Natural stone in architectural design Thermal performances evaluation

Sustainability concept in building is mainly based on a limited employment of energetic resources in construction phase of the building and during its life. It’s therefore very important to return to the building’s envelope its thermal control function. From this point of view it’s necessary to modify building’s envelope to the aim to reduce the thermal system’s use. New scientific researches recently conducted in various parts of the world have been based about the thermic mass role in building’s massive envelopes. The use of massive envelopes, in fact, is favoured thanks to the typical thermal mass ability to accumulate heat and to give back it slowly. The study of vernacular architectures shows that the use of materials and shapes optimizes the relation between the environment and solar energy. Within this problematic a search has been started with the objective to know better the massive envelope’s performances. The results obtained, in a comparison between thermal performances of building’s envelope realized in three different materials, show good performances of natural stone masonry. This paper shows results obtained in a research whose objective it is to know natural stone’s influence as thermal accumulation in architectural design. In particular this study will be interested in: - wall’s thickness; - relation between glass surfaces and natural stone surfaces; - natural stone's position inside building.