Vegetation in architecture can be considered a proper design strategy that is aimed at improving not only the performances of buildings, but also the outdoor climate. Different technological solutions have been proposed over the years to cover buildings with vegetation, i.e. green roofs, green walls and green balconies. A particular typology of green wall, which has recently been gaining high consensus among designers, is the vertical greenery modular system (VGMS). The positive impact of this type of technology on the performance of buildings is related to several factors, such as the façade orientation, the use of the building, climatic conditions, the type of plants, the substrates and wall assemblies, as well as mechanical and technological issues. A multidisciplinary approach is therefore needed, and different skills have to be joined together right from the early design phase in order to optimize and balance all the aspects that are involved. In this framework, a research project has been carried out in Turin (North West Italy), with the aim of developing a novel VGMS, constituted by a modular box covered with vegetation, made up of recycled/natural and highly performing materials from the energy/environmental point of view. After the design phase, the actual performance of the VGMS was assessed, through laboratory and long-term in field monitoring, and at the same time, the technological issues, biometric parameters, and the acoustic, thermal and mechanical aspects were investigated

Glazing components are the most challenging element of the building envelope system. The insertion of a Phase Change Material coupled with a thermotropic layer is herewith proposed as an innovative solution aimed at improving the energy performance of the fenestration. The intention is to increase the dynamic features of glazing systems and to enhance their capability of exploiting solar energy – a crucial feature in nearly Zero Energy Buildings.The paper presents the experimental analysis of two prototypes of such a glazing concept and the assessment of their energy performance during the warm season. The samples are installed on an outdoor thermostatic cell facing south, together with a reference triple glazed unit, and continuous measurements of temperatures, irradiances and heat fluxes are performed. In the summer season, when the aim of the glazing system is to reduce the solar gain and to allow daylighting the energy performance is very promising. When compared to the reference technology, both the prototypes are able to reduce to a great extend the direct transmitted solar energy, as well as to smooth the peak indoor surface temperature of the glazing. In particular, one of the two configurations lowers down the solar energy gain under all boundary conditions, while the other configuration presents a slightly worse performance than the other prototype when high solar irradiation occurs. An attempt to measure the thermal transmittance was also carried out and it is shown that the insertion of PCM does not increase the U-value of the component

Building envelopes can play a crucial role in building improvement efficiency, and the adoption of Phase Change Materials (PCMs), coupled with transparent elements, may: (i) allow a better control of the heat flows from/to the outdoor environment, (ii) increase the exploitation of solar energy at a building scale and (iii) modulate light transmission in order to prevent glare effects. Starting from a literature review, focused on experimental works, this research identifies the main possible integrations of PCMs in transparent/translucent building envelope components (in glazing, in shutters and in multilayer façade system) in order to draw a global picture of the potential and limitations of these technologies. Transparent envelopes with PCMs have been classified from the simplest “zero” technology, which integrates the PCM in a double glass unit (DGU), to more complex solutions—with a different number of glass cavities (triple glazed unit TGU), different positions of the PCM layer (internal/external shutter), and in combination with other materials (TIM, aerogel, prismatic solar reflector, PCM curtain controlled by an electric pump). The results of the analysis have been summarised in a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis table to underline the strengths and weaknesses of transparent building envelope components with PCMs, and to indicate opportunities and threats for future research and building applications.