Potenciais para o uso da geotermia na arquitetura brasileira

This paper stems from an interest in the expansion of knowledge of environmental comfort and the constant search for ways to minimize emissions and energy consumption by buildings, aligned to the principles of sustainability in the construction sector. The initial results of ongoing research entitled "Usage of alternative and renewable energy sources in architecture" carried out at Group of Studies in Architecture, Environmental Comfort and Energy Efficiency FAU UFRJ in partnership with Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza in its line of research "Efficientamento energetico e bioclimatico degli edifici". The work aims to present the state of art about the use of geothermal energy in buildings, its potentiality and benefits for reducing emissions and energy consumption. This is a passive strategy for thermal comfort, which takes advantage of the temperature of the subsoil near the surface, through the use of underground air ducts for pre heating rooms in winter, or pre cool them in summer: a technology not much explored in Brazil, but with application examples in Italy, Germany, Canada, the U.S. and several other countries. So, it’s the result of an extensive bibliography exploratory research with a brief description of the technology and illustrative examples of its application in various climatic contexts, 538 highlighting the need for further exploration in national context to assist in passive conditioning in buildings, since the use of geothermal potential can contribute to reducing dependence on artificial systems for thermal comfort. The aim is to move forward the discussion on the non-use of this technology, nowadays attributed to the lack of available data of soil characteristics and to the high investments for its implementation. It is believed that the production of knowledge, stimulating demand, will contribute to future researches, investments and cost reductions.