Design of high tech components for controlling thermal inertia in mediterranean regions.

Control of thermal inertia during the summer season plays a fundamental role in energy efficient building design, especially in Mediterranean regions, where high insulation levels aimed at minimizing winter consumption can lead to situations of overheating in other sea-sons and nocturnal high temperature do not permit the usage of natural ventilation. A possible solution consists in the realization of high thermal inertia by means of phase change materials (PCM). This paper reports about fining tune and testing PCM-based slabs integrated with common radiant comfort systems, hypothesizing the use of water at aqueduct temperature sufficient for discharging PCM containing components, rather than cooled fluid. Two technological solutions were designed and analyzed by means of finite element analysis simulation. Two types of floor prototypes were then produced: a traditional screed and a dry screed one. The experimental data confirmed the building element’s high potential and constituted the basis for the research development.