• Energy Research

The built environment remains a strategic research and innovation domain in view of the goal of full decarbonization. The priority is the retrofitting of existing buildings as zero-emission to improve their energy efficiency with renewable energy technologies pulling the market with cost-effective strategies. From the first age of photovoltaics (PV) mainly integrated in solar roofs, we rapidly moved towards complete active building skins where all the architectural surfaces are photoactive (Building Integrated Photovoltaics - BIPV). This change of paradigm, where PV replaces a conventional building material, shifted the attention to relate construction choices with energy and cost effectiveness. However, systematic investigations which put into action a cross-disciplinary approach between construction, economic and energy related domains is still missing. This paper provides the detailed assessment of a real multifamily building, taking into account retrofit scenarios for making active the building skin, with the goal to identify the sensitive aspects of the energetic and economic effectiveness of BIPV design options. By assuming a real case study with monitored data, the analysis will consider a breakdown of the main individual parts composing the building envelope, by then combining alternative re-configurations in merged clusters with different energy and construction goals. Results will highlight the correlation between building skin construction strategies and the energy and cost parameters by identifying the cornerstones for enhancing efficiency. The outcomes, related to the total life cost, self-consumption/sufficiency, in combination with different building design options (façade, roof, balconies, surface orientations, etc.), provide a practical insight for researchers and professionals to identify renovation strategies by synergistically exploiting the solar active parts towards lower global costs and higher energy efficiency of the whole building system.

The built environment remains a strategic research and innovation domain in view of the goal of full decarbonization. The priority is the retrofitting of existing buildings as zero-emission to improve their energy efficiency with renewable energy technologies pulling the market with cost-effective strategies. From the first age of photovoltaics (PV) mainly integrated in solar roofs, we rapidly moved towards complete active building skins where all the architectural surfaces are photoactive (Building Integrated Photovoltaics - BIPV). This change of paradigm, where PV replaces a conventional building material, shifted the attention to relate construction choices with energy and cost effectiveness. However, systematic investigations which put into action a cross-disciplinary approach between construction, economic and energy related domains is still missing. This paper provides the detailed assessment of a real multifamily building, taking into account retrofit scenarios for making active the building skin, with the goal to identify the sensitive aspects of the energetic and economic effectiveness of BIPV design options. By assuming a real case study with monitored data, the analysis will consider a breakdown of the main individual parts composing the building envelope, by then combining alternative re-configurations in merged clusters with different energy and construction goals. Results will highlight the correlation between building skin construction strategies and the energy and cost parameters by identifying the cornerstones for enhancing efficiency. The outcomes, related to the total life cost, self-consumption/sufficiency, in combination with different building design options (façade, roof, balconies, surface orientations, etc.), provide a practical insight for researchers and professionals to identify renovation strategies by synergistically exploiting the solar active parts towards lower global costs and higher energy efficiency of the whole building system.

The re-use of historical buildings, in some cases those that have been abandoned for years, is currently generating a lot of interest, and brings into discussion topics such as land recycling and the use of new resources. Our project on the rehabilitation of the former San Salvatore hospital in L’Aquila is an example of this re-use, and illustrates how best-practice strategies can be implemented in the rehabilitation of an existing building. There were two themes of evaluation: firstly, the adaptive re-use of a historical building of great impact in a strategic position within the urban core; secondly, the implementation of sustainable strategies when upgrading both the building envelope and building systems.

The re-use of historical buildings, in some cases those that have been abandoned for years, is currently generating a lot of interest, and brings into discussion topics such as land recycling and the use of new resources. Our project on the rehabilitation of the former San Salvatore hospital in L’Aquila is an example of this re-use, and illustrates how best-practice strategies can be implemented in the rehabilitation of an existing building. There were two themes of evaluation: firstly, the adaptive re-use of a historical building of great impact in a strategic position within the urban core; secondly, the implementation of sustainable strategies when upgrading both the building envelope and building systems.

<p>In the last decades, the topic of lighting of the historical minor centres is taking a prominent role in the cultural debate on the urban recovery interventions, because of the development of a greater awareness of the regenerative potential role that a careful planning system of urban lighting can take in this context.</p><p>The latter, which had a purely functional role in the past, has recently taken a figurative and emotional role, associated with the vision of the urban light scene during the night and its valorization.</p><p>The study of light, therefore, has inevitably turned into an instrument of knowledge and critical interpretation of the urban spaces, aimed both to functional recovery of the lighting network technology, and the regeneration of the urban image and its night scenes.</p><p>The needs that this sector should satisfy are multiple and, sometimes, conflicting: the need for road safety, the reduction of light pollution, the need for energy and cost savings.</p><p>The research aims to define an operative methodology to deal with the light planning in complex contexts as the minor historical centers, in which the concept of transformation of the urban scene clashes directly with the concept of preserving the identity features of the places and its constructive values and materials.</p><p>Among the goals, there is therefore the aim of highlighting the main gaps in the network, due both to plant engineering reasons and to the obsolescence of the existing lighting fixtures.</p><p>We operatively work in the urban voids system field, as spaces that characterize the urban scene. Through the knowledge of their dominant features it is possible to preserve their identity and, at the same time, enhance their singularity, with a suitable lighting project, which requires the study of materials, colors and consumption.</p><p>The purpose is to promote an urban development, able to produce positive economic, social and cultural effects, oriented to improve the quality of life, as well as to value the architectural and environmental heritage giving importance to energy and economic saving.</p>

<p>In the last decades, the topic of lighting of the historical minor centres is taking a prominent role in the cultural debate on the urban recovery interventions, because of the development of a greater awareness of the regenerative potential role that a careful planning system of urban lighting can take in this context.</p><p>The latter, which had a purely functional role in the past, has recently taken a figurative and emotional role, associated with the vision of the urban light scene during the night and its valorization.</p><p>The study of light, therefore, has inevitably turned into an instrument of knowledge and critical interpretation of the urban spaces, aimed both to functional recovery of the lighting network technology, and the regeneration of the urban image and its night scenes.</p><p>The needs that this sector should satisfy are multiple and, sometimes, conflicting: the need for road safety, the reduction of light pollution, the need for energy and cost savings.</p><p>The research aims to define an operative methodology to deal with the light planning in complex contexts as the minor historical centers, in which the concept of transformation of the urban scene clashes directly with the concept of preserving the identity features of the places and its constructive values and materials.</p><p>Among the goals, there is therefore the aim of highlighting the main gaps in the network, due both to plant engineering reasons and to the obsolescence of the existing lighting fixtures.</p><p>We operatively work in the urban voids system field, as spaces that characterize the urban scene. Through the knowledge of their dominant features it is possible to preserve their identity and, at the same time, enhance their singularity, with a suitable lighting project, which requires the study of materials, colors and consumption.</p><p>The purpose is to promote an urban development, able to produce positive economic, social and cultural effects, oriented to improve the quality of life, as well as to value the architectural and environmental heritage giving importance to energy and economic saving.</p>

Goal 7 of Agenda 2030 is focused on renewable energy. This study proposes a multi-criteria and multi-disciplinary methodology for analysing different incentive scenarios in Italy according to the varying conditions of system installation and the chosen photovoltaic technology (PV). The method is based on three key factors: energy, economic, and life cycle assessment of the photovoltaic system to achieve the improvement of the energy performance through technical and financial solutions that suit the existing buildings and strategies to limit environmental impacts. For the validation of the methodology was chosen the engineering campus of the University of L'Aquila, Italy, was chosen since the energy retrofit of public buildings must be dealt with by considering numerous parameters. These include economic constraints related to the public budget; technical constraints, as not all the solutions on the market, are compatible with the existing building body; and social constraints, as public administrations set an example for their communities and pioneer positive actions inspired by sustainability from every standpoint. The study showed as for defining the optimal scenario a multi-criteria approach is necessary and that a decision based on only technical and economic evaluations can not conduct to an optimal scenario selection. Furthermore, it has shown how subsidies are fundamental for the profitability of PV investments, which, although considered a renewable energy source, can derive non-negligible environmental impacts from these investments. Thus, the methodology adopted, which can be exported to other contexts, allows policy-makers choices to be weighed from many points of view.