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The theoretical model on which the climactic control of animal buildings in the summer period is based, does not appear to apply in reality, at least in the Italian situation. This conclusion is the result of an analysis of the thermal performances of two buildings, a shed for dairy cattle and a shed for pigs, representative of the types of building used in the Po Valley. On the basis of measurements of various hygro-thermal parameters, the thermal exchanges by transmission through the different building components and by ventilation were calculated and the total heat balance of the building was drawn up also considering the animal contribution. From this analysis it emerged that ventilation is by far the most important factor for environmental control, and that its effectiveness is linked to wind action, and that in daytime hours there is a significant evaporative cooling phenomenon due to the action of the wind on the wet floor surfaces.