During the summer, the environmental impact of building operations can be reduced by optimizing ventilation and preventing heat from entering the building. Shades are used to create a comfortable temperature state in interiors without operating mechanical equipment or using low-power systems. The most significant factor in reducing energy consumption would be if the spatial delimitation of buildings utilizes solar energy in a passive or active way. At the same time, limiting the energy entering through windows reduces the temperature of interiors and the amount of energy used for cooling; thus, the phenomenon of the urban heat island would be less exacerbated. In the case of existing historical buildings, there are limited possibilities to reduce the energy consumption of the building and to protect the buildings against excessive summer heating, especially in connection with the structural appearance of the doors and windows on the façade. This paper presents the preparation of a large-scale reconstruction project based on a newly developed combined window that can significantly reduce indoor summer overheating. Designing steps of the complex retrofitting of a traditional box-type window are highlighted based on the results of closely connected literature pertaining to thermal, ventilation, shading, and acoustical phenomena. The result is a detailed structural and technological design of the reconstruction for the historical window in a combined way, as the frame, glazing, ventilation, and shading are simultaneously developed and calculated approximately; moreover, active shading is integrated. One aim of this desktop study was to demonstrate that in the case of historical buildings, it is possible and necessary to reduce heat losses during the heating season and to minimize the risk of summer overheating, and to show that the surface of the façade could be converted into an energy producer.

It is a serious challenge for humanity to find an appropriate response to stop the accelerating rise in global temperature caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. After a methodological review of the literature, online and in-person modelling of education, work, and conferences, and relying on the results of life-cycle studies, we sought the answer to what reasonable solutions are available for decarbonization and energy reduction. During the research, the organizational carbon footprint of a selected office, educational institution and conference, and then the carbon footprint created by a person in 1 h, were examined. The two-day online education significantly reduced the daily commute load in transport by 402 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year. Still, the energy demand of home learning subtracts 136 tons from this, so the real benefit was 266 tons above in an institution educating nearly 3500 students. In a workplace of 180 people, where 52% of employees commute, 90% teleworking saved 222 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in one month, taking into account the carbon footprint of working from home. In the case of conferences, the online solution reduces the carbon footprint due to the absence of travel and catering. Comparing the three areas, for the in-person case, the conference’s carbon footprint per person per hour was the highest (11.91 kg CO₂ eq.). This value for education was 1.15 kg CO₂ eq.; for work, it was the lowest with a value of 0.90 kg CO₂ eq. Moving to an online space resulted in the most significant savings for the conference (11.55 kg CO₂ eq.), followed by working (0.54 kg CO₂ eq.), and minor savings were achieved in hybrid education (0.13 kg CO₂ eq.). The sensitivity analysis highlighted the impact of transport on carbon footprint in all three cases. However, the life cycle cost analysis showed that moving to a virtual space reduces the life cycle cost of de-carbonization by 42%.

Polymer-based insulation materials are widely used to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings; however, their growing application raises concerns related to resource use and end-of-life management. Rigid polyurethane (PUR) foams are key core materials in structural insulated panels due to their favorable thermal and mechanical performance, yet their life cycle environmental impacts—particularly at end-of-life—remain insufficiently quantified. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of PUR-based insulation used in structural insulated panel systems is conducted in accordance with ISO 14040/44 and EN 15804 standards. The assessment is performed using Sphera LCA software (version: GaBi 10.5) and the CML 2016 impact assessment method. Formulation-level variations in rigid PUR foams, including changes in methylene diphenyl diisocyanate content and pentane blowing agent ratio, are explicitly incorporated to evaluate their influence on key environmental impact categories. The results indicate that increasing pentane content leads to higher global warming potential, while this effect may be mitigated or intensified by concurrent changes in diisocyanate content and foam density in fully formulated systems. Three end-of-life scenarios—landfilling, incineration with energy recovery, and mechanical recycling—are analyzed. The findings provide material-level, decision-relevant insights that support environmentally informed formulation strategies and contribute to the development of more circular polymer-based insulation solutions for the built environment.

Regarding the research and application of ceramic tiles there is a great importance of defining precisely the interaction and friction between surfaces. Measuring slip resistance of floor coverings is a complex problem; slipperiness is always interpreted relatively. In the lack of a consistent and clear EU standard, it is practical to use more method in combination. It is necessary to examine the structure of materials in order to get adequate correlation. That is why measuring techniques of surface roughness, an important contributor to slip resistance and cleaning, is fundamental in the research. By comparing the obtained test results, relationship between individual methods of analysis and values may be determined and based on these information recommendations shall be prepared concerning the selection and application of tiles.

Improving the environmental performance of ageing residential buildings requires design strategies that consider both thermal performance and material-related embodied impacts. This study provides early-stage, wall-level comparative evidence on the decarbonization potential of alternative external wall assemblies. A representative Hungarian “Kádár” Cube house is used as a reference to evaluate three configurations under identical geometric and climatic conditions: (i) the original uninsulated masonry wall, (ii) a masonry wall retrofitted with an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS), and (iii) a modular wall system based on Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) applied in a morphology preserving reconstruction scenario. The analysis combines steady-state thermal transmittance (U-value) calculations with a cradle-to-gate (A1–A3) embodied-carbon assessment. Results show that both ETICS and SIP solutions substantially reduce heat loss compared to the baseline wall. The SIP configuration achieves the lowest U-value and cradle-to-gate embodied carbon due to its lightweight structure and reduced material mass. As the study focuses exclusively on wall-level A1–A3 impacts and steady-state thermal indicators, the findings support early design-stage decision-making rather than full building-level decarbonization modelling. The results highlight the importance of jointly considering thermal-transmittance performance and embodied impacts when comparing retrofit and modular reconstruction options for ageing residential buildings.

A serious challenge for humanity is to find an adequate response to stop the accelerating global temperature increase caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. The question arises regarding how robust international objectives and climate change-fighting decarbonization can be achieved. After a methodological review of the literature, as well as online and in-person modelling for education, work, and conferences, based on the results of studies with a life cycle approach, we searched for the answer to what reasonable solution options are available for decarbonization and energy reduction. During the research, the organizational carbon footprint of a selected office, educational institution and conference, and then the carbon footprint created by one person in 1 hour were examined. The two-day online education significantly reduced the load of the daily commute by 402 tons of CO2 equivalent annually in transportation, but the energy demand of learning at home takes away 136 tons of this, so the real profit is the mentioned 266 tons. Based on work-related research, it can be concluded that remote work can really have a positive effect on the environment. However, it depends on many other factors and the extent of their utilization. In the case of conferences, reducing travel can reduce a carbon footprint. This can be done online when the most significant savings can be achieved.