Windows with Variable Thermal Protection for Buildings in the Far North

Abstract

A window is, first, an element of daylighting and visual comfort, but, in addition, the window can be an element of an air-conditioning system. In a building with natural ventilation, the outside air inflow is conducted, as a rule, through leaks in the fillings of window openings or through window elements – vents, transoms. The window is also an element of the building’s thermal protection. It gets special significance in buildings built in the climatic conditions of the Russian Far North. This region is characterized by a very short duration or even complete absence of solar time in winter (in the polar night conditions). In these conditions, the role of the window as an element of daylighting and visual comfort is turned off. The task of increasing the heat-shielding characteristics of windows becomes essential. In the Far North, a window can have the same thermal protection as a wall with proper design solutions. In temperate climate conditions, it is possible to increase the thermal protection of windows in public buildings during the period when the building is not in use: at night, on weekends and holidays. The paper provides an overview of new technologies for changing the optical properties and heat-shielding characteristics of windows, depending on changes in climatic conditions, time of day and people’s preferences, and discusses the possibilities of increasing the energy efficiency of buildings in the Far North conditions using windows with variable heat protection, as well as new designs of “smart windows”.