Thermal mass is the ability of building materials to absorb, store and release heat, which is a useful property that can help regulate the temperature of buildings.
Thermal mass can play an important role in building performance by moderating fluctuations in space temperature.
Heavy weight building materials such as concrete, with a high thermal mass can be utilised to reduce heating and cooling requirements.
Together with effective ventilation and solar shading the use of thermal mass is becoming an increasingly important passive design feature driven by the need to conserve energy and to minimise the risk of overheating problems linked to climate change.
As with the previous section inclusion of materials with good thermal properties in new buildings is relatively easy to achieve but more difficult and costly in refurbishment of existing building stock.