Yeah, but insulated walls are thicker, and at that point you're just building a house.
And even if you have improved insulation, any larger building has a smaller relative surface area through which to lose heat.
An apartment building is much more energy efficient because it is like trailers pushed up against each other.
Some ancient buildings use really thick walls with high heat absorption to balance the temperature throughout the day.
In hot climates, if there is abundant salt water, another option is a windcatcher.
It gets more difficult if the outside is consistently cold, although in theory if the insulation is good enough body heat alone could work.
Also in northern Europe I think some buildings use geothermal. Or even heat batteries, where they collect heat in summer and then use it in winter.
I don't know at what scale that is being done.
There's "earth-sheltered" houses , built into a hill like a hobbit-home. The ground a few feet below the surface doesn't vary much in temperature, so they need pretty minimal cooling/heating.
Only if the climate is nice and warm; trailers are extremely energy inefficient if heating is required.
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Yeah, but insulated walls are thicker, and at that point you're just building a house.
And even if you have improved insulation, any larger building has a smaller relative surface area through which to lose heat.
An apartment building is much more energy efficient because it is like trailers pushed up against each other.
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I'm curious which buildings you're talking about.
Some ancient buildings use really thick walls with high heat absorption to balance the temperature throughout the day.
In hot climates, if there is abundant salt water, another option is a windcatcher.
It gets more difficult if the outside is consistently cold, although in theory if the insulation is good enough body heat alone could work.
Also in northern Europe I think some buildings use geothermal. Or even heat batteries, where they collect heat in summer and then use it in winter.
I don't know at what scale that is being done.
There's "earth-sheltered" houses , built into a hill like a hobbit-home. The ground a few feet below the surface doesn't vary much in temperature, so they need pretty minimal cooling/heating.