TEMA

Category: Vol. 5 N. 2 (2019)

  • Refurbishment in a life cycle perspective for an eco-oriented public planning

    Abstract

     

    The building stock refurbishment is achieving more and more energy savings goals, but the impacts associated with the building activities are not always considered: i.e. the waste’ production of construction and demolition as well as from addiction of high-tech materials. This paper describes the extension to the urban scale an already applied and developed procedure for individual buildings, which aims to maximizing the exploitation of the existing building components and materials, in a life cycle perspective. The outcome is a tool by which a first survey can be carried on an urban area to guide further refurbishment process.

  • Information modeling for the monitoring of existing buildings’ indoor comfort

    Abstract

     

    BEMS (Building Energy Management System) and BACS (Building Automation and Control System) make available a high quantity of data on consumptions, indoor and outdoor conditions and users’ profiles of a buildind that can drive the choice of energy retrofit interventions. Moreover, the current developments in the digitalization of the building process, are leading the diffusion of BIM methods and tools which can provide a valid support to manage all data and information for the retrofit process. The paper is focused on the efficient integration of these systems.

  • Experimental apparatus for the determination of thermal conductivity and humidity in building materials by means of electrical permittivity measurements

    Abstract

     

    The on-site measurement of the thermal properties of existing building envelopes is of utmost importance to fairly accurately calculate the thermal loss by transmission to the outside environment and so to define the building overall energy performance. This paper presents a preliminary investigation concerning the use of a new indirect method for measuring the thermal characteristics of building materials throughout the year based on the analysis of the material electrical properties. The main goal is to identify a relationship between thermal transmittance, moisture content and electrical impedance through relative electrical permittivity measurements.

  • Architecture in the second half of the 20th century: forms of expression and the “environmental issue”

    Abstract

     

    Numerous architectural works from the second half of the 20th century, having a recognized cultural value, turn out to be quite problematic when observed in the scope of today’s unavoidable principle of environmental responsibility. Though representing an energy “issue”, they are at the same time a “high-level witness” in the context of architecture, whose original form of expression, language, and perception must be preserved as intact as possible. This paper critically presents three interventions on architectures in Turin by Domenico Morelli that allow us to make a series of general observations concerning the relationship between preservation and adaptation of works from the second half of the 20th century.

  • Mutations of a modern habitat. The district of Derb Jdid in Casablanca

    Abstract

     

    The debate on the habitat in the period of the CIAM IX of 1953 proposes a paradigm shift in relation to the recent past: overcoming “critically” the universalising approach in the conception of mass housing to focus on the analysis of the relationships and hybridisation between European modernity and the local specificities in North African countries.
    This contribution proposes a study on the district of Derb Jdid in Casablanca, designed by the architect Elie Azagury. The continuous mutation of the habitat developed from local community settlements enriches Derb Jdid with a paradigmatic value in relation to the question concerning the transformation dynamics of residential areas in the contemporary city.

  • Learning from Finland: from circular economy to circular building

    Abstract

     

    The principles of circular economy begin to be essential to favor sustainable processes and Finland is one of the few countries in the world that has developed a detailed plan for its application. Indeed the SITRA world map obviously affects construction industry at different levels and benefits are described through two operational addresses: the implementation of Housing First program by the Y-Foundation, that enhance a better usage of housing building heritage in order to solve a critical social issue, and the extensive use of wood elements for building construction, that introduces new ecological innovations into a consolidated technical tradition.

  • From the energy performance certificate to the building renovation passport

    Abstract

     

    The energy performance certificate is currently one of the main tools for mapping the energy performance of buildings. However, the recent analyses conducted on the impact of EPC on the EU construction market level have highlighted a lack of confidence in the tool, considered by most as a mere regulatory obligation with low impact on the real quality of the built environment. The objective of the document is to frame and define a new tool called building passport for the energy redevelopment of buildings, offering an overview of current European initiatives highlighting the principles, potential impacts on the market and the main obstacles.

  • Sustainability and innovation in constructions intended for emergency housing

    Abstract

     

    The research aims to give a response to the emergency housing that occurs after catastrophic events by proposing a low-cost solution through innovative constructions. The illustrated solution – based on a living module composed by four adjacent sections that can be connected to each other or to new ones – combines the concepts of minimum and affordability with those of efficiency and sustainability.

  • Life cycle analysis and planning in the renovation process of public housing

    Abstract

     

    The paper presents some preliminary outcomes of the European funded research project named Pro-GET-onE, in particular life cycle analysis and planning applied to the refurbishment of existing public housing. The project regards the renovation of residential buildings through seimic rehabilitation and energy retrofitting. LCA and LCC analyses are carried out to compare different solutions and evaluate the impact of renovation in relation to demolition and reconstruction. The first results of a pilot building in Athens prove the economic and environmental convenience of the renovation approach.

  • A smart village model for the Italian coastal territory

    Abstract

     

    Small municipalities, if taken individually, have difficulty in implementing energy policy and sustainable projects (economic, environmental and social), because they do not have sufficient financial and human resources. The idea is to regenerate a territorial area following the principles of innovation and sustainable development, that is the applicability of the concept of Smart Villages on an entire “small” territory with homogenous characteristics (similar morphology, coastal village or bordering the coast, tourism as the main business, ect.) and with several villages with less of 3000 habitants; this is the “Golfo dell’Isola” in Liguria.

  • Engineering and management of information modeling requirements

    Abstract

     

    The presented document discusses the application of Requirements Engineering and Management methods and techniques for identification and traceability of requirements to support Information Modelling during the design process. Errors and ambiguities are generally found during the briefing phase. Pre-occupancy simulation on the information model verifies the interactions among future users to meet the intended use. The information model allows to monitor the gap between expected and actual quality throughout the design process.

  • The renovation of the building stock in Europe: an essential opportunity to store carbon in buildings

    Abstract

     

    In the next decades, a large share of residential buildings in EU-28 is expected to be renovated and a large amount of insulation materials will be produced. Bio-based materials are a valuable alternative to insulate the buildings and the biogenic carbon can be stored in the built environment for a relative long time. This article investigates the effect of massively storing carbon in construction when different bio-based materials are used. The results show that only bio-based material with a very fast regrowth, e.g. straw, have an effective potential in removing carbon from the air in a very short-time, and can contribute to achieve the Paris Agreement goals by 2050.

  • The Pantheon of Gaetano Cima in Guasila. Interdisciplinary studies for its structural conservation

    Abstract

     

    The paper presents the integrated results obtained from an interdisciplinary protocol of research designed for assessing the structural safety and state of conservation of the monument. Starting from the archival researches about the construction history and the restoration works, 3D geometric surveys, diagnostic as well as geognostic investigations have been performed for implementing the knowledge of the structures, characterised by several static problems since its construction. Overall the study has individuated the level of static efficiency of the basilic and the causes of its prolonged decay, stating a base point for the definition of future interventions.

  • The building cycle of the “built environment”