Abstract:
There has always been a great gap between the use of natural materials to create buildings with
improved environmental performance and the mainstream construction market which is always on the
side of using artificial conventional materials. Until recent scientific research has succeeded to introduce
and test materials which can act like natural clay and stone in the sense of thermal capacity and
conductivity and yet practical enough to be used in the conventional manner of building. These materials
were called the phase-change materials (PCMs).
However, the previous studies for PCMs have regularly marginalized the link between natural PCMs
and the natural setting and diagnosis of the area of interest. Thus, this work aims at presenting an
overview of the key researches in the field of use of PCMs in buildings and presenting a green approach
for their uses in building envelopes with specific implementation on the case of hot arid countries. This is
achieved by analyzing key works of choice and implementation of PCMs in buildings from a green
perspective to use of their findings and re-adjust them for application in hot arid countries. Consequently,
this paper proves that the use of certain green techniques combined with natural PCMs available in the
immediate context can be very beneficial in the sense of reaching buildings with acceptable
environmental and thermal performance. The research outcomes imply developing certain green building
techniques and materials new to hot arid countries. However, the research findings are applicable only
where the bioclimatic diagnosis of the area of the designated case and its natural resources coincide with
those expressed in this work. This research is limited by the to-date advancements in PCM
manufacturing technologies. It represents a new approach, yet a series in the chain of efforts for the
integration of PCMs in building envelopes.