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The development of both methods is based on on-site measurements. Eight test cases were selected for two purposes: on one hand, to measure the level of airtightness in order to build a database containing the characteristics of the buildings that could be linked to it, including the implementation aspects, and on the other hand, to measure the transmission heat loss coefficient of a building unit in order to control the quality of execution of the thermal envelope.

On the basis of the in situ measurements, a data base linking on one side a description of the geometrical characteristics of the tested volume and, on the other, the air-tightness values obtained, will be created. Statistical analysis tools will be used to assess predictive models based on these data.

The project also aims to centralize the design parameters and the measurement results on the test cases in a structured database linked to a Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. These data will provide the opportunity to analyze more precisely the interactions that exist between thermal performance and airtightness at the building scale, both in the design phase and in the construction phase.

Measurements made on selected buildings will be accessible on line and completed by detailed descriptions of the buildings envelope parameters. Those high quality data sets are a useful tool for research teams to validate their simulation tools or to develop parametric identification methods in building physics.

Unlike existing scientific experiences conducted using co-heating tests (tests led with electrical heater substituting for heating installation over an extended period of 5 to 20 days), the proposed method is based on the floating temperature observation in an unventilated and unoccupied building. The test duration is sufficiently long (5 to 15 days) to reach a quasi-stationary state and sufficiently sunny to generate a temperature difference of approximatively 10 degrees between outside and inside.