Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for venting buildings, specifically attic spaces, such vents being predominantly shape-conform to the components from which a wall or a roof is built (typically tiles, in the context of roofs), the vent typically being fabricated from a metallic, plastic, or ceramic core as well as one or more layers from other materials or compounds which modify the overall characteristics of the vent, such as the surface characteristics. Furthermore disclosed are methods of manufacturing such ventilation apparatuses.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for at least approximating any one or any combination of system targets of a) reducing the average energy expenditure for keeping at least one primary compartment of a building within a desired temperature range by means of active e air conditioning, or b) reducing temperature variations during a typical 24-hour cycle within said at least one primary compartment of said building, or c) reducing one or both of the average temperature or the peak temperature of said at least one primary compartment of said building. The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are at least exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature and ambient air flow velocity and direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for venting buildings, specifically attic spaces, such vents being predominantly shape-conform to the components from which a wall or a roof is built (typically tiles, in the context of roofs), the vent typically being fabricated from a metallic, plastic, or ceramic core as well as one or more layers from other materials or compounds which modify the overall characteristics of the vent, such as the surface characteristics. Furthermore disclosed are methods of manufacturing such ventilation apparatuses.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method to produce composite materials, which contain customized mixes of nano- and/or micro-particles with tailored electromagnetic spectral properties, structural elements based thereon, in particular layers, but also bulk materials including inhomogeneous bulk materials. In some embodiments the IR-reflectivity is enhanced predominantly independently of reflectivity for visible wavelength. The enhanced IR-reflectivity is achieved by combining spectral properties from a plurality of nano- and/or micro-particles of distinct size distribution, shape distribution, chemical composition, crystal structure, and crystallinity distribution. This enables to approximate desired target spectra better than know solutions, which comprise only a single type of particles and/or an uncontrolled natural size distribution.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

Abstract: The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation, as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature, flow velocity and direction. Such a building can include at least one primary compartment and at least one secondary compartment. The primary compartment predominantly serves to achieve the primary purpose of the building. An electronic controller can modulate air flow to and from the secondary compartment.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method to produce composite materials, which contain customized mixes of nano- and/or micro-particles with tailored electromagnetic spectral properties, structural elements based thereon, in particular layers, but also bulk materials including inhomogeneous bulk materials. In some embodiments the IR-reflectivity is enhanced predominantly independently of reflectivity for visible wavelength. The enhanced IR-reflectivity is achieved by combining spectral properties from a plurality of nano- and/or micro-particles of distinct size distribution, shape distribution, chemical composition, crystal structure, and crystallinity distribution. This enables to approximate desired target spectra better than know solutions, which comprise only a single type of particles and/or an uncontrolled natural size distribution.

Abstract: Methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces to enable the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems. The methods may be in part based on dynamically changing functional elements with variable properties, or effective properties, in terms of their electromagnetic radiative behavior and/or their thermal energy storage properties, or the spatial distribution of the stored thermal energy, which permits the application of methods to control the overall thermal behavior of the entire structure in such a way that desired levels of inside temperature can be reached with reduced consumption of external energy (typically electricity, gas, oil, or coal). In some instances no conventional heating of cooling is required at all. In some instances the invention reduces the time to reach desired temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other predominantly enclosed spaces.

Abstract: A method of modulating the impact of electromagnetic irradiance on a predominantly enclosed space, including providing at least an inner shell of the predominantly enclosed space, placing a plurality of spatially adjustable functional elements in an exterior position relative to an outside facing surface of said inner shell and/or placing one or more panels, containers, or reservoirs, each including a thermal carrier medium, in or proximate to said predominantly enclosed space to increase the thermal capacity of the inner shell. A control system adjusts the position of the functional elements and/or the spatial distribution of the thermal carrier medium. The control system acquires data from one or more sensors and detects a catastrophic even related to the predominantly enclosed space.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for at least approximating any one or any combination of system targets of a) reducing the average energy expenditure for keeping at least one primary compartment of a building within a desired temperature range by means of active e air conditioning, or b) reducing temperature variations during a typical 24-hour cycle within said at least one primary compartment of said building, or c) reducing one or both of the average temperature or the peak temperature of said at least one primary compartment of said building. The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are at least exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature and ambient air flow velocity and direction.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods to produce composite materials, which contain customized mixes of nano- and/or micro-particles with tailored electromagnetic spectral properties. In some defense-related applications, the use of such materials enables an improved spectral match between different structures, such as vehicles or buildings with the surrounding environment at least in the VIS and NIR wavelength range. This can camouflage the structures, and reduce the detectability thereof by ground-, air- or space-based multi-spectral long-range imaging systems, including aircrafts, drones, and satellites, and thus, generally delay, complicate, or eliminate detection or classification of the camouflaged structures.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for venting buildings, specifically attic spaces, such vents being predominantly shape-conform to the components from which a wall or a roof is built (typically tiles, in the context of roofs), the vent typically being fabricated from a metallic, plastic, or ceramic core as well as one or more layers from other materials or compounds which modify the overall characteristics of the vent, such as the surface characteristics. Furthermore disclosed are methods of manufacturing such ventilation apparatuses.

Abstract: The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation, as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature, flow velocity and direction. Such a building comprising at least one primary compartment and at least one secondary compartment. The primary compartment predominantly serves to achieve the primary purpose of the building. An electronic controller can modulate throughput or speed of active or passive air flow to and from the secondary compartment. The controller uses a descriptive model to predict thermal behavior of the building and to derive control signals. The control system acquires data from one or more sensors. In some embodiments the disclosed methods are at least partially incorporated in a home automation system, including internet connectivity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method to produce composite materials, which contain customized mixes of nano- and/or micro-particles with tailored electromagnetic spectral properties, structural elements based thereon, in particular layers, but also bulk materials including inhomogeneous bulk materials. In some embodiments the IR-reflectivity is enhanced predominantly independently of reflectivity for visible wavelength. The enhanced IR-reflectivity is achieved by combining spectral properties from a plurality of nano- and/or micro-particles of distinct size distribution, shape distribution, chemical composition, crystal structure, and crystallinity distribution. This enables to approximate desired target spectra better than know solutions, which comprise only a single type of particles and/or an uncontrolled natural size distribution.

Abstract: The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are at least exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature and ambient air flow velocity and direction. Methods for at least approximating any one or any combination of system targets of a) reducing the average energy expenditure for keeping at least one primary compartment of a building within a desired temperature range by means of active air conditioning, or b) reducing temperature variations during a typical 24-hour cycle within said at least one primary compartment of said building, or c) reducing one or both of the average temperature or the peak temperature of said at least one primary compartment of said building. Methods for at least partially increasing the typical lifetime of some components of buildings and thus reducing resources associated with maintaining at least some buildings function.

Abstract: A method of modulating the impact of electromagnetic irradiance on the thermal energy budget of a predominantly enclosed space includes providing at least an inner shell of the predominantly enclosed space, and placing a plurality of functional elements in an exterior position relative to an outside facing side of the inner shell. The outside facing surfaces of the functional elements have higher reflectivity in the visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) wavelength range relative to the (MIR) wavelength range. The inside facing surfaces of the functional elements have higher reflectivity in the NIR and mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range relative to the (VIS) wavelength range. A thickness of the functional elements is equal to or smaller than a thickness of the inner shell.

Abstract: The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation, as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature, flow velocity and direction. Such a building comprising at least one primary compartment and at least one secondary compartment. The primary compartment predominantly serves to achieve the primary purpose of the building. An electronic controller can modulate throughput or speed of active or passive air flow to and from the secondary compartment. The controller uses a descriptive model to predict thermal behavior of the building and to derive control signals. The control system acquires data from one or more sensors. In some embodiments the disclosed methods are at least partially incorporated in a home automation system, including internet connectivity.