Lecture on retrofitting strategies aimed at improving the energy performance of buildings and public spaces.

The aim of this lecture was to introduce general knowledge and INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS
aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings, public (in between) spaces, marginal spaces and urban voids.

Link to lecture

Link to the website

International Conference / Workshop Municipio XVII Rome

Sponsored by:

DATA Department
DESIGN TECNOLOGIA
DELL’ARCHITETTURA
TERRITORIO E AMBIENTE
ARCHITECTURE FACULTY

Corso di Laurea quinquennale in Architettura UE – Laboratorio di Sintesi in progettazione Ambientale, Tecnologia dell’Architettura
Corso di laurea Magistrale in Architettura del paesaggio – Laboratorio di Progettazione Ambientale

Scientific Coordination: Salvatore Dierna, Alessandra Battisti, Firouz Galdo, Fabrizio Tucci.

Speakers: Salvatore Dierna, Alessandra Battisti, Marco Antonini (Studio LAND_Kipar), Nikos Fintikakis (UIA-ARES), Firouz Galdo, Enrico Nigris, Luca Ribichini, Fabrizio Tucci.

Guests:
Thomas Herzog (Herzog und partner)
Marco Antonini (Studio LAND_Kipar)
Ersela Kripa e Stephen Mueller (AGENCY NY)
Nikos Fintikakis (UIA-ARES Atene)

Tutors:
Salvatore Dierna,
Alessandra Battisti,
Firouz Galdo,
Fabrizio Tucci,
Piero Albisinni,
Ersela Kripa e Stephen Mueller (AGENCY NY),
Rosario Marrocco,
Laura Pedata,
Valeria Cecafosso,
Silvia Cimini,
Filippo Iacomini,
Letizia Martinelli,
Rosanna Morleo,
Luca Mosconi,
Massimiliano Nico,
Elena Piperno,
Francesca Romano

Workshop Program

Modern need for climatic comfort and the implementation of technologies suitable for energy self production demands impose a wide perspective over the management of the existing building fabric, capable of facing the energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and bioclimatic comfort issues also on a social and economical medium/long period scale. The above consideration is capable of increasing the value of the efforts that collectivity invests not only in terms of expenses – in this regard it’s important to point out that currently these structures are highly ‘energyvore’ – but mostly as fundamental investments for a new action model aimed at managing an existing well established patrimony which is very large and complex at the same time. These investments take into account the binding demand for energy efficiency and valorisation of biophysical and bioclimatic aspects for the overall environmental sustainability of the system, as well as improvement in terms effectiveness of the operation and management of the above mentioned structures.

In light of these considerations the workshop – open to a group of students form the Environmental Design Synthesis Studio in the Five Year School of Architecture EU, Environmental Design Studio in the School of Landscape Architecture, the Architecture Technology course at “Sapienza” University – University of Rome, School of Architecture – intends to operate research and take actions in the XVII Rome Municipio territory, paying particular attention towards public buildings, spaces “in between” buildings, marginal areas and urban voids, with the objective of improving their bioclimatic performance in terms of summer heat loss and mitigating the ‘heat island’ and overheating phenomenon, thanks to a requalification project that applies passive cooling techniques, innovative materials and integrates vegetation.

Ultimate objective of the workshop is defining a series of best practices and design solutions replicable and adaptable to other similar situations present on the XVII Rome Municipio territory.

The workshop was articulated in three phases:

• the first phase was characterized by a number of lectures given by instructors, public administration representatives and architects, which layed out the motivations of the workshop and the project sites investigating their anthropic, biophysical and bioclimatic characteristics;
• the second phase was dedicated to site analysis activities such as site visits and interviews to local people operated by the students of the workshop;
• the third and last phase consited in the production of design solutions for the environmental-energetic requalification of the urban area around Viale Mazzini, form Piazza Monte Grappa to Piazza Mazzini.

WINNING PROJECTS

FIRST PRIZE – Project “Strariprati” – “Tadao Ando” Group – Students: Cristina Daminato, Lucia Fedi, Cesare Garavoglia, Margherita Gavazzi, Debora Mondella, Beatrice Zaccaria.

FIRST RUNNER UP – Project -  “SuperStudio” Group – Students: M. Baldassarri, A. Ciocchetti, F. Coletta, M. D’Onofrio, D. Morone, I. Moscarelli.

SECOND RUNNER UP – Project “Les VasesComuniquants” – Group “Libera”- Students: Maria Laura Ambrogi, Stefania Carta, Valeria Gatta, Marion Levoir, Marco Liorni, Elisa Leoncini, Fabiana Rossetti.

EXISTING ENVIRONMENT
Residents of Holma and vicinity live in varying relationships with nature. The existing architectural environment, as a response to individual development needs, results in different levels of engagement with natural weather patterns and the outdoors. A close analysis of the specific ratios of built environment versus its surrounding green spaces results in patterns that were used as mixing formulas for the proposed project. In general, low density structures enjoy more outdoor green spaces than high density buildings. ‘Green Mobility’ uses a comprehensive matrix of decisions where all levels of densities are supported by outdoor green spaces that directly respond to its user’s lifestyle.

Awards:  -
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Location:  Holma area, Malmö (Sweden)
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Description: sustainable residential development for the eastern part
of Holma: 1000 Living Units; Parking; Social Center
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Client: MKB Fastighets AB and Riksbyggen, housing companies
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Role: design team leader
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Budget: – €
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Surface: 9 ha
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Year: June 2011
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With: Loris Rossi, Giacomo Ortenzi; A G E N C Y (Ersela Kripa,
Stephen Mueller).
Collaborators: Marta Di Vincenzo, Marco Marchionne, Carla Gerundino.
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Featured in: -
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Related links: europaconcorsi
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CONNECTING VISTAS
Flatness characterizes Malmo’s topography. The new hills of Holma connect the inhabitants with the rest of the city through scenic views from strategic heights on the site. On the west side of the ‘Strategic Site’, artificial hills successfully offer views and green space for activities.  We capitalize on this strategy by raising the project site, sculpting building and land form to create visual and spatial connections between the inhabitants of Holma with the rest of the city.

INFRASTRUCTURES AND PARKING – INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT CENTER
International and national transit is increasingly becoming an important part of our daily lives. As job markets navigate fluidly across international boundaries, commuting is constantly in need of rethinking its temporal boundaries as well.

‘Green Mobility’ breaks the boundaries between different modes of transportation to provide a comprehensive system of scales, time duration, and customizability.

The new combination of pedestrian, bicycle, car sharing, private and public transport re-establishes transit as a contributing factor to mental and physical health. In ‘Green Mobility’ the residents can walk to their bicycle, exchange it for their time share in an automobile, or take public transportation.

Transit Culture museums throughout the Scandinavian region offer a record of the development of transportation innovations throughout history. By creating a Transit Museum at the intersection of all circulation and access paths on the site, Holma becomes a node on national and international networks of transit culture. The ‘Green Mobility Transit Hub’ becomes a generator of ideas for sustainable innovation by supporting responsible lifestyles of its residents.

In re-thinking parking structures as a valuable part of urbanizing cities, a new design strategy emerges that focuses on multiplicities of connections at various levels. A networked system of infrastructures provides its users with varying levels of engagement based on their lifestyle. ‘Green Mobility’ is a formula for a highly customizable transportation experience while maintaining the separation of pedestrian, cyclist, and motor traffic routes. Underground public parking at this important transit location offers infrastructures necessary for the long-term sustainability goals of the city. Commuters park on site and directly connect to the existing public transportation networks as car pooling services. By burying resident and commuter automobiles underground, the architectural development becomes fully pedestrian, clearing space for public use of the streets in support of the diversification of activities based on diverse users. The site becomes a major transport hub for the city at large while reinforcing sustainable development as well as maintaining pedestrian life style for its residents.

The project develops the site as a model for sustainable mobility, with bicycle and automotive infrastructure supporting cyclists, automobile, and transit commuters as Malmo moves toward a sustainable. The site offers public parking services that are directly connected to Hyllie train station as well as car sharing services. Commuters of the city as well as the neighborhood use the underground of the site as a transport hub that connects more drivers to sustainable means of public transport and cycling.

REDEFINING EDGE
Providing new densities of differing levels, the project infills a forgotten urban block, restoring the continuity of the urban fabric. The varied levels of density within the site directly respond to the different condition of the context, bridging the gap between high rise on the west with low single family homes on the east side of the site. The development follows a changing gradient between the two extremes.

HOUSING
‘Green Mobility’ proposes a diversified system of ownership based on varying levels of engagement of spatial, temporal, and social needs of its residents and visitors alike. Four major housing typologies support four levels of affordability and lifestyle, while the relationships between the interior and exterior vary in support of different community activities.

SUSTAINABILITY
Organic waste collection and distribution – Urban farming is becoming increasingly important in the improvement of urbanites’ lifestyles and diet. The ‘Green Mobility’ infrastructure is a positive closed-loop system of soil nutrition and waste management.

Organic waste is collected on site and stored in compost stations on the margins of the park. The produced compost becomes community property and is used to feed the farms throughout the neighborhood. Residents of other neighboring areas can purchase compost for their gardens, they may be given it at no cost if they arrive by bicycle. This creates a direct relationship between cycling and farming.

Inorganic waste is collected on the lower levels of the research center on the southern edge of the site. Here, household and farming byproducts are recycled and re-distributed into the city’s recycling collection routes.

Zero sum water loop – The extended snow season in Malmo offers possibilities to harness melted snow to be used during the dry season. In order to be productive, the green areas of the site will need a constant water supply. While 70% of the world’s fresh water supply goes to cultivate agriculture, the project aims to re-cycle and re-use water captured within the site throughout the year, doing its part to relieve global water supply from burden.

As heavy snow accumulates on the gardens and roofs of the site, a network of tubes circulates water at higher temperature than the snow. The system does not require energy for heating because it is connected to a geothermal system that takes advantage of the earth’s temperature stability.

The site is raised on a slight hill where the north and south edges become the highest points. This height differential creates pressure differences that moves the water in a constant loop. The water system below ground becomes a fully sustainable radiant heating system. Excess water from melted snow is collected in underground tanks where it is stored for summer use.

By hybridizing architectural, infrastructural and sustainable living systems, the project overlaps the logic of each in order to act as a catalyst for maintaining and restoring Holma’s natural landscape heritage.

FIVE YEAR GRADUATE SCHOOL IN ARCHITECTURE EU Academic year 2010/11 – Architectural Design Module of the Final Synthesis Studio in Environmental Architecture (60 hrs). Field: Architectural Design. Main topic: URBAN FARMING

Program:

The Course deals with  urban farming topic, that is, “the return of productivity inside the cities”, and not only vertically, but also horizontally, concentrating on design, layout and typological aspects.

The Course is structured on a series of lectures on three main topics:

• General lectures on typological innovation of functional mix and farming;
• Specific lessons on strategies and applications derived from recently build or designed concrete examples.

1) Building typologies: Slab/Block/multistory buildings. Examples and characteristics.

SLAB

BLOCK

MULTISTORY BUILDINGS

2) Urban Farming: Cultural and Historic references.

Relationship between MAN, AGRICULTURE & CITY.

3) Urban Farming: examples of different approaches.

4) Production Spaces: examples and psychological aspects in the layout of productive functions.

In the project for the new Italian Jewish and Shoah Musum we searched for an idea that would avoid the clashing between Jewish culture and the structure that was going to house the museum: an old Jail. We chose to build a Sukkah/hut at the entrance, where visitors will be welcomed into the Musum. Living in a hut means to remember the precariousness of the human condition, but staying in it should also be a pleasant experience, it should be a welcoming place. The roof of a Sukkah should cast shadows, it should let the rain pass through and it should not prevent people from seeing the stars over their heads at night. Whoever enters the Sukkah of the MEIS will gradually discover lights, colors, scents, sounds of the Jewish culture; he/she will learn the history and culture of Jewish people who have been living in Italy for more than two thousand years.

Awards:  -
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Location:  Ferrara (IT)
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Description: sustainable residential development for the eastern part
of Holma: 1000 Living Units; Parking; Social Center
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Client: MiBAC – Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici
dell’Emilia Romagna
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Role: design team member
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Budget: 30.000.000,00 €
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Surface: 8000 sq m
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Year: September 2010
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With: 3ti italia, Ferrini::Stella:;n!studio, Architettura&Restauro,
Stefano Piazzi, Luigi Tundo, Silvia Morselli, Loris Rossi, Gabriele Misso.
Collaborators: Maria Luigia Micalella, Giacomo Ortenzi.
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Featured in: -
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Related links: europaconcorsi
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Characterized by its twofold nature, the project integrates a single family house with a dental clinic.

Located within the very edge of the city, the building fabric completely absorbs the twofold system nature which was the request of the client himself: he intended to fuse the private living are with the working area, while still guaranteeing some independence to these two functions. This double character conferred a stimulating combination: a conceptual guideline that became the driving force of the project and filtered all its aspects. This “twofold nature” is underlined by the double exposure of the house; a perfect tension generated by a façade exposed to the north, with a view over the breath taking landscape, and the opposite façade exposed to the south, overlooking the main street that denotes the main access to Fermo’s city centre. The latter aspect linked with the different exposures influenced the choice of two different façade systems: a vertical louvered surface to the south, protecting the house from the main street and from direct solar radiation in summer, and the metal telescope like structure towards the north, in order to capture the best possible view and frame it like a painting.

The twofold nature, the different materials and shading devices, the underlining of two separate entrances and of two different levels of privacy mirror the surrounding landscape and, just like a reflective surface, the house captures the best aspects of the surroundings.

Location:  Fermo (IT)
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Description: design of a dentist clinic + private single family house
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Client: private
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Activities: architectural design and drawings, construction drawings,
artistic coordination
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Budget: 700.000 €
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Surface: 500 sq m
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Year: 2010/2011
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Status: under construction
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With: Arch. Loris Rossi, Arch. Giacomo Ortenzi
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Featured in: Manuale di Bioclimatica
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Related links:  newitalianblood
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Sezione Trasversale NO-SE – Situazione Estiva ed Invernale.

1. Alberature sempreverdi raffrescano l’aria e creano ombreggiamento nel periodo estivo. Durante l’inverno riparano dai venti freddi provenienti da nord e nord-est.
2. Per mezzo del processo evaporativo la Vegetazione contribuisce a raffrescare l’aria e a filtrare la luce.
3. Sistema di raccolta e riciclo delle acque meteoriche. L’acqua viene raccolta in una cisterna, filtrata e riutilizzata per l’irrigazione e per gli scarichi domestici.
4. Tetto ventilato composto da pannelli sandwich grecati per garantire la ventilazione del solaio di copertura e dei moduli fotovoltaici integrati.
5. Pannelli fotovoltaici CIS a film sottile su falda inclinata di 25°. Potenza istallata 7Kwp.
6. Rivestimento per mezzo di membrana riflettente che genera l’aumento dell’albedo riducendo la radiazione solare assorbita dalla copertura.
7. L’inclinazione dei raggi solari estivi viene intercettata dalle lamelle frangisole orizzontali e dagli aggetti che permettono di schermare la facciata esposta a sud dal sole nei mesi caldi senza impedire la vista verso l’esterno. Infissi a taglio termico con vetri selettivi riducono i guadagni termici.
8. Immissione di aria fresca negli ambienti per differenza di pressione. Generazione di ventilazione incrociata grazie alla presenza di finestre poste su fronti opposti.
9. Pannelli radianti a pavimento nella residenza al secondo piano.
10. Fancoil per la regolazione indipendente di ogni sala nello studio al piano terra.
11. impianto Geotermico con captazione verticale e Pompa di Calore con scambiatore per riscaldamento/raffrescamento e produzione di acqua calda sanitaria.
12. Permeabilità del suolo per garantire l’alimentazione delle falde acquifere sottostanti.
13. Immissione di aria fresca nell’intercapedine del piano interrato per garantire ottimali condizioni igrometriche.
14. Espulsione di aria calda viziata.
15. Alberi spoglianti. Durante il periodo estivo raffrescano l’aria e creano ombreggiamento. Durante il periodo invernale permettono alla luce del sole di filtrare attraverso i rami e al vento caldo proveniente da sud-ovest di accedere.
16. Estate: essendo l’aria proveniente dall’esterno più fredda dei corpi che incontra (calore corporeo degli utenti e corpi illuminanti) si riscalda e sale verso l’alto, dove viene poi espulsa dalle finestre. Inverno: l’aria degli ambienti confinati viene riscaldata anche dal calore corporeo degli utenti e dai corpi illuminanti.
17. L’inclinazione dei raggi solari invernali, più bassa, consente l’illuminazione naturale degli ambienti e garantisce il guadagno termico attivo per irraggiamento.
18. La parete esposta a Nord è quasi completamente opaca per limitare le dispersioni termiche ed è ventilata per evitare la formazione di condensa interstiziale.
19. Ambienti freschi caratterizzati da basse temperature durante l’estate.
20. Il lucernaio in copertura permette l’illuminazione diffusa degli ambienti.

GRADUATE SCHOOL IN LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN DESIGN Academic year 2009/10 – Materials and Components for Outdoor Spaces Course (60 hrs).  Field: Technology of Materials and Components – University of Rome “La Sapienza”. Lectures; publication of teaching material; desk crits; exams.

Program:

1) General lessons on cultural and theoretical and methodological references, (void spaces, genius loci, soil modeling).

2) Components and systems related to outdoor flooring: functional and constituent layers. Technical and morphological characteristics, requirement classes, performance indicators. Aesthetic, economical, environmental and ecological aspects.

3) Continuous Flooring (roads, bike and pedestrian routes). Requirements, standards, performance, materials and construction techniques.

a. Flexible.

b. Semi-rigid.

c. Rigid.

Materials: asphalt, concrete, concrete slabs, tiles, grass, earth.

5) Discontinuous Flooring (roads, bike and pedestrian routes). Requirements, standards, performance, materials and construction techniques.

Materials: stone, gravel, concrete, terracotta, ceramic tiles, wood, grass, mixed.

6) Outdoor fixtures.

The approach we used in order to identify the problems and the environmental qualities of the site came from the need for a requalification project that respects environmental sustainability guidelines, limiting the ecological impact of the building’s footprint. Among the main issues highlighted by the competition guidelines the following ones seamed to us the most relevant ones: the need to reduce drastically water and energy consumption, to use non polluting materials, adopt low impact techniques and to consider the social and financial sustainability of the project and the need for innovation altogether. The peculiar form of the site (narrow and long) strongly influenced the project, which is, in fact, characterized by a closed building front on the north side and a more open one on the southern side of the site: the latter favors panoramic views over the surrounding landscape from the living area of the dwellings. Vegetation plays an important role in the project and it takes the form of private gardens for the ground floor apartments and green roof layout that has multiple functions: it acts as an acoustic and thermal barrier and it absorbs around 70% of rain water that is later recycled and used as water for irrigation. The roof structure also embeds photovoltaic louvers that act as shading devices and contribute to the production of electricity, and solar panels that produce hot sanitary water and air conditioning.

Location: Itri (LT)
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Description: design of experimental social housing dwellings
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Client: A.T.E.R., Ordine degli Architetti della provincia di Latina
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Activities: architectural drawings, 3d modeling, rendering,
post processing
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Budget: 1.420.000,00€
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Surface: 1.162,00 sq m
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Year: July 2009
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Status:  -
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With: Arch. Loris Rossi, Eng. Massimo Panini, Eng. Fausto Panini,
Arch. Lamberto Nicoletti, Arch. Gabriele Misso.
Collaborators: Maria Luigia Micalella, Valeria Giampà, Cristiana Lopes
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Featured in: -
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Related links: europaconcorsi
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The project, that originates from the existing preliminary project for two public residential buildings, is based on the design of a “zero emission” building with particular attention paid towards the achievement of acoustic and safety comfort standards.
The project mainly concerns the façade system and, in the specific, a double skin applied to the existing façade to shade the rooms exposed to intense summer radiation and prevent summer overheating; also a system of greenhouses is introduced in the building, to preheat the air during winter. The above mentioned retrofitting strategies guarantee a passive behavior of the buildings, the maximization of thermal gain during winter and the minimization of the latter during summer. The roofing system will also be used to optimize the building’s energetic efficiency by introducing photovoltaic panels, a shading louvered system and extensive vegetation: the green roof guarantees thermal and acoustic comfort, it filters smog and it absorbs 70% of rain water, which is later recycled and used for irrigation. Last, but not least, the project introduces a Geothermic System with ventilation towers for natural ventilation, heating and cooling.

Location:  Latina (IT)
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Description: Retrofitting of a Residential Building
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Client: A.T.E.R., Ordine degli Architetti della provincia di Latina
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Activities: architectural drawings, 3d modeling, rendering,
post processing
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Budget: – €
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Surface: 6000 sq m
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Year: June 2009
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Status:  Third prize Winner
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With: Arch. Loris Rossi, Eng. Massimo Panini, Eng. Fausto Panini,
Arch. Lamberto Nicoletti, Arch. Gabriele Misso.
Collaborators: Maria Luigia Micalella, Valeria Giampà, Pasquale Vazzano
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Featured in: -
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Related links: europaconcorsi
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The proposed project is based on an intervention that aims at applying retrofitting strategies to the existing building without altering or modifying the aesthetics of the facades. Therefore most of the actions evolve around a new shingle structure with integrated photovoltaic louvers and solar panels that will contribute to the production of thermal and electrical power needed by the ATER office building. Moreover the new canopy structure creates a new plaza in the backside of the building that is open to the penetration of natural ventilation but, at the same time, protected from direct sunlight and it will have a double function and house open air parking spots and a green area with outdoor fixtures and rest areas. Most of the roof structure’s surface will be exploited also by a green surface which will improve the overall thermal and acoustic insulation of the building. This green roof will be actively contributing to the sustainability of the entire building as the rain water will be collected, drained by the soil and recycled.
As far as the facades go, the project will only concern the glazed surfaces that will be substituted with new compound glass surfaces with integrated fixed louvers. This new glazing system has a high reflection capacity that will significantly lower the transmittance values of the glazed surfaces.

Location:  Latina (IT)
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Description: Retrofitting of a Public Building
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Client: A.T.E.R., Ordine degli Architetti della provincia di Latina
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Activities: architectural drawings, 3d modeling, rendering,
post processing
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Budget: – €
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Surface: 6000 sq m
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Year: June 2009
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Status:  Third prize Winner
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With: Arch. Loris Rossi, Eng. Massimo Panini, Eng. Fausto Panini,
Arch. Lamberto Nicoletti, Arch. Gabriele Misso.
Collaborators: Maria Luigia Micalella, Valeria Giampà
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Featured in: -
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Related links: europaconcorsi
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