One of the challenges in sustainable development is to optimize the energy efficiency of buildings during their lifespan. Modern concretes offer both low embodied CO_2 with the use of different types of cements and recycled aggregates and reduced operational CO_2 with the intrinsic property called "thermal mass" that reduces the risk of overheating in the summer and provides passive heating in the winter. Thermal mass is currently evaluated with "admittance" which is the ability of the element to exchange heat with the environment and is based on specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity and density. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of thermal properties namely, density, specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity on thermal mass. The objective of the study is to carry out laboratory experiments by measuring such thermal properties of concrete mixes with various percentages of GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag), PFA (pulverized fuel ash), and SF (silica fume) and RCA (recycled coarse aggregates). The results obtained from these tests would contribute to the evaluation of how such thermal properties influence the thermal admittance and hence the thermal mass performance of sustainable concrete elements in a building system.
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