TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Composition: The ceramic layer has high refractive index, and contains nitrogen oxide, or nitride of metal chosen from zinc, titanium, tin, indium, niobium, silicon and aluminum.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The heat-ray blocking layer is obtained by alternately laminating metal layer and ceramic layer. The steam barrier layer contains nitrogen oxide, silicon nitride or aluminum nitride as main component, and includes silicon oxide film (F1) containing less than 0.1 atomic% of carbon and silicon oxide film (F2) containing 1-40 atomic% of carbon. The thermally insulated article is manufactured using discharge gas at power density of 1 W/cm2. The discharge gas is nitrogen gas. Preferred Properties: The metal layer has thickness of 0.1-30 nm. The ultraviolet-ray reflection layer includes upper layer having refractive index of 1.4-1.8, high-refractive index film having thickness of 5-400 nm and low-refractive index film having thickness of 5-1000 nm. The low-refractive index film contains silicon oxide, aluminum oxide or nitrogen oxide as main component.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The layer (a) is outermost surface layer containing modified photocatalyst composition which consists of hydrolysable silicon compound and photocatalyst particles. The photocatalyst particles contain triorganosiloxane unit of formula: R3Si-. The hydrolysable silicon compound has dioxy-organosiloxane unit of formula: -Si(-R1)(-O)2- or monooxy-organosiloxane unit of formula: -(R2SiO)-. The layer (a) contains ultraviolet absorber and optical stabilizer comprising hindered amine-type compound.R1-R3=linear or branched 1-30C alkyl, 5-20C cycloalkyl, linear or branched 1-30C fluoroalkyl, phenyl, linear or branched 2-30C alkenyl, 1-20C alkoxy or hydroxy.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Composition: The thermally insulated article further has polymer layer, backcoating layer provided opposite to steam barrier layer, and ultraviolet-ray reflection layer. The backcoating layer contains cellulose resin. The polymer layer contains silane coupling agent and ultraviolet absorber. The base material is biaxially-stretched film containing polyethylene terephthalate, ultraviolet absorber and optical stabilizer, and having thickness of 10-250 mu m.