Trombe wall

The research and accumulated solar design experience was then spread across the Atlantic by architects such as Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.

The pioneering work of these American architects, the influence of immigrant Europeans, and the memory of wartime fuel shortages made solar heating very popular during the initial housing boom at the end of World War II.

They described how architects and engineers reacted to the crisis, proposing new techniques and projects in order to intervene innovatively in the built environment, using energy and natural resources more efficiently.

In this direction, the integration of passive solar systems in buildings is one strategy for sustainable development and increasingly encouraged by international regulations.

[11] Today's low-energy buildings with Trombe walls often improve on an ancient technique that incorporates a thermal storage and delivery system people have already used: thick walls of adobe or stone to trap the sun's heat during the day and release it slowly and evenly at night to heat their building.

[13][3] The black painted wall is constructed of approximately 2 foot thick concrete with an air space and a double glazing on its exterior side.

[15] Another phenomenon that plays a role in the Trombe wall's operation is the time lag caused by the heat capacity of the materials.

This delayed heat-flow phenomenon is known as time lag and it causes the heat gained during the day to reach the interior surface of the thermal mass later.

On the other hand, if the mass is too thick, it takes too long to transmit the thermal energy it collects, thus, the living space does not receive enough heat during the evening hours when it is needed the most.

Likewise, if the thermal mass is too thin, it transmits the heat too quickly, resulting in overheating of the living space during the day and little energy left for the evening.

Trombe walls are often designed to serve as a load-bearing function as well as to collect and store the sun's energy and to help enclose the building's interior spaces.

[2] The requirements of a Trombe Wall are glazing areas faced toward the equator for maximum winter solar gain and a thermal mass, located 4 inches or more directly behind the glass, which serves for heat storage and distribution.

Also, there are many factors, such as color, thickness, or additional thermal control devices that have an impact on the design and the effectiveness of Trombe Walls.

Moreover, a selective coating to a Trombe wall improves its performance by reducing the amount of infrared energy radiated back through the glass.

[14] He painted the steel containers similar to oil drums and filled them almost full of water, leaving some room for the thermal expansion.

Moreover, unlike a full Trombe wall, the direct gain part allows views and the delight of winter sunshine.

For instance, the minimum 4-inch distance between the glass and the mass allows cleaning the glazing and the insertion of a roll-down radiant barrier as needed.

[7] The additional reflected area helps Trombe walls to benefit more from the sunlight with the flexibility of removing or rotating the reflector device if the solar collection is undesired.

As an architectural detail, patterned glass can be used to limit the exterior visibility of the dark wall without sacrificing transmissivity.

The largest Trombe wall in the Northeastern United States is located in NJIT’s Mechanical Engineering Building, at 200 Central Avenue, Newark, NJ.