The present investigation is focused on the thermal performance of building materials, specifically their thermal transmittance, and consequent impact on building envelope and building thermal performance. Thermal performance of building materials plays a crucial role in regulating indoor thermal comfort when suitably integrated as part of the building envelope. Studies into thermal performance of building materials are few, particularly in the context of designing building blocks to achieve a particular thermal transmittance in buildings. Such studies require both theoretical (numerical) investigations augmented with experimental investigation into material thermal performance. A unique contribution of this study has been assessing the temperature-dependent performance of building material and their influence on thermal conductivity. The thermal performance of conventional and alternative (low energy) building materials have also been investigated to assess their suitability for naturally ventilated building in salient climatic zones in India. The study has also investigated the impact of varying mix proportions in Cement Stabilized Soil Block on thermal performance. There is little evidence of such studies, involving both experimental and theoretical studies, tracing the thermal performance of building materials to building performance. The current study involves three parts: studying thermo-physical properties of building materials, building-envelope performance evaluation and case-study investigation on buildings in various climatic zones. The thermo-physical study involves understanding the role of materials mix-proportion, composition, and microstructure for its influence on building-envelope thermal performance. Studies into building envelope performance for conventional and alternative building materials, includes, steady and dynamic thermal performance parameters. As part of the study, a calibrated hot-box thermal testing facility has been tested to experimentally determine the thermal performance of building envelopes. Case-study investigation involves real-time monitoring and simulation based assessment of naturally ventilated buildings in three climatic zones of India. The study finds noticeable temperature-dependent performance for various building materials tested. However, their impact on overall thermal performance of buildings is limited for the climatic zones tested. Further, the study validates the hitherto unexplored possibility of customizing building materials for specific thermal performances.

Full-depth reclamation (FDR) in conjunction with cement stabilization is an established practice for rehabilitating deteriorating asphalt roads. Conventionally, FDR uses dry cement powder applied with a pneumatic spreader, creating undesirable fugitive cement dust. The cement dust poses a nuisance and, when inhaled, a health threat. Consequently, FDR in conjunction with conventional cement stabilization cannot generally be used in urban areas. To solve the problem of fugitive cement dust, the use of cement slurry, prepared by combining cement powder and water, has been proposed to allow cement stabilization to be utilized in urban areas. However, using cement slurry introduces several factors not associated with using dry cement that may affect road base strength, dry density (DD), and moisture content (MC). The objectives of this research were to 1) identify construction-related factors that influence the strength of road base treated with cement slurry in conjunction with FDR and quantify the effects of these factors and 2) compare the strength of road base treated with cement slurry with that of road base treated with dry cement. To achieve the research objectives, road base taken from an FDR project was subjected to extensive full-factorial laboratory testing. The 7-day unconfined compressive strength (UCS), DD, and MC were measured as dependent variables, while independent variables included cement content; slurry water batching temperature; cement slurry aging temperature; cement slurry aging time; presence of a set-retarding, water-reducing admixture; and aggregate-slurry mixing time. This research suggests that, when road base is stabilized with cement slurry in conjunction with FDR, the slurry water batching temperature; haul time; environmental temperature; and presence of a set-retarding, water-reducing admixture will not significantly affect the strength of CTB, provided that those factors fall within the limits explored in this research and are applied to a road base with similar properties. Cement content and cement-aggregate mixing time are positively correlated with the strength of CTB regardless of cement form. Additionally, using cement slurry will result in slightly lower strength values than using dry cement.