# A Roadmap for the Integration of Active Solar Systems into Buildings
## 3 Methodology  
In order to become science, novel procedures, such as the proposed roadmap, need to be tested in real conditions, in this case with the application of the proposed methodology to case studies. Since related examples and the literature on the investigation of building-integrated active solar systems are  
Figure 1: Visualisations of the five systems that were applied to a three-storey building. From the left: the Modular Intergraded Solar/Thermal Flat Plate Collector, the Hybrid Photovoltaic/Solar Thermal (HyPVT), the Concentrating Photovoltaic/Thermal Glazing (CoPVTG), the Solar Plenum and the Trapeze Flat-Plate Solar Thermal Collectors (FPSTC). rather limited [59], in contrast to the corresponding applied methodologies, the proposed methodology was developed based on a literature analysis, and on how the design/research teams in the various case studies designed and integrated the active solar energy systems into model buildings. The research team chose to use these specific research case studies instead of others in the private sector because they were developed under controlled conditions with a very specific methodological course for each case. Specifically, the methodology is an evolution of [PERSON]'s research [26] for the development of a novel roadmap. That work was initially based on the collection of relevant literature and on the current state-of-the-art, as well as an analysis of the integration of active solar systems at all design scales, including the urban scale, the building scale and the scale of the unit system. Thus, an early roadmap was developed that proposes a path that a designer may follow for addressing the integration of an active solar system into a building. In the roadmap above, five design/research steps were proposed, which constitute a design process for achieving a system's integration (Figure 2). The first step is a passive energy analysis of the building, or the cluster of buildings, at an urban level. The aim is to identify the ideal facade or facades within which the active system may be integrated with the least likely propagation of interfering shadows that could affect its performance. After selecting the buildings and their related facades, the second step proposes an energy efficiency study of the building under construction or major renovation in order to determine its passive and active energy characteristics. Specifically, the designer must identify the building's needs in terms of transparency, thermal insulation, weather proofing, noise reduction and shading. At the same time, the building's energy needs for heating, cooling, domestic hot water and lighting should also be analysed. This is done so that one is able to select the appropriate active system that may provide the required integration method. In the third step, a digital model of the building with the integrated system is created, and its energy production is simulated. The aim is to make sure that the appropriate system is chosen and that it can meet the necessary energy needs. In the fourth step, an energy efficiency study of the building with its integrated system is performed in order to measure its influence on the building's passive and active energy characteristics. If the results are satisfactory, and the system selection is correct, one may proceed to step five, or, in the reverse, one repeats the process from step three until the needs are met. In the fifth and final step, the designer deals with the integration of the selected system into the building and the configuration of the construction details. These construction details aim to expose possible issues that may be related to the system and have to do with piping, wiring or other technical issues related to each incorporated technology. Looking back at the practices presented and based on the roadmap above, a common design strategy was derived that was followed in order to form the proposed design tool. This is based on the five steps presented above and aims to create a comprehensive and functional design tool.