Consider conduction strategies we can use the envelope, like walls and roofs, to improve the thermal resistance and limit the conduction phenomena of heat through envelope; we can do this increasing the thickness of insulation, or using a better type of insulating material, also the type of glass and the frame are important to limit conduction through window, using also thermal break; it is better to use a double or triple glasses with an interspace fill with gas for example argon, to improve a lot the thermal resistance. Using thermal mass in this climate can be useful because during the day walls and floor can adsorb a lot of heat energy that can be release to the internal environment during the night, getting higher the internal air temperature in the coldest hours of the day. It is also very important to limit the thermal bridge in the building especially near corners and windows, in a cold climate is easy without a good design to create thermal bridge with a low internal surface temperature, this can create discomfort and can affect also the heath of the people inside it.
VENTILATION
The ventilation in this climate can affect negatively the internal condition of the building, living in a rigid climate and using ventilation without any type of treatment like AHU we can drastically reduce the internal temperature creating discomfort. So the designer must avoid as much as possible infiltration and heat losses through envelope and windows.
SOLAR GAINS
Solar gains can play a big role for reducing the use of heating system. We can use sun radiation as possible to improve internal air temperature without any kind of plants. To improve the solar gains through the windows we must choose a good orientation of the building that can allow the building to receive the bigger amount of solar radiation, study also the position respect to the other buildings. It is better to improve the glazing area in the building especially in south façade respect to the other orientation, in this way we can improve the solar radiation come into the building and reach internal floor and limit dispersion from the Windows to the other facade; if we combine this solution with a floor that has a good thermal mass we can improve also the temperature during night; the floor impressed by solar radiation can storage the energy comes to the sun during the day and gradually release it during night. A good choice for the orientation of the building can improve also the natural illumination comes from the sun especially during winter when the hours of sun are very few.