Plus minus 20°/40° latitude

When looking for appropriate building solutions in tropical and subtropical regions, the chief aims are saving energy and reducing pollutant emissions as much as possible. Natural ventilation, passive and active use of solar energy, the use of rainwater and the energy potential of the soil are the key issues here. Traditional urban and building structures, described in an exemplary way by local architects for a wide variety of locations, provide a stimulus for thinking about the many positive elements already developed by master builders of the past, alongside all the technical possibilities that exist today. Natural ventilation of a building is made possible by its particular urban location, but also by the structure of the building itself as a result of internal thermal circulation and wind-induced pressures. Extensive planting, including planting within the building, further helps to improve the quality of urban spaces and structures. In addition, the outer skin of a building is a key element in dealing with the requirements described here. For this reason, the façade systems including the glazing and the shading elements are considered in detail. The use of photothermic and photoelectric solar technologies is also examined extensively, along with the use of the energy potential of the soil, which to date has still not been taken into account in many regions of the world. Important examples of realized objects show the interplay between the use of natural resources and the building technology that has been added on. Dirk U. Hindrichs and his company Schüco International, working with chief technologist Winfried Heusler, have consistently shown the way forward for energy-optimized building envelopes since the mid-1990s. Schüco transforms buildings from energy consumers into energy generators by combining measures to save energy and harness solar power. The central concern here is the reduction of CO2 pollution. Klaus Klaus Daniels was professor at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich until he retired. The experience he accumulated in almost 40 years of work as a consulting engineer in the fields of aerophysics, building climatization and technology has been set down in numerous books.