(Article written in collaboration with ArchDaily)
When talking about energy efficiency in buildings, it is inevitable to mention thermal insulation. We rarely see it in a finished building and, even in the technical drawings, the insulating layer appears as a thin hatch. But this is an element that is of vital importance, as it acts as a barrier to the flow of heat, hindering the exchange of energy between the interior and the exterior, reducing the amount of heat that escapes in winter and the thermal energy that enters in the summer. In a building with good thermal insulation, there is less need for heating to keep the house at a pleasant temperature, also reducing its carbon footprint. Currently, there are many countries that require a minimum level of thermal insulation for buildings, with increasingly strict parameters. But how should this issue be dealt with in the near future, with the worrying climate crisis forecast?
According to the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), rising global average temperatures are associated with widespread changes in weather patterns. Scientific studies indicate that extreme weather events such as heat waves and major storms are likely to become more frequent or more intense with human-induced climate change. But what does this have to do with architecture? The construction industry accounts for almost 40% of CO2 emissions. And a large part of this, 28% to be exact, is in the operation of buildings, which also use 36% of all energy demand on the planet, according to 2020 data from the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. This is where thermal insulation becomes important.