Development and characterization of architectural integrated solar air heating façade components

Solar Air Heating Façades (SAHF) represent a promising solution to improve the energy efficiency of building envelopes by harnessing solar energy for heating. However, during cold seasons, these systems often face challenges with heat loss, which limits their efficiency. Moreover, their architectural integration still represents a relevant limitation for a large diffusion of these systems to residential buildings. This research examines the effect of different SAHF architectural/visual integration strategies and their impact on thermal performance. The experimental approach includes the assessment of i) the thermal resistance of different transparent/translucent elements constituted by multi-wall polycarbonate (PC) filled with granular Silica-Aerogel and, ii) the solar transmission of PC coupled with external timber lamella to enhance architectural integration and to provide summer shading. Uncoated timber and reflective aluminum top-coatings were evaluated. These configurations were tested under artificial sunlight. Results revealed that the integration of silica aerogel enhances thermal insulation of about 33% but moderately compromises the solar transmission (about 20%). Lamella configuration has also been observed to have a significant influence on solar transmission. It was demonstrated that the reflective top-coated lamella reaches up to 43% of solar transmission compared to the reference PC16 (53%). These findings highlight the potential of combining this strategy with Silica-Aerogel filled PC to balance solar energy harvesting, thermal insulation, and architectural integration.