The term "building integration” is not well defined. For an architect it is mainly the integration of a solar heating system in the design, for the engineer it is a technology to have the collector as part of a building. For an installer it is a matter of integration with the heating system of the house and the project developer sees building integration more as an aspect of the building process. This can be further explained with some examples. A collector on an existing roof that replaces roofing material, is technically integrated, but not aesthetically. On the other hand an architect may design a collector that is a design feature and not integrated in a building component, but an integral part of the design. In

this paper we define building integration as any form of integration of a solar heating system in the building.

The paper gives an overview of the trends in the world in the field of building integration as part of the architecture of a building, the technology of integration, the integration in the building process and the standards and regulations.

Status of building integration

The thermosiphon systems that are common at lower latitudes are mainly installed on flat roofs and not integrated. The forced-circulation systems are mostly installed on top of the existing roofing. The trend is to replace the roofing material so that the collector is in the

For new buildings with a solar heating system, the collector is in general in some way integrated, but for existing buildings the solar heating system is mostly not integrated.