Large Format Ceramic Panels Versus Recycled Aluminum Casting Panels: Improvement of the Thermal Behavior of the Museum of Fine Arts of Castellón

There is a growing awareness towards the use in architecture of construction materials produced in the area in which the buildings are to be implemented. The reduction of environmental impacts derived from the lower consumption of energy in transportation is significant. In addition, the materials used in the façades have special relevance in the value of the annual energy demand. This fact becomes more important in the case of emblematic buildings with social media impact, both for the quality of their design and for the functional contributions they can make. Sometimes, even for purely aesthetic reasons, the paradox of opting for constructive solutions with worse performance, worse aging, a higher cost of maintenance operations or a higher value of annual energy demand is established. In this research the Museum of Fine Arts of Castellón is analyzed, made with cast aluminum recycled panels as a finishing material on the façade. A comparison is made with the alternative scenario, ventilated ceramic façade, of having used large format ceramic panels, produced in the region, where the ceramic sector is a very important cluster. The reduction of the value of the annual energy demand by 12% is evaluated by the improvements established in the ventilated ceramic façade.

Ceramic facade cladding as an element of sustainable development

Building in harmony with nature has a small impact on the environment, while meeting the basic needs of the population. Green architecture is a branch of architecture including planning, designing and building of various kinds of buildings, with a low impact on the environment. Construction of the so-called ?green structures? is in accord with the concept of sustainability and it attempts to balance environmental, economical and social needs. Environmentally appropriate materials are used in construction of this type of structures, which during their production, application and distribution pollute as little as possible the water, soil and air in the environment. The more sustainable the building materials used for construction are, the more sustainable is the structure and its operation with renewable energy sources. The paper considers ceramic facade elements, i.e. cladding. By using ceramic facade cladding, one achieves a better preception of an urban environment, which enriches our lives for new sensual and visual quality, while observing the green building requirements.