Building Performance

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The science of the functioning of buildings in relation to climate and human comfort is called Thermal Performance.

The thermal performance of a building is effective if the building is successful in providing conditions of thermal comfort for the specific modes of human habitation it is designed to serve.  (Preferably at the least cost possible, whether cost be measured in money or in resources such as Non-Renewable Energy)

For example, the thermal requirements for a house are not the same as those for a Kindergarten or an Architectural office. Different people are comfortable in different climatic conditions, and have different expectations and different perceptions, affected by experience, culture and health.  

The thermal performance of a building is the result of complex interactions between many factors -

  • The physical behaviour of the building depends on the generic external climate.
  • The specific micro-climate, the characteristics of the building, its form and planning, its materials and construction, its immediate environs and its plant & equipment - heating, cooling, air-conditioning.
  • It also is affected by the building's inhabitants their behaviour and activities in the building and their management of the building.

The inhabitants' perceptions of the effectiveness of the building also depend on many personal and cultural factors.

Last modified: Sunday, 12 December 2021, 4:43 PM