This study deals with comparison of experimental and theoretical results of transient temperature variations in multilayered building walls and flat roofs, and heat flow through the building structures. Experimental and theoretical models are presented to find the transient temperature variations in these structures and heat flow through these elements, which depends on inside surface and room air temperatures. Instantaneous inside and outside air temperatures, and surface temperatures of each wall and roof layers are measured by using the experimental model consisted of two rooms, cooling units, measuring devices and computers. A computer program based on the theoretical model is developed to perform numerical calculations. Hourly temperature variations of the nodal points are computed numerically over a period of 24 h by using the hourly measured ambient air temperatures and solar radiation flux on a horizontal surface for the city of Gaziantep (37.1 degrees N), Turkey, and also by using thermophysical properties of the structures. Results obtained from the experimental and theoretical models are compared with each other, and validation of the theoretical model is verified in this paper. Computations for various multilayer building walls of briquette, brick, blokbims, and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), which are commonly used in Turkey are repeated for finding heat gain through these structures, and results are compared to determine suitable wall material. It is observed that AAC and blokbims are more suitable wall materials than briquette and brick due to heat flow through these elements. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.