THERMAL MASS AND INSULATION
Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb heat. Materials that absorb heat or coolness and store it for a long period of time react slowly to temperature variations and are important aspects of any passive heating or cooling system.
A lot of heat energy is required to change the temperature of a high-density material like concrete. High thermal mass materials act as thermal sponges, absorbing heat during the summer and so cooling the building, and storing heat from the sun or heaters to release it at night.

Yet, thermal mass is not a substitute for insulation as it generally stores and re-radiates heat. Insulation stops heat flowing into or out of the building. The right combination of these two elements, plus a building design that allows the capture of solar light and heat can improve the thermal performance of new buildings and lower energy requirements.

The thermal capacity of concrete structures can be utilized to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

Compared to air conditioning, Active Fabric Energy Storage (FES) reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50%.
About 90% of the environmental impact from buildings is from heating, cooling and lighting, and only about 10% is from the embodied energy used to produce the fabric of the building itself (taken over a 60 year life-cycle).

By adopting an environmentally responsible attitude towards the specification, design and construction of our building, infrastructure and civil engineering projects, we can choose materials for all the right reasons and our choice can have beneficial effects all the way through the life-cycle of a building or structure.