Due to factors such as rising energy costs, diminishing resources, and climate change, the demand for high performance buildings is on the rise. As a result, several new building standards have emerged including the Passive House Standard, a rigorous energy-use standard based on a super-insulated and very tightly sealed building envelope. The standard requires that that air infiltration is less than or equal to 0.6 air changes per hour at a 50 Pascal pressure difference, annual heating energy is less than or equal to 15kWh/m2, and total annual source energy is less than or equal to 120 kWh/m2. A common complaint about passive houses is that they tend to overheat. Prior research using simulation suggests that the use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs), which store heat as they melt and release heat as the freeze, can reduce the number of overheated hours and improve thermal comfort. In this study, an actual passive house duplex in Southeast Portland was thoroughly instrumented to monitor various air and surface temperatures. One unit contains 130kg of PCM while the other unit contains no PCM to serve as an experimental control. The performance of the PCM was evaluated through analysis of observed data and through additional simulation using an EnergyPlus model validated with observed data. The study found that installation of the PCM had a positive effect on thermal comfort, reducing the estimated overheated hours from about 400 to 200.

Edificações construídas conforme os parâmetros permitidos pela legislação de uso do solo nem sempre garantem bons resultados em relação ao acesso solar. Obras com limites em divisas de terrenos, super utilização dos limites de ocupação e de altura legalmente permitidos no município de Curitiba para edificações em zonas residenciais comumente bloqueiam o acesso solar no interior das edificações, causando frequentemente sombreamento, aumento da umidade e frio no período de inverno, condições agravadas pela tendência atual de adensamento e verticalização urbanos. Considerando que Curitiba é a capital mais fria do Brasil, este fato torna-se preocupante sob a análise do conforto ambiental destes edifícios. O trabalho visa contribuir para a melhoria do conforto ambiental em construções residenciais de Curitiba, a partir da elaboração de modelos para verificação da eficácia da legislação vigente, e a proposição de parâmetros obtidos através do conceito de envelope solar que propiciem o ganho efetivo de insolação e luz natural. Para isto, foram realizadas simulações de ocupação de acordo com o permitido por lei no município com os programas Google SketchUp 7.0.657 Pro, AutoCAD 2007 e através de maquete física no equipamento Heliodon. Foram realizadas também simulações com o programa Relux Professional 2007, que forneceu dados em lux para cada implantação avaliada. Os dados obtidos com a simulação de ocupação permitida por lei foram comparados com os obtidos pela simulação desta mesma ocupação com o uso do envelope solar para dimensionamento dos limites máximos construtivos, que demonstrou um acréscimo significativo no ganho de insolação no interior da edificação. Por fim, foram sugeridas as orientações com o melhor potencial de acesso solar para cada Zona residencial avaliada. / Buildings constructed according to the parameters allowed by the law of soil use and occupation do not always yield satisfactory results with regard to solar access. Buildings erected on the plot limits, overuse of the limits of height and occupancy legally permitted in the city of Curitiba for buildings in residential areas commonly block solar access within the buildings, often causing shading, increased humidity and cold in winter conditions, together with the current trend of urban densification and verticalization. Considering that Curitiba is the coldest capital of Brazil, this fact becomes alarming with regard to indoor comfort analyses in such buildings. The thesis aims to contribute for the improvement of environmental comfort in residential buildings in Curitiba, presenting models to check the effectiveness of the current legislation in providing solar gains and daylight, next to the use of the solar envelope concept. For this, simulations were carried out regarding maximum plot occupation permitted by law with Google SketchUp 7.0.657 Pro, AutoCAD 2007 and by means of a physical model in the Heliodon device. Were also carried out simulations with the software Relux Professional 2007, which provided data in lux evaluated for each deployment The similarity of the results confirmed the reliability of the method. The data obtained from the simulation of maximum occupancy were compared to those obtained considering the use of the solar envelope concept, the latter showing a significant increase in daylight inside the building. Finally, guidelines have been suggested with the best potential for solar access for each residential area evaluated. Keywords: Soil use and occupation. Insolation. Daylight. Simulation. Solar envelope.