and illuminance on the horizontal plan) were recorded through advanced daylighting simulations, carried out with DIVA-for-Rhino, the daylighting availability during the periods of occupancy was then reconstructed, using as input data the outdoor environmental variable recorded during the experimental analysis. The results show that the coefficient of correlation between daylight availability and the artificial light is in general low and the use of artificial lighting seems to be largely independent from the availability of natural light. Content from this work may be used under the terms of theCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization is continuously increasing buildings’ energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. In this scenario, solar energy integrated into the built environment can play an important role in optimizing the use of renewable energy sources on urban surfaces. Preliminary solar analyses to map the solar accessibility and solar potential of building surfaces (roofs and façades) should become a common practice among urban planners, architects, and public authorities. This paper presents an approach to support urban actors to assess solar energy potential at the neighborhood scale and to address the use of solar energy by considering overshadowing effects and solar inter-building reflections in accordance with urban morphology and building characteristics. The approach starts with urban analysis and solar irradiation analysis to elaborate solar mapping of façades and roofs. Data processing allows assessment of the solar potential of the whole case study neighborhood of Sluppen in Trondheim (Norway) by localizing the most radiated parts of buildings’ surfaces. Reduction factors defined by a new method are used to estimate the final solar potential considering shadowing caused by the presence of buildings’ architectural elements (e.g., glazed surfaces, balconies, external staircases, projections) and self-shading. Finally, rough estimation of solar energy generation is assessed by providing preliminary recommendations for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems suited to local conditions. Results show that depending on urban morphology and buildings’ shapes, PV systems can cover more than 40% of the total buildings’ energy needs in Trondheim. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

The combination of urban sprawl and densification in built areas increases the number of interbuilding solar reflections. This contributes to over warming in urban environments – a phenomenon known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect. During the last decades, the exploitation of cool materials, such as high-reflective (HR) and retro-reflective (RR) coatings, has been proposed to mitigate UHIs. In this context, this work is a part of the wider research focused on the investigation of a new concept for surface treatments, which consists of RR materials enhanced with an angular-selective behavior. This research study aims at evaluating the application of the selective angular properties to assess solar irradiance impinging urban canyons’ surfaces in different climatic contexts, from the Arctic to the Persian Gulf area. First, the geometry configurations receiving the largest solar energy contribution were defined by varying the canyon’s orientation and height-to-width ratio. Second, yearly and seasonal solar analyses were conducted considering traditional and angular-selective RR materials applied to the facade and the street. The outcomes show that angular-selective RR materials can activate the mitigation potential of these materials only during the warm season, when the risk of UHI is higher without hindering solar energy contribution in cold months. In fact, optimized RR turns out to be efficient at all latitudes considered and reduced the yearly solar irradiation impinging canyon’s surfaces by up to 20%, 30%, and 50% in Oslo, Milan, and Cairo, respectively.

This work, framed in the IEA SHC Task 51 “Solar Energy in Urban Planning”, presents an illustrative perspective of solar energy in urban planning through the analysis of 34 international case studies conducted in 10 countries. The aim here is to examine challenges, barriers and opportunities for active solar systems and passive solar strategies by taking into consideration interrelated technical and non-technical aspects in ongoing and completed projects. It focuses on exposing potential pitfalls and illustrating lessons learned in case studies divided into three categories: (i) existing urban areas, (ii) new urban areas, and (iii) solar landscapes. The analysis has yielded insights into the solar energy strategy adoption, the evaluation of solar energy production, solar irradiation and daylighting, and the architectural quality, sensitivity and visibility of the solar systems for urban planning. The outcomes have implications to stimulate successful practices in implementing solar strategies in urban planning and facilitating their replicability worldwide by avoiding common mistakes. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/).T

Considering climate change, controlling outdoor microclimates is an increasingly pressing concern. Microclimates have a significant effect on both outdoor and indoor comfort, and on the energy efficiency of buildings. This concern is particularly important as current climate conditions reveal that warmer summers are threatening the comfort of pedestrians and causing overheating in office environments, which is consequently increasing cooling energy consumption. A further concern is that this trend now extends to Nordic latitudes. Existing literature demonstrates how a local microclimate depends on many factors such as urban density, shape and orientation of buildings, the types of materials present, the number of green areas and anthropogenic activities. However, there is little research focusing on how reciprocal distances among tall buildings, and their relative position, affect outdoor and indoor comfort, and the associated energy consumption of buildings. This paper presents a unique and comprehensive insight into the interconnected nature of indoor and outdoor comfort via coupled simulations. It presents a study of clusters of tall commercial buildings located in the Nordic climate of Tallinn (Estonia) with different microclimates, and shows that the differences are due to variable shadowing and reflections and different wind patterns. The results, which focus on summer conditions, show that small variations of cluster layout strongly affect the local indoor and outdoor comfort, thus highlighting the need to conduct both studies simultaneously in research aiming to increase pedestrian and indoor comfort and resource efficiency.

This study explored how to increase the on-site energy production of row-houses in a new urban development area located in Trondheim (Norway) from the early design stages. The process consisted in an evolutionary algorithmic for optimizing the shape of the building's roof in order to maximize the use of solar energy. Starting from the roof's profile of the traditional Norwegian house unit, different configurations have been tested. The process allowed changing iteratively the inclination and the size of the roof's surfaces. The selected roofs’ shapes guaranteed to get the maximum solar radiation and the solar mapping analysis allows individualizing the most suitable areas to install solar systems on the roofs’ surfaces of the entire district. The final configuration of the row-houses permitted to increase the solar potential around 30% respect the initial design solution. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Urban microclimate analyses are being used more and more to address the planning decision process to create livable and healthy public spaces. The study, conducted in collaboration with the municipality of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain), presents a comparative analysis of green actions to improve outdoor thermal comfort conditions. The evaluation was performed in three typical urban street canyons characterized by different geometric proportions and five urban greenery scenarios in typical summer day conditions. For each scenario, the mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, air temperature, surface temperature and wind speed have been analyzed using ENVI-met model. The study quantitatively confirms that the vegetation elements such as grass, green roofs and trees, improves the thermal comfort at pedestrian level. Thermal comfort is assessed using the PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) thermal index. The highest PET reduction occurs by combining the presence of trees and grass, which can lead to a reduction of about two PET thermophysiological assessment classes during the daily maximum values. Additionally, the work demonstrates how aspect ratio and ground surface materials can affect the intensity and the duration of discomfort period (PET > 23 C). The outcomes will be used by the municipality of Bilbao to improve the actual planning recommendations. Transport and Urban Development COST Action TU0902 – Integrated assessment technologies to support the sustainable development of urban áreas European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement No. 308497, Project RAMSES – Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities (2012–2017).

This work aims to apply parametric design to minimize the embodied greenhouse gas emissions and op- erational energy in a zero emission building in Oslo, Norway. An original generative workflow based on parametric design was developed in the Grasshopper environment to conduct energy analyses, such as solar radiation and daylighting, and environmental impact analysis, to evaluate the embodied and oper- ational greenhouse gas emissions of the building. The workflow was generated to control parametrically several building features while varying the building shape, the dimensions of construction components, and the quantity of materials. The process leads to the generation of shapes with the least environmental impact. The workflow allows the modification of the initial shape of the Base Case by running itera- tive simulations through the Galapagos and Octopus evolutionary solvers. For each stage of the shape’s optimization, through passive and active strategies, the embodied emissions and energy balances were estimated to evaluate how the building design varies in terms of energy and environmental impact, and to identify the implications for the design. This paper shows how design options with low levels of em- bodied emissions can be generated and optimized automatically, and also demonstrates how a parametric design approach provides the designer with suggestions of low-impact solutions, which can then be in- tegrated and considered early in, and throughout, the design process in a holistic manner. This is a submitted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier Ltd in Energy and Buildings, 20 February 2018.

The purpose of this work is to examine the role of intermediaries for knowledge transfer at different points in time. The planning of an integrated planning energy project is complex and involves diverse stakeholders with knowledge bases on different systems impacting energy planning. When to access the knowledge basis of these diverse stakeholders and how to sustain it overtime is not always clear. We propose intermediaries as both a process but also in the shape of actors to mediate knowledge transfer across different stakeholders to facilitate informed decision-making. We examine this within cases of three sustainable projects across Europe in different stages – early planning, later planning and implementation. Our findings indicate that intermediary processes and actors are key for knowledge transfer in integrated energy planning. In the early stage of integrated planning, practices need to become more aware of the role of intermediaries in resolving issues. Data and results from tools initiates a discursive intermediary process for knowledge transfer across different stakeholders. Intermediary is ongoing in the implementation stage but is more actor oriented and reactive to problems than in the planning stages. However, since this abstract text was not provided in the manuscript file, the production team did not include it in your final version. Let me know if this abstract text can be included now and I can arrange this correction for your paper.

This work presents the preliminary stages of a wider study aiming at assessing the potentials of retro-reflective (RR) materials to mitigate urban heat island effects. Th study herewith reported is based on an inverse approach, which originates from the evaluation of the solar irradiation incident on urban surfaces (i.e. facade, roof, and paving) and leads to the identification of the optimal angular properties required to activate such a material. The solar radiation geometry and the solar irradiation collected by the south-exposed vertical and the horizontal surfaces, were assessed by solar dynamic simulation tools. Furthermore, the angular distribution of the solar direct irradiation component and the direct to global solar irradiation ratio were estimated. The analyses were carried out for nine locations between Oulu (Finland) and Doha (Qatar), with an increment of 5° latitude between two locations. The results demonstrate that the application of RR materials to horizontal surfaces can always be effective, whereas when applied on the vertical surface, the solar geometry influences to a much greater extent the performance of these materials. The main findings of this study show that the selective angular properties of an ideal RR material should be in the angular interval between 25° and 55° and between 30° and 90°, in case of vertical surfaces and horizontal surfaces, respectively. Best practices related to the application of RR materials and the activation of their selective angular properties in different climate zones are also reported.