Moisture related problems are common in buildings leading to costly damage and uncomfortable indoor environments. This course aims at providing the necessary theoretical background and training in order to foresee and avoid these problems.

Basics and application of thermal comfort, building energy demand and urban physics.

Principles of heat and mass transport, hygro-thermal performance, durability of the building envelope and interaction with indoor and outdoor climates, applications.

Moisture transport and related degradation processes in porous materials Theory of moisture transport in porous materialsExperimental determination of moisture transport propertiesExercises on moisture transport properties determination:Selected topicsLiquid transport in cracked porous media, Drying of porous media, microclimate in urban street canyons.

Urban physics: wind, wind comfort, pollutant dispersion, natural ventilation, driving rain, heat islands, climate change and weather conditions, urban acoustics and energy use in the urban context.