A building envelope for a building wall, floor, or roof of a building, includes at least two shells spaced some distance apart from one another, which encloses an intermediate space therebetween, the shells including an exterior-facing shell configured to face an exterior of the building, and an interior-facing shell configured to face an interior of the building. The shells spaced apart from one another are filled with a building material and optionally include structural reinforcement and supply-engineering elements.

A building envelope for a building wall, floor, or roof of a building, includes at least two shells spaced some distance apart from one another, which encloses an intermediate space therebetween, the shells including an exterior-facing shell configured to face an exterior of the building, and an interior-facing shell configured to face an interior of the building. The shells spaced apart from one another are filled with a building material and optionally include structural reinforcement and supply-engineering elements.

Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) apparatus 10 combines a photovoltaic panel (PV) panel 24 and solar air heater (SAH). The SAH includes body 12 with hollow interior 14 defining ducts 16a, 18a for air inlet 16 and air return 18. Jets 22 provide air to convey heat from the PV panel underside. Spaces between the jets provide drains 26 for warmed air to flow away. Flow modifiers/deflectors 124 can guide the airflow. A fan 42 pushes ambient air into the inlet 16 via air handling unit (AHU) 50. Return warm air flows via the AHU to escape via the ambient exhaust 40. A combined thermal transfer and storage unit 52 determines whether air from the PVT panel(s) diverts to the interior space. For cooler ambient conditions, the PVT apparatus can radiate heat to return cooled air into the space. The PVT apparatus can harvest condensation, heat/cool pools and industrial processes.

An active insulated assembly for controlling heat transfer through insulated assemblies. The active insulated assembly includes a thermal conductor configured to actively move thermal energy from the active insulated assembly. The active insulated assembly also includes a first radiant barrier on a first side of the thermal conductor configured to reflect radiant energy back to its source and allow the assembly to resist heat transfer in either direction. The active insulated assembly further includes a second radiant barrier on a second side of the thermal conductor wherein the second side is opposite the first side, the second radiant barrier configured to reflect radiant energy back to its source and allow the assembly to resist heat transfer in either direction.

The invention provides a SolarHearth, a passive solar heating system that includes a work of art that can be mounted on a building, to bring warmed air into the building. The system includes a heat exchange chamber having a display window that contains the work of art, and is is configured to create a passive solar environment to create a natural vacuum. The system further includes means for moving air through the heat exchange chamber, such as an air plenum or fans.

Core element for sandwich elements, wherein the core element has at least two hemisphere panels which are combined with one another, wherein each hemisphere panel has, between planar portions, and spaced apart from one another, uniform hemispherical elevations, wherein the two or in each case two hemisphere panels face one another by way of their elevations, wherein, with two or in each case two hemisphere panels combined with one another, the elevations of one hemisphere panel each bear with their apexes or apex surfaces against a planar portion of the other hemisphere panel, and wherein two hemisphere panels are connected to one another by virtue of the elevations being connected, in the region of their apexes or apex surfaces, to the planar portion of the other or another hemisphere panel against which they bear. Moreover, the invention also relates to the use of a core element and to a method for producing a core element.

Core element for sandwich elements, wherein the core element has at least two hemisphere panels which are combined with one another, wherein each hemisphere panel has, between planar portions, and spaced apart from one another, uniform hemispherical elevations, wherein the two or in each case two hemisphere panels face one another by way of their elevations, wherein, with two or in each case two hemisphere panels combined with one another, the elevations of one hemisphere panel each bear with their apexes or apex surfaces against a planar portion of the other hemisphere panel, and wherein two hemisphere panels are connected to one another by virtue of the elevations being connected, in the region of their apexes or apex surfaces, to the planar portion of the other or another hemisphere panel against which they bear. Moreover, the invention also relates to the use of a core element and to a method for producing a core element.

Generally, the present disclosure of embodiments of Disclosed is a construction element of a null-energy system. Such a construction element can include a body on which the construction element can further include a porous material compartment with porous material to store water and evaporate the stored water outwards from the porous material through a holding layer on the opposite side of the porous material compartment to the body. The disclosure relates also to a null-energy system using a construction element of null-energy system as embodied therein.

Generally, the present disclosure of embodiments of Disclosed is a construction element of a null-energy system. Such a construction element can include a body on which the construction element can further include a porous material compartment with porous material to store water and evaporate the stored water outwards from the porous material through a holding layer on the opposite side of the porous material compartment to the body. The disclosure relates also to a null-energy system using a construction element of null-energy system as embodied therein.

Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

In some instances the invention is in part based on dynamically changing functional elements with variable properties, or effective properties, in terms of their electromagnetic radiative behavior and/or their thermal energy storage properties, or the spatial distribution of the stored thermal energy, which permits the application of methods and algorithms to control the overall thermal behavior of the entire structure in such a way that desired levels of inside temperature can be reached with reduced consumption of external energy (typically electricity, gas, oil, or coal).

In some instances no conventional heating of cooling is required at all, whereas in other instances the expenditure of external energy for conventional heating or cooling is reduced. In some instances the invention enables the reduction of the time to reach desired temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other predominantly enclosed spaces.

In some instances the obtained sensor data may be used to detect the occurrence or imminently predicted occurrence of a catastrophic event, including but not limited to fire or flooding, internal or external to the predominantly enclosed space.

In some embodiments this information may support any single or any combination of locally or remotely alerting humans, alerting rescue units, activating countermeasures, uploading at least partially said sensor data to off-site computers, determining the cause(s) of said catastrophic event, determining liability, determining insure payments, determining insurance premiums.