The urgent need to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a bid to meet increasingly stringent GHG targets has focused the attention of scientists on the built environment. The reason is that nearly 50% of all the energy in the developed world is consumed in buildings and it is here that the easiest savings can be made. Although the theoretical trend in building regulations is to favour lower carbon buildings, in reality new buildings have typically become more energy profligate year after year. Much of this results from increased mechanization, poorer building fabric and design, and the resource consumption patterns. Modern thermal comfort standards are partly responsible for increased levels of energy consumption in buildings as well as for encouraging unhealthier, less comfortable buildings because they drive the designers towards higher use of air-conditioning. A first step towards the radical overhauling of our approach to the artificial conditioning of buildings is to revise these standards. This article describes the evolution of the current standards and the problems inherent in the buildings they shape and serve and then proceeds to propose new methods of regulating thermal comfort in a warming world in which the cost of energy is rising.@en

This interactive, 90 minute workshop was proposed to encourage designers to take stock of innovative ventilation solutions being built today and then consider what might be effective design solutions for buildings in 28 years’ time, in 2050. The aim was to explore how shared learning might influence how we think about designing resilient buildings today for a different future. Attendees were handed a two sided questionnaire at the start of the session on one side of which were questions to be answered at the start of the workshop and on the reverse, questions for the end of the workshop to try and understand how much thinking had changed over the 90 minutes. Peter then gave his talk on Innovative Passive Solutions and the attendees got into groups and discussed how they would answer the first set of questions. The agreed answers were put up on sticky notes on the wall under the titles: Resilient building features; 2050 technologies and Human factors. Sue then gave her talk on Designing for 2050. She used the case study of the Oxford Ecohouse she built 28 years ago as an example of a building that would still perform well in the much hotter climate predicted for 2050. 28 years in the future. After her talk, and during the round-up discussions people were asked to note down any changes in thinking under those three titles to try and get a feel for how much the workshop has affected their ideas on these issues. Peter then collected the questionnaires and sticky notes and recorded the results that are presented below. @en

Nearly 50% of energy consumed in the developed world is consumed in buildings. Despite regulation intent, many new buildings are energy profligate. Thermal comfort standards are partly responsible for this increase in consumption. In this volume, Roaf ef a/, have described the evolution of current comfort standards and problems inherent In buildings they shape, and have discussed two new methods of regulating thermal comfort in buildings which recognize human adaptation and have potential for reduced energy demand. These new methods incorporate adaptation through a fixed heating and cooling threshold approach (similar to Japanese Cool-Biz) or through heating and cooling setpoints calculated based on outdoor conditions (using CEN standard equations). The impact on comfort and energy demand of these new approaches is investigated for a London office building. Variables such as future climate, future building upgrades, setback temperatures, internal gains and ventilation are also explored. Adoption of the new approaches gave a 50% reduction in heating and cooling energy for the simulated office. The new approach together with optimized setback temperatures, ventilation strategies and higher efficiency equipment gives predicted heating and cooling energy demand close to zero. Recommendations for future regulation, design and operation of buildings are proposed.@en