Architectural heritage, building materials and interior space are highly susceptible to temperature and relative humidity. A better knowledge of the hygrothermal dynamics inside buildings allows an adequate conservation of heritage. This work compares three non-destructive techniques (NDT), such as temperature and relative humidity sensors, finite element simulations (CFD) and thermographic pictures (IRT). The work has made it possible to carry out an assessment of the risk of condensation over a year and to identify affected periods and areas of the building. Sensors and IRT pictures provide real data to validate CFD simulations, facilitating a global analysis of the building. The results provided reflect a great concordance between the NDTs used.

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The use of green roofs entails environmental, economic and social benefits as sustainable tools of architecture. They present proven benefits in the path towards carbon neutrality and the reduction of the consumption of energy resources, especially in the field of renovation and improvement of the thermal envelope. In Spain, the current climate crisis also implies a problem of water stress, so it is necessary to analyse in more detail the behaviour of self-sustaining green roofs in the different climatic and rainfall zones into which the territory is divided. Evapotranspiration is the main mechanism of heat dissipation in green roofs, but in this study, it is observed that in the case of self-sustaining roofs with limited water content, the greatest losses through evapotranspiration occur in climates with high temperatures and solar radiation, above cities with higher rainfall and colder climates. On the contrary, the greatest energy savings are obtained in this type of cold climate. Evapotranspiration in self-sustaining roofs is not the most determining factor for achieving energy savings. The design of the roof, the geometry and orientation of the building, as well as the cooling energy consumption, play a more determining role.

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Nowadays, our society has the responsibility of reducing the energy consumed in the building sector. A promising technology to achieve this goal is the implementation of thermal energy storage (TES) solutions in buildings envelopes. Phase change materials (PCM) which act as a thermal buffer, take advantage of the melting temperature of the material to change its state, improving building energy efficiency. This work explores and investigates how with a cheap PCM material, such as surf wax, high impact thermal results are obtained. To check and verify this condition, two concrete specimens were prepared with treated PCM aggregate and two without the PCM. The four test cubes were placed in an oven and using thermal sensors, the data about the temperature evolution during the process of heating and cooling was collected for further analysis. The results between the PCM concrete samples and the samples without PCM were compared, verifying the promising performance in terms of energy impact.