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2025 | Buch

Proceedings of the 11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering)

Colloqui.AT.e 2024 - Volume 2

herausgegeben von: Rossella Corrao, Tiziana Campisi, Simona Colajanni, Manfredi Saeli, Calogero Vinci

Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland

Buchreihe : Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

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SUCHEN

Über dieses Buch

This book gathers the proceedings of the 11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering), Colloqui.AT.e, which was held in Palermo, Italy, on June 12–15, 2024, and brought together scholars in the fields of construction and conservation history, building construction and performance, building design, and technologies. Digital transition and design of 4.0 buildings, digital twins for the management of historical building heritage, building-human-environment relationships, and mitigation of vulnerabilities for the preservation of the built environment are also explored. The contributions demonstrate that architectural engineering enables the construction of sustainable, resilient, adaptive, and high-performance buildings, and as such is instrumental in fighting against climate change.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Key Lecture

Frontmatter
Counterbalancing the Impact of Urban Overheating Using Cool Materials

Urban overheating is the most documented phenomenon of climatic change seriously affecting human life. Numerous mitigation technologies have been developed and implemented contributing to important temperature decrease in cities. Among them, the development of cool and super cool materials seems to be the most powerful presenting the highest cooling potential. The present article aims to discuss the main impacts of urban overheating on humans, as well as the recent progress related to the development of cool and super cool materials for urban mitigation purposes.

Mattheos Santamouris, Konstantina Vasilakopoulou

Topic B_Building Construction and Performance

Frontmatter
Assessing Dispersion and Deposition Patterns of Particulate Matter Within Deep Urban Canyons: Implications on UGI Design

Urban air pollution poses a significant threat to both human health and the integrity of built environments. Given their substantial potential in mitigating and managing vulnerabilities and risks, architectural engineering and urban planning represent vital disciplines whose scientific research plays a pivotal role in the preservation of the built environment. Given the complex relationship between urban layout, meteorological conditions, greenery parameters, and atmospheric pollutant concentrations, several studies have established frameworks and guidelines around the urban canopy axioms. However, the previous research methodologies revealed certain gaps in our comprehension of this intricate dynamic, hindering the comprehensive assessment of urban air pollution. Specifically, the intricate dynamics of dispersion and deposition of Particulate Matter (PM) with the presence of urban green infrastructure (UGI) constitute significant challenges within the confines of narrow urban spaces. This poses a significant obstacle for policymakers and urban planners, despite the array of available scientific methodologies, as UGI intervention is mostly tailored to specific contexts. This paper synthesizes an analytical methodology for assessing the dispersion and deposition patterns of particulate matter within deep urban canyons. Through an empirical investigation of different vegetation interventions within a prototypical setting in Alexandria, Egypt, the study dissects the intricate interplay of variables influencing dispersion and deposition indicators. The findings reveals that, even within a narrow and low-porosity canyon, dispersion remains a highly influential factor in PM concentration, surpassing the deposition impact, while the latest exhibits minimal impact primarily affecting lower heights. The research underscore the imperative to address these two distinct aerodynamic mechanisms separately, as each holds potential implications for air quality at different heights within the urban canyon environment.

Hend Abdelrazek
Energy Refurbishment of Hotels in Greece and Italy: The Validation of S.O.L.E.H. Expeditive Tool

The hotels building stock allows to investigate many operative features to improve the effectiveness of energy refurbishment process. S.O.L.E.H. (Sustainable Operation Low-cost Energy for Hotels) project proposed an expeditive tool to facilitate the refurbishment process of hotels in Mediterranean countries, making the hotel building stock more efficient and the tourism industry more competitive. As every simplified energy tool, it must be checked about the consumption and energy saving data, both concerning the in-put and out-put, to validate the tool itself. The paper presents one of the calculation checks carried out by a real case study in Alexandroupolis (Evros, Greece) underling the gap between the data of tool’s simulation and the complete one done with EnergyPlus+®. The work is part of an ongoing research between Italy and Greece aiming to set shared practices and tool to improve the refurbishment process in Mediterranean countries.

Angelo Bertolazzi, Giogio Croatto, Anastasia Damianidou, Umberto Turrini, Aris Tsangrassoulis
Unveiling User Actions: A Novel Framework for Decision-Making in Design and Operation of Healthy, Responsive, and Sustainable Buildings

The impact of user behaviour on the building's operational model is one of the key research topics in recent years, given the vulnerability of buildings linked to user behaviour (i.e., energy use variance) and their safety and health risks (e.g., sick building syndrome). Available solution strategies and optimization approaches, such as behavioural and people-centred aspects, yet require high economical and computing costs (e.g., facilities, sensor deployment, maintenance, data collection, processing, and storage), high data accuracy and communication stability. In addition, remain closely tied to assess domains individually and with low system interoperability, resulting in limited system responsiveness worsened by inadequate privacy management policies. This work introduces a pivoting new approach to building design and operation by understanding the complex interactions between users and the built environment, encompassing physical, visual, and sensory dimensions. Unlike conventional methodologies relying on survey-based behavioural sampling or sensor data analysis, this proposal employs direct observation of behaviours, associating them with environmental and perception triggers, based on the assumption that no interventions imply acceptance of the surroundings (tacitly assessing adaptation and tolerance). The study structures and weights the associations between user action/interactions with diverse building elements/objects (e.g., windows, shading devices, doors), facilitates the promotion of pro-environmental behaviours by enabling a rapid identification and evaluation of the distributed impacts on different domains (i.e., health, well-being, safety, energy efficiency, privacy, accessibility), and enables data management cost reductions in smart buildings (i.e., fosters lower data storage needs and data-driven model complexities).

Juan Diego Blanco Cadena, Matteo Cavaglià, Alberto Speroni, Tiziana Poli
Implementing Circular Economy Strategies for Applications in Construction: Optimizing Cellulose-Based Waste in Building Materials

Integrating wastes in construction and building materials represents a promising possibility to implement circular economy (CE) in construction. This approach, conceived to find a solution to the massive waste generation, is recognized for its sustainability and efficiency as it exploits unused materials as valuable resources for the production of novel building materials. In this context, special attention is given to cellulose fibres, used for their lightweight nature and mechanical strength that can be exploited to improve materials performance for applications in construction. This paper offers an overview on cellulose-based wastes use in construction, exploring characteristics and potential applications. As some relevant examples, cellulose fibres can serve as lightening elements in building blocks and reinforcement in cementitious composites. Moreover, cellulose fibres show a high-energy performance with reduced environmental impact compared to other insulating materials. Furthermore, that significantly contributes to the energy efficiency in buildings. In order to decrease reliance on virgin fibres, three types of cellulose-based wastes are discussed: olive stones (as agricultural waste), waste-paper (as municipal waste), and paper industry by-products (as industrial waste). The analysed residues, that integrate technological innovation and environmental awareness, outline a prospective scenario in which the development of novel construction materials is in line with the environmental standards, following the principles of the CE and energy efficiency strategies. This study is component of two PhD theses focusing on the reutilisation of wastes from various sectors in the field of building materials. More particularly, one of these is developed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and is aimed at investigating green solutions to improve the energy efficiency in buildings by valorising and reusing secondary raw materials.

Adriana Calà, Enza Santoro, Manfredi Saeli, Gigliola Ausiello
Climate Change Impact Assessment and Evaluation of Retrofit Measures of a Representative School in Southern Italy

The ongoing climate policies offer good opportunities for school renovation, aiming at minimizing Greenhouse Gases emissions by retrofitting the existing building stock, both residential and not. Moreover, mandatory upgrading of the performance of existing buildings in compliance with energy standards is an increasingly real possibility. For these opportunities to be properly pursued, further studies at the building-level are required to explore the school energy performance not only in the current but also in the future climate, as well as to identify effective retrofit solutions which could improve school resilience to climate change. Accordingly, the present study aims to evaluate the climate change impact on energy performance of a representative school of the Apulian school building stock. For this purpose, the building was modelled in a Building Performance Simulation (BPS) software, calibrated, and its performance analysed in both the present and future climate scenarios generated through the Future Weather Generator tool, based on the new AR6 Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios. Then, assuming that climate policies require existing buildings to be retrofitted to specific targets, the effectiveness of different retrofit solutions was compared with an energy retrofit in compliance with the reference building required by the Italian law, through a life-cycle cost analysis, in which also the changing climate conditions were taken into account. Finally, the most effective combinations of retrofit measures were evaluated by means of an optimisation problem aimed at maximizing benefits compared with the base case. Surprisingly, from a cost-benefit point of view, the reference building already appeared to be an optimal solution, although from a mere energy perspective, better performance can be achieved.

Ludovica Maria Campagna, Francesco Carlucci, Francesco Fiorito
An IT Tool for Managing Seismic Risk and Energy Performance of the Building Stock in Southern Italy

The effective management of seismic risk in Italian historic centers is paramount to preserving the cultural heritage and ensuring the safety and resilience of the built environment. In this context, analyzing seismic risk with the support of modern data acquisition methods is crucial for defining the interventions at different scales, from the urban to the single-building levels. However, there is still a lack of integrated digital methodologies and tools for evaluating risks, damage scenarios and the impact of interventions with a multi-scale approach. This paper introduces the early phase of creating GENESIS, an open-source computational web platform. It aims to facilitate the efficient management and mindful utilization of built cultural heritage by prioritizing cost-effective interventions and optimizing the allocation of resources for long-term heritage preservation. GENESIS proposes a multi-scale combined structural and energy risk analysis, suggesting interventions to enhance the resilience of the built environment. The system not only supports structural rehabilitation but also proposes measures to preserve energy consumption while respecting the cultural value of the built assets. The input data are processed at different levels of increasing accuracy, enabling analysis at the urban level, district level, and aggregate/building level. The platform is developed for the historic centers of cities in southern Italy in their current state, but the scalability of the proposed approach allows for applicability to any historic center. It will also be updatable over time and space.

Cristina Cantagallo, Valentino Sangiorgio
Behavioral-Based Multi-risk Mitigation in Historic Squares: Applying the BE S2ECURe Approach to Piazza dell’Odegitria, Bari

Risks due to air pollution and heatwaves are increasing in historic city centers, slowly affecting communities’ behaviors in normal use of outdoor spaces. In this context, historic squares are the most relevant scenarios, due to users’ attraction according to cultural, social and leisure activities, and to morphology. Squares are also prone to sudden events implying evacuation, like terrorist acts, being ideal targets for perpetrators. The design of mitigation strategies should jointly consider all these risks and include users’ behaviors as a fundamental driver to assess strategies effectiveness. The BE S2ECURe project developed a behavioral-based method to evaluate mitigation strategies effectiveness in squares, from single and multi-risk standpoints, demonstrating their capabilities in idealized scenarios. This study hence aims at showcasing this method on Piazza dell’Odegitria (Bari), for heatwaves, air pollution and terrorist acts. Starting from an inventory assessed in typological scenarios, mitigation strategies are selected depending on their compatibility with heritage features and square uses. Behavioral simulations in single and combined events (i.e. heatwaves altering users’ exposure to terrorist acts) are performed using validated BE S2ECURe tools, in pre and post-retrofit scenarios. Comparisons are then performed organizing simulation outputs into BE S2ECURe indicators. Results show that, considering single strategies, engineered planters can reduce multi-risk up to about 13%, mainly acting on terrorist act evacuation and users’ protection. If overlapping these effects to cool pavement implementation, multi-risk reduction slightly improves (−14%) but effects to SLODs can be achieved, thus suggesting the advantages of redundancy solutions. The showcase demonstration of method capabilities confirms how decision makers could exploit the approach for preliminary mitigation strategies analysis.

Elena Cantatore, Silvana Bruno, Gabriele Bernardini, Juan Diego Blanco Cadena, Ilaria Isacco, Gessica Sparvoli, Fabio Fatiguso, Graziano Salvalai, Enrico Quagliarini
Building Sustainability with Volcanic Ash: A Green Roof System Innovation

This research introduces a novel approach to urban sustainability through the application of volcanic ash in green roof systems. Addressing the ecological challenges of urban heat islands and biodiversity loss, the study explores the potential of volcanic ash as a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional green roof materials. Its unique properties, including superior water retention, effective drainage capabilities, and beneficial minerals, are thoroughly investigated.The methodology involves the systematic collection and processing of volcanic ash samples, followed by a series of comprehensive analyses. These include particle size distribution, compaction characteristics, and hydraulic properties. The study provides a comparative evaluation of volcanic ash in green roof applications, highlighting its advantages such as lower energy requirements for processing, reduced structural load, and potential for decreased long-term maintenance costs. Furthermore, the environmental impact, cost-effectiveness, and alignment of volcanic ash use with global sustainability goals are critically assessed. Moreover, building energy simulation is implemented to simulate the energy performance of a building equipped with a volcanic ash-based green roof system in comparison to commercial substrates and estimate the possible real efficacy of the proposed solution.The research concludes that volcanic ash significantly enhances the sustainability and resilience of urban environments, offering a scalable and environmentally friendly solution for green infrastructure development. It paves the way for further exploration and application in urban settings, promoting ecological balance and advancing sustainable urban planning.

Stefano Cascone, Marianna Fazio, Manfredi Saeli
Smart Locks for Sustainable Spaces: Implementing Sufficiency Principles to Building Management for Carbon Saving

The present work introduces a new strategy for the reduction of building energy needs through the use of smart locking systems. The alternative approach focuses on enhancing building energy efficiency and operational resource utilization, exploring their application as management systems to improve building use through strategies such as partitioning, schedule optimization, and on-demand occupancy, aligning with the evolving landscape of smart workplaces. By offering not only insights but also a test case study and detailed recommendations, this document advocates for the adoption of these systems as a strategic approach to reduce energy consumption, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall building management across diverse settings. An LCA analysis is conducted to compare mechanical and electronic devices, as well as to evaluate the anticipated environmental impact of system production and installation. The analysis demonstrates how the initial environmental footprint, related to the system installation, can be effectively mitigated over the system's service life through the efficiencies gained from optimized building management practices.

Elena Casolari, Alberto Speroni, Andrea Giovanni Mainini, Francesco Pittau, Matthieu Simon Majour, Riccardo Riva, Giulia Amendola, Matteo Cavaglià, Juan Diego Blanco Cadena, Tiziana Poli
Damage to Technical Elements of the Building Envelope in the Typical Multi-Risk Scenario of the Campi Flegrei Area

Damage to technical elements of the building envelope can have unacceptable consequences for the functionality and safety of a building. Recent interest in such damage is mostly linked to intensive events, neglecting the study of extensive events. Despite the known connection between technical envelope vulnerability and building functionality and safety, systematic vulnerability studies are missing. This study proposes investigation sheets for damaged technical elements as preliminary tools for assessing envelope vulnerability and hazardous events, related to this vulnerability, in urban areas. The study focuses on frequent but non-catastrophic hazards, typical of the Campi Flegrei area, where recent bradyseismic activity has renewed national interest and necessitated risk prevention measures. The research methodology involves three phases: identification of the most vulnerable technical elements, comparison with bibliographic data, and direct application in a multi-risk scenario, specifically bradyseismic activity combined with different environmental exposures. Analysis reveals balconies and cornices as the most frequently damaged elements, particularly vulnerable to bradyseismic activity and environmental exposure. Associations between observed damage and hazard characteristics will support the identification of the degradation pattern of technical elements which is needed to analyse their vulnerability and to assess the risk onto the urban system associate with it.

Roberto Castelluccio, Veronica Vitiello, Rossella Marmo, Mariacarla Fraiese
Recent Advancements of Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic Technologies for Innovative BIPV Products

In 2022, buildings accounted for about 37% of CO2 emissions. In order to meet the Paris Agreement requirements within the 2030, reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector is mandatory. By using building envelopes with adequate insulation and transparency to let natural light and solar heat gain into the indoor environment, heating, cooling, and artificial light consumption and CO2 emissions related may be reduced. Since BIPV systems are part of the building envelope, advancements in their application can provide technical, technological, and financial answers to environmental problems. Moreover, BIPV systems also have an aesthetic impact on the formal characterization of building envelope. Latest development in 3D glass components coupled with emerging photovoltaic technology is shown in this paper. This work shows the results of the simulations (in terms of thermal transmittance, solar heat gain coefficient, and visual transmittance) carried out on 3D glass elements integrated with Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSC) and Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells (STPSC). In accordance with EN 50583 Photovoltaics in Buildings simulations have been carried out for understanding the performance behaviour of these innovative BIPV components for translucent façades. 20 hypotheses -including Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC), already analysed in previous research activities -, LSC devices, and STPSC, were analysed during the ongoing research and are synthesized in this paper. Visible transmittance (VT) results are interesting since this increase the aesthetic potential of 3D glass components compared with opaque BIPV technology that are more widely used, and furthermore the effect of the novel product into the indoor comfort is remarkable, meanwhile thermal parameters did not report significant variations in comparison with previous tested hypotheses.

Kevin Aarón Castro Morales, Rossella Corrao
Strategies to Face Overheating in Industrial Buildings Located in Mediterranean Climate Area

Most of the Italian industrial buildings are outdated, mainly built in the 70s and 80s and characterized by several energy-related issues during both winter and summer seasons. As for the latter, in most industrial facilities a cooling system is not installed. Consequently, the thermal comfort of employees within the working space might be not guaranteed during the hottest days when the peak indoor air temperature can also reach very high values. Moreover, the value of cooling degree days is constantly increasing (25% more with respect to 1979) following the current climate change. The rise in external air temperature negatively affects both the energy performance of buildings and the internal thermal comfort of users. Considering this context, the research aims to evaluate some strategies to be applied to existing industrial buildings to face summer overheating. The measures proposed are related to the external envelope, passive natural ventilation, and lighting system. The different analysed alternatives are compared through energy simulations in Design Builder by assessing the internal air temperature value, the energy demand for cooling and the overall energy balance through the external envelope. In general, strategies focusing on the enhancement of the external envelope proved to be more effective in reducing summer overheating than the ones related to natural ventilation. The combination of the reduction of the skylight area and the cool roof strategy results in a peak reduction in the internal air temperature equal to 3 ℃. Considering the occupancy time the reduction in the average indoor air temperature is instead equal to 2.5 ℃. Natural ventilation in terms of night cooling is particularly effective during the first hours of working time while the installation of LED lighting affects overheating to a lesser extent.

Cecilia Ciacci, Neri Banti, Frida Bazzocchi, Vincenzo Di Naso
Indoor Air Quality in Apulian School Buildings: The Case of the J. F. Kennedy Pre-school in Bari

The importance of air quality in indoor environments has gained significant attention due to the Coronavirus pandemic: the risk of airborne transmission of the virus has made it imperative to reconsider many aspects of building design. Among the various categories of buildings, it is crucial to pay attention to schools’ buildings. This paper presents a detailed summary of the research conducted to analyze the indoor air quality inside a kindergarten in the province of Bari. Among school buildings, kindergartens represent a particular exception because they host children aged 3–6 years, who are extremely sensitive to indoor air quality. To analyze the comfort inside the classrooms, a monitoring campaign of indoor air quality parameters was conducted in two classrooms of the school used as a sample for this investigation. The data analysis provided interesting findings regarding the classroom temperature variations, the levels of relative humidity, and users’ behavior. The temperature variations detected during the monitoring are significant and can be attributed to infiltrations due to obsolete window frames, while the levels of relative humidity do not fall within the ranges indicated by regulations for many of the monitored days. The data obtained from the temperatures and regarding ventilation were implemented within the energy model of the kindergarten; the energy model was subsequently calibrated according to the ASHRAE 14:2014 Guidelines. Starting from the size of the classroom, occupancy, and the age of the users, simulations of the accumulated CO2 levels were carried out; to perform these simulations, ventilation scenarios reflecting both summer and winter ventilation practices were hypothesized. The results demonstrate how CO2 concentrations tend to reach significantly higher levels in the winter seasons: this factor represents a problem for users’ comfort and shows the need to reconsider the design strategies of school buildings.

Elena Crespino, Ludovica Maria Campagna, Francesco Carlucci, Francesco Martellotta, Francesco Fiorito
The Fire Vulnerability of Insulating Materials for Residential Building Energy Efficiency: From Unawareness of Early Applications to Desirable Formulation of Certification Protocols

Governments are implementing regulatory adjustments, performance standards, and economic incentives to increase the efficiency of existing buildings. Special attention is being given to improving the energy efficiency of the opaque envelope. This involves using insulation materials with high thermal performance, which may not be as safe in the event of fire. The use of external thermal insulation systems in building construction over the last 20 years has resulted in a significant reduction in safety. This is due to the potential for dangerous consequences, both structurally and for the safety of people, in the event of a fire. Evidence of these serious effects can be found in many buildings that have undergone envelope upgrading. It has been discovered that the placement of new products on building facades can contribute to the rapid spread of fire, regardless of the location of ignition inside or outside the building. This contribution aims to analyse the supranational regulatory system to understand its evolution, identify gaps, and highlight good fire safety practices for upgrading the performance of existing buildings. A survey was conducted to determine the causes of fires worldwide and to evaluate the contribution of certified and non-certified insulation systems. The aim was to assess the adequacy of EU fire safety thresholds and to identify production chains that have shown greater sensitivity to the identified issues. We considered environmental sustainability protocols aimed at improving the quality of the built environment. We questioned the scientific landscape to understand the actions being taken to extend certification to fire safety, an aspect that is still too often overlooked. Professional training to deal with fire risks in interventions on the building heritage is encouraged in all EU countries to varying degrees. Good disciplinary practices summarise this issue.

Giuseppina Currò, Ornella Fiandaca, Fabio Minutoli
BIM and Code Checking for School Buildings: Standard Checks for IAQ

The use of code checking within Building Information Modeling (BIM) process is constantly growing due to the automation of some verification steps, both in research and in construction practice. These applications, in the context of existing buildings, allow to consider design and management critical issues in order to improve the quality of life of users, as well as the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). The school building heritage is particularly significant, in terms of consistency, construction value and population involved, necessitating rules for rapid assessment for a vast quantity of buildings managed by public entities. This research aims to assess BIM’s effectiveness in streamlining regulatory checks for school buildings, focusing on dimensional accuracy and indoor air quality compliance. Dimensional checks ensure adherence to design and safety standards, facilitated by BIM’s creation of accurate 3D models for real-time assessments. Among the domains of IEQ, the Indoor air quality is another critical aspect of school buildings, directly impacting the health and well-being of occupants. BIM can facilitate the integration of relevant data and can help optimize ventilation systems to ensuring compliance with indoor air quality regulations or evaluate critical issues of technical elements in the quantification of natural air exchanges, and provide management application indications. The study evaluates the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from the implementation, providing insights into the broader applicability of BIM for regulatory compliance in school building heritage. The paper focuses on the practical application of these digital tools, using the Rizzo Institute in Rome as a case study. By implementing BIM for building management, it was possible to guarantee that the school building meets the rigorous regulatory requirements and verify any critical issues, providing the administration with useful application feedback on how to control the spaces used and guarantee effective air exchanges in the classrooms.

Alessandro D’Amico, Edoardo Currà, Pierfrancesco Di Livio, Francesco Del Lucchese, Agnese Pini, Marco Rognoni
GIS and UBEM: Analysing the Buildings Stock Open Data for Urban Energy Modelling

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can effectively support Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) approaches, which are increasingly implemented and adopted to assess the energy performance of the existing built environment. GIS data may provide a suitable input base to perform building energy analysis at an urban scale. In this context, this manuscript first analyses geospatial open data both quantitatively and qualitatively, as they may supply useful input data sets to enable UBEM-based simulations. Moreover, this contribution also proposes a methodological workflow to effectively cross-check and pre-process geospatial open data, by also providing a GIS tool specifically implemented through the QGIS (Quantum GIS) graphical model designer. The proposed tool allows a user to automatically pre-process georeferenced open data and generate a suitable input file for UBEM simulations inside QGIS environment. It is also worth specifying that the herein advanced method is conceived to provide the georeferenced input data set required to perform UBEM simulations through the open-source EUReCA tool, freely released by the BETALAB research group of the University of Padova (Padova, Italy). The presented methodological workflow is a preliminary outcome of the ongoing research conducted withing the scope of the NEST (Network for Energy Sustainable Technologies) Task 8.4.7 project concerning “Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) and urban green infrastructures modelling for Renewable Energy Communities (REC) and Positive Energy Districts (PED)”, financed by the European Union -NextGenerationEU- and coordinated by the University of Padova.At the end of the paper, the main findings and results derived from the application of the proposed tool to a case study area in Cagliari (Italy) are discussed to point out strengths and weaknesses of the method, by also bringing to light some relevant gaps affecting open geospatial data sets.

Giuseppe Desogus, Eleonora Congiu, Alessandro Sebastiano Carrus
Greening Intervention Strategies for the Enhancement of Urban Resilience of Public Buildings and Open Spaces

Densely built-up urban areas, such as historic centers or adjacent and peripheral areas, often exhibit a deficiency of public green spaces and poor environmental qualities. Urgent regenerations of these areas are imperative to enhance the overall quality of life for inhabitants. Considering these aspects, this paper documents ongoing research aiming to propose integrated interventions on extensive public buildings or complexes including health facilities, schools, administrative buildings, and public social housing, often occupying entire blocks or extensive portions of urban fabric. Courtyards, cloisters, and nearby open spaces, coupled with substantial roof areas, provide opportunities for large-scale actions to augment permeable surfaces, expand public green spaces, and thereby facilitate adaptation and mitigation to climate change. The research aims to establish a multi-criteria methodology suitable for selecting suitable buildings and open spaces to undergo greening interventions. Following mapping, filing and classification phases, the evaluation of public buildings in this analysis considers typological, constructive, urban, and environmental characteristics to identify their readiness to undergo greening interventions and to define the most effective strategies to increase permeable surfaces, enhance microclimate, optimize botanical and hydraulic behavior, and ensure economic and durable solutions. Furthermore, such interventions, integrated into comprehensive urban regeneration strategies, transform indoor open spaces into public green areas, creating a “network of public greenways” in neighborhoods lacking such spaces. This approach contributes to human and urban health perspectives. Finally, the results of this study aim to provide robust support for decision-makers in defining effective greening interventions, both at building and urban scales.

Lorenzo Diana, Gaetano Sciuto, Simona Colajanni
Early Detection of Facing-Masonry Surface Biodeterioration through Convolutional Neural Networks

Preventive conservation is the proposed and recommended approach to preserve historic building heritage from deterioration problems caused by several types of actions. It is based on data collection, steady monitoring, inspections, and control of environmental agents. Architectural heritage is subjected to many deterioration issues caused by different types of pathologies, among which attention must certainly be paid to the growth of living microorganisms (bio-colonization). Monitoring actions able to represent the evolution of buildings’ deterioration state have been proposed and implemented towards the creation of predictive models based on machine learning methods with the aim of reduce the need for major interventions. In this paper is proposed a method for the early detection of microalgae growth on facing-masonry surfaces. Images representing the microalgae growth process on facing-masonry facades, collected during experimental activities in controlled conditions, was used for training and testing a convolutional neural network. The trained model can ensure an accuracy of 83% and is able to recognize the starts of the bio-colonization process on different types of clay bricks. The work shows that by processing these images with the trained convolutional neural network it is possible to disclose the first stage of bio-deterioration phenomena. This work is part of a more extensive research for the early detection of different types of building façade damages and could be implemented for real cases monitoring.

Marco D’Orazio, Andrea Gianangeli, Francesco Monni, Enrico Quagliarini
User-Centric Design Approaches: Understanding Preferences for Indoor Environmental Quality in Educational Spaces

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) within buildings significantly affects occupants’ health, well-being, satisfaction, and productivity. Understanding how spaces can be designed to meet individuals’ needs is crucial. This study conducted three surveys to explore the relationship between comfort parameters and occupants’ perceptions and preferences of space. The questionnaires aimed to investigate this correlation and extract insights into how environmental conditions shape seating arrangements. The research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics between daylight exposure, thermal comfort, external views, visual privacy, and seating choices in a shared study space. This study seeks to contribute to the existing literature with meaningful findings that can inform architectural and design considerations, on behavioral variations. In total 384 students were surveyed. Results from the surveys underscored the importance of thermal and daylight parameters within indoor environmental conditions, as they strongly impact students’ efficiency and productivity. Other results revealed how visual comfort preferences and neutrality assessment could vary from the standardized prescription depending on daylight availability. Illuminance values from ½ to 3 times more than the standard requirement (500 lx) were considered acceptable. At last, the answers demonstrated that under homogeneous thermal and visual comfort conditions, participants favored seats less visually exposed. Throughout all the surveys, outdoor view was consistently the least influential parameter in seat selection. The findings suggest the potentiality for design approaches implementing user feedback to align with students’ preferences for enhanced comfort in educational environments.

Mohamed El Shemy, Daniela Jiménez Herrera, Elnaz Safari Abyazani, Shima Zibakalam, Elena Casolari, Andrea Giovanni Mainini
Accessibility Beyond Architectural Barriers: How to Broaden Perspective and Elevate Design Culture in Italy

Accessibility arises at the confluence of three domains: the person, society, and the environment, and depends on a plurality of indicators and the quality of their interactions. In design disciplines, accessibility aspires to realize the same opportunities for the widest possible range of people. Each environmental element is a link in a chain of relationships, and if one of these links has access problems, the accessibility of the whole system is compromised. The responsibility of designers is therefore strong.The paper focuses on the initiative promoted by Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region (RAFVG), which through the project FVG Accessibile intends to contribute to the elevation of the design culture of professionals in the territory and leveraging the importance of embracing the Universal Design (UD) approach, starting from the theme of elimination of architectural barriers. With Regional Law 10/2018 and the launch of the project, RAFVG intervene to make up for a deficiency that distinguishes most Italian public administrations regarding the elimination of architectural barriers and the predisposition of PEBAs (Law 41/1986). The institutional partnership working on the project FVG Accessibile, including the two Universities in the Region, enabled the implementation of a series of steps aimed not only at improving the accessibility of the regional territory, but also at increasing the quality of designing. The paper presents some specific actions and tools set up to guide designers to correctly interpret the meaning of accessibility in line with the philosophy of Universal Design. Specifically, FVG has the distinction of being the only region in Italy to have decided to invest in a digitalized system for the management of municipal PEBAs insisting on its territory, granting free access to specific software to the technicians in charge. Support to professionals is granted through training materials and courses to correctly interpret what a PEBA should mean.

Barbara Chiarelli, Ilaria Garofolo
Self-Sufficient and Responsive Textile Component

The goal of the present research is the development of an innovative textile component for architecture, which could be an adaptive envelope. In particular, this architectural component will be able to perform both the function of a shading element, in case of application in existing buildings, and of protective and finishing casing, for application to innovative components or, finally, as an autonomous casing, for temporary pavilions or roofing of multifunctional spaces. The casing will be adaptive, as it is capable of taking on different features through a set of actuators, controlled according to the inputs recorded by a specific network of sensors. This will ensure that the shape and position of the enclosure can be adapted according to external climatic factors or user needs, to optimize its performance. The basic textile material will incorporate a photovoltaic production system, so as to be able to produce the energy necessary for its automation. This paper describes the first results of the research, that are the state of the art and the aim of this study.

Giovanni Gibilisco, Angelo Monteleone, Gianluca Rodonò, Vincenzo Sapienza
Innovative Building Envelopes with Fibre-Reinforced Composite Materials: State of Art and Possible Integrations into Ventilated Façade Systems

The building envelope plays an important role in meeting complex functional requirements and stringent green energy standards. The global energy demand is increasing and most of it is consumed in the building sector. The building envelope, which is responsible for the energy balance of the building, plays the most important role in achieving nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB). In this study, innovative fibre-reinforced composite materials are integrated into certified building envelope system technologies. Variables associated with the production of fibre-reinforced composites are discussed, covering aspects of design, installation, and potential applications such as innovative ventilated façade and BIPV systems. Identification of tools, regulations, and test methods will be essential for evaluating design solutions in specific environments. Long-term performance includes maintenance and durability aspects. Based on a scientific approach and integrated design, the use of new technologies can significantly improve the overall behaviour of the building envelope. New strategies to scale up the many discoveries of green recycling through prevention, repair, and ideal reuse, contribute to cost-effective and sustainable practices of this material. This interdisciplinary approach addresses the multifaceted challenges of modern façade systems and paves the way for sustainable and energy-efficient building solutions.

Paolo Giussani, Alberto D’Occhio, Enrico Sergio Mazzucchelli, Paolo Rigone
Building Automation for Passive Cooling of Office Buildings: A Case Study in Madrid

Office buildings characterized by open-space offices and large windows generally have thermal comfort problems. In the summer period, the amount of thermal discomfort depends mainly on overheating due to thermal loads, such as electrical devices, occupation, and solar radiation entering through the windows. In Mediterranean climate, summer thermal gains are extremely high in these types of buildings, and to achieve the conditions of indoor thermal comfort, air conditioning systems are used excessively and waste a large amount of electrical energy. Efficient solutions to define optimal comfort conditions include passive design strategies such as window shading, and natural ventilation operated by a Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS). The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the conditions of users’ comfort in an office building located in Madrid (Spain) and to design a new operational strategy by using the existing solar shadings to control the solar radiation and by using hopper windows to increase natural ventilation. The results of numerical simulations in DesignBuilder highlight an average internal temperature reduction of one degree and an improvement of comfort conditions in the occupied period.

Francesco Iannone, Natalia Franco, Carmen Parisi, Rossana Laera
Future-Proofing the Existing Building Stock: A Multi-Hazard Scenario for the Lombardy Region

In recent years the frequency and intensity of natural and meteorological disasters have grown and with it their impacts on the built environment on both the urban scale and the individual building scale. Upon observing these events it becomes evident that the expected performances from buildings have increased and endeavors must be made to ensure their resilience towards a rapidly changing future scenario. In this context, the topic of building resilience is discussed in a comprehensive state-of-the art focusing on the existing building stock and its findings are hereby summarized. This paper begins with a summary of the systematic bibliometric literature review conducted to recognize research trends and keywords to better define the scope of the research. Relevant studies were retrieved and categorized to help formulate the research question. It was understood early on that resilience and sustainability are intertwined and that a truly sustainable building must be resilient towards hazards and disasters, and as a consequence, an important question presented itself: what the best approaches are for achieving an overall building resilience and what improvements can be made, especially considering the challenges for the existing building stock. This paper presents the preliminary results of a literature review finalized to understand the typical damage mechanisms of the different hazards in the Lombardy Region identifying the most vulnerable building typologies and components as well as potential technical solutions (i.e. retrofit techniques) and mitigation strategies. The aim is to identify the main parameters that have to be integrated in a multi-hazard resilient building design framework that consider the long-term impact of climate change on a building and its occupants in addition to structural integrity aspects due to natural disasters that are currently covered by many studies.

Marawan Khaled Atef Abdelhamid Ibrahim, Giuliana Iannaccone
Cluster Analysis as a Basis for Local Masonry Typology

Detailed knowledge of local construction features plays a remarkable role in examining and modelling historic buildings, both in the field of mechanical and energy performances. This study proposes a standard procedure for local masonry typology and explores the use of a statistical tool - cluster analysis - to define historic masonry types in local areas.The purpose of using cluster analysis as a tool for local masonry typology is to reduce the subjective influence of the observer. Consequently, the accuracy of local context analysis can be maintained, but using a homogeneous typology structure, intended as a general instrument for the detailed thermal and mechanical analysis of historic buildings.The proposed method was applied to four local contexts, namely the historic centers of four small cities in Sicily: Castel di Lucio, Patti, Santo Stefano di Camastra, and Tusa. All masonry walls with visible arrangement were examined in the case studies, thus collecting a dataset of 157 walls.Cluster analysis was carried out through the R software, considering each examined wall as an observation. Gower distance was selected as the distance metric. Partitioning Around Medoids algorithm (PAM) and the average silhouette width were used.Clusters have been identified both analyzing each case study and the entire dataset. In the latter, the analysis resulted in three homogeneous clusters, with average silhouette width equal to 0.46. Distribution of relevant construction features (average dimensions of masonry units and mortar joints, MQI) in the three clusters of the overall dataset suggest classification based on cluster analysis is appropriate to the technical examination of masonry.

Erica La Placa, Enrico Genova, Martina Vittorietti, Rossella Corrao, Calogero Vinci
A Clustering Method for Identifying Energy-Related Behaviour: The Case-Study of LIFE SUPERHERO Project

Understanding Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in residential buildings is often oversimplified due to the complexity of occupant behaviour in correlation with the variability of contextual factors like building characteristics and outdoor conditions. The Internet of Things has facilitated access to a substantial amount of real-time IEQ data through smart devices. Data mining techniques can support the analysis of such wide available databases. In this sense, clustering and classification algorithms offer advantages in identifying complex relationships and revealing hidden structures. They efficiently extract daily patterns from extensive raw data compared to conventional statistical methods. However, the literature on the application of these processes for IEQ seems to be still limited, mostly focusing on energy consumption. Indeed, this work aims at using these techniques in the context of energy-related behaviours, moving towards multidimensional identification of occupant patterns depending on dynamic factors. To this end, a room-level monitoring campaign was conducted in 10 rooms of 4 flats, chosen from two multistorey residential social housing buildings in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Monitoring took place throughout the entire summer period in 2022, capturing data on IEQ, outdoor climatic conditions, and building occupant behaviour. The analysis first involved extracting meaningful daily indoor temperature patterns through cluster analysis applied to 128 time-series data curves. Then, post-clustering analyses using classification trees were performed to enhance interpretability, examining the connection between influencing factors and IEQ patterns. Findings suggest that the proposed clustering method effectively detects daily patterns in the IEQ domain and that the post-clustering analysis outcomes provide valuable insights for a better understanding of the factors influencing IEQ (e.g., the importance of occupants’ behaviour over other characteristics).

Arianna Latini, Elisa Di Giuseppe, Gabriele Bernardini, Andrea Gianangeli, Marco D’Orazio
Wood Industry Wastes Valorisation and Reuse for a Greener Architecture

This study is part of a PhD research supported by PNRR aimed to provide concrete actions to implement greener constructive practices in response to the EU Green Deal and the demand of sustainability in construction. In particular, this paper analyses how wastes from the wood industry can be reused for applications in construction, in light of the circular economy (CE) and the industrial symbiosis. The analysed wastes derive from various processes and their heterogeneous nature often makes their incorporation into novel products complex. Additionally, they may contain contaminants, such as glues or chemicals, that may limit the reuse options or require special handling procedures. However, by addressing these issues through appropriate manufacturing processes and sustainable practices, wood waste reuse can offer significant environmental benefits, such as reducing wastes quantity and saving natural resources, or technological benefits by bringing innovation and sustainability to the sector. Once wood assortments’ manufacture was briefly outlined, the various types of waste resultant from each processing phase are analysed to explore possible recycling opportunities and identify challenges and prospects for more efficient, rational, and sustainable management. The study proposed here, focuses on the analysis of materials, products and systems that reuse wastes from the wood industry and the possible applications in construction. Among these, for example, thermoacoustic panels, polymer-based biocomposites, wood-cement panels and blocks are discussed. Furthermore, attention is given to microlaminated wood technology, currently considered a technological implementation to traditional laminated wood. Finally, the crucial role of wood waste recycling as a CE approach is underlined, emphasizing the fundamental contribution to environmental sustainability, the mitigation of climate change, and the creation of new markets and jobs in the construction context.

Rosanna Leone, Tiziana Campisi, Manfredi Saeli
Key Theoretical Lenses for Climate Equity and Resilience in the Built Environment—A Conceptual Article

As per the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Climate Action, enhancing the resilience, livability, and sustainability of cities may be achieved primarily through mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Cities are a major worry, especially for those who are more vulnerable, as the effects of climate change are escalating problems for urban regions, such as harsher and more frequent heat waves and urban flooding. One of the planning paradigms that helps engineers, architects, and urban planners create resilient communities and lessen the effects of climate change is known as regenerative design, or RD. Nevertheless, a number of restrictions currently impede the RD’s advancement in light of climate change. By connecting various spatial scales, from the urban/neighborhood to the building scale, and incorporating techniques and tools from different perspectives, such as Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU), this conceptual contribution seeks to overcome the constraints of RD by forging a novel and comprehensive outline and framework for just and equitable, climate-proof, cities. The amalgamation of diverse disciplines and scales will provide an all-encompassing array of instruments and methodologies to facilitate the following: (i) address the complexity deriving from the many interrelated factors composing the built environment; (ii) tackling numerous environmental, equity, and justice concerns; (iii) formulating a framework for implementing a flexible plan for future-proofing urban areas. This conceptual research is innovative since it attempts to overcome the operational limitations of consolidated paradigms and opens up a new field of application for the DMDU in the urban context.

Simona Mannucci, Adriana Ciardiello, Marco Ferrero, Federica Rosso
A Novel Software Tool for Automated and Integrated Building Energy Model Calibration

In the EU, the building sector significantly impacts energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 40% of the total energy use and 35% of emissions, mainly due to the energy inefficiency of the building stock. With energy demand expected to increase over the next decade, improving building energy efficiency is essential for meeting EU sustainability goals. Building Energy Models (BEMs) are crucial for evaluating and enhancing building performance throughout their lifecycle. However, a notable “energy performance gap” usually exists between predicted and actual energy use, exacerbated by challenges in accurately inputting numerous variables and the simplifications inherent in modeling. BEM calibration (BC) approaches are often adopted to reduce these discrepancies, aimed at adjusting model inputs to match output with the observed data. Yet, there is not a universal consensus on which is the best calibration method, with manual and automated approaches offering different benefits. Automated methods, especially those using optimization algorithms, have gained prominence for their efficiency and ability to handle uncertainties. However, BC still significantly depends on the energy modelers’ expertise. This paper introduces a novel software tool for automated BC, aiming to simplify the process by integrating expert knowledge, sensitivity analysis, and optimization algorithms techniques in a unique workflow. This tool reduces the dependence of BC success on modeler expertise, representing a significant step towards more accessible automated BC in the research field and engineering practice, thence allowing a more effective design of energy conservation measures.

Gianluca Maracchini, Marco D’Orazio, Elisa Di Giuseppe, Gian Marco Revel
Digital Decision Support System Prototyping for Building Performance Analysis and Management

The ongoing transformation of the AECO sector towards digitalization has led to a growing need for digital decision support systems (DDSS) to aid in managing built heritage. While there have been many technological improvements in this area, creating these digital tools still demands substantial technical and financial investments and highly specialized IT competencies. To respond to this challenge, this paper presents BTwin, a toolkit developed to facilitate the prototyping processes of DDSSs for performance-oriented building management. This open-source software, implemented in Python, allows for integrating building data from multiple sources into graph networks, such as building information models and building performance simulations, meters, and sensors. This integration capability, supported by specific semantic and ontological rules, is complemented by the possibility of quickly displaying the data on interactive dashboards accessible to non-expert users. After explaining the theoretical framework behind the toolkit, the paper showcases its practical application in a university building, focusing on energy- and occupancy-related topics.

Angelo Massafra, Ugo Maria Coraglia, Giorgia Predari, Riccardo Gulli
Decay Detection and Classification on Architectural Heritage Through Machine Learning Methods Based on Hyperspectral Images: An Overview on the Procedural Workflow

Imaging spectroscopy is a well-established technology that allows non-destructive remote analysis of objects in order to detect defects or imperfections in a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the field of cultural heritage, and especially in the architectural one, the interest for its application is increasing, since it allows to carry out decay assessment surveys in a more accurate way. In combination with machine learning (ML) techniques, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) allows semi-automatic evaluations, overcoming time-consuming operations. In this article we present a general framework for the acquisition and processing of hyperspectral images in order to obtain semi-automatically generated decay maps of historical buildings. Starting from the presentation of basic concepts of spectral imaging, we discuss capturing tools and methods for data collection campaigns. Likewise pre-processing operations and classification algorithms are illustrated, along with datasets, which are usually required for the execution of such elaborations. This work aims to become a reference for those are intended to improve research in the field of conservation of architectural heritage with the application of HSI, presenting a typical workflow to follow for surveys and analysis.

Maria Francesca Muccioli, Elisa di Giuseppe, Marco D’Orazio
Technologies of Façade Systems. Studies for the Proposal of a New Support System for Timber Claddings

The essay outlines the initial results of a research project developed within the DPIA (Polytechnic Department of Engineering and Architecture) of the University of Udine and ICEA (Department of Civil, Enviromental and Architectural Engineering) of the University of Padua. This research laid the foundations for the conception and subsequent experimentation of a new support system for façades timber finishes. Following a brief introduction highlighting the current potential and values of using wood in the context of contemporary construction, the new system for fixing timber elements is described. This includes a substructure that aligns double-framed configurations with vertical posts and horizontal beams into a single plane, using a single base element that can be customized in various dimensional ranges. This results in the formation of regular quadrilateral elements that can extend both horizontally and vertically, thanks to the variability offered by a telescopic movement. The lateral junction of multiple quadrilateral elements is achieved thanks to a cavity on the surface facing the cladding elements, near the corner joint between the two “arms” of a base element. The research is therefore ongoing and it is considering a possible redefinition of the base elements to allow the use of stainless steel open-section profiles, instead of aluminium as initially hypothesized. Laser cutting technologies are being considered for defining the necessary openings and holes.

Enrico Pez, Francesco Chinellato, Livio Petriccione
Smart Materials in Construction Sector Decarbonisation: Few-Layer Graphene Based Radiant Heating

In the current era, the European Union is significantly transitioning towards reducing its carbon footprint, specifically by moving away from fossil fuel-based energy sources within its economic framework. This shift, particularly pronounced within the construction industry, is motivated by environmental, economic, and geopolitical issues. A key strategy in this energy transition involves the performance improvement and modernisation of heating systems to diminish reliance on natural gas. Within the realm of radiant heating solutions, innovative smart materials are being explored for their ability to convert electrical energy into thermal one through the Joule heating effect (e.g., self-heating materials). This study focuses on the development of electrically conductive self-heating coatings incorporating pristine few-layer graphene (FLG) as the active component. These coatings, formulated with an acrylic-based binder in a water-based dispersion, demonstrate low electrical resistivity, reaching 0.026 Ω cm. Biasing 12 V DC, the FLG-based coating can achieve a surface temperature of 115 ℃ in 15 min. Furthermore, the research introduces a novel electric heating panel designed to attain an operational surface temperature of 35 ℃ within an hour using extra-low voltage (24 V DC). The system also considers the integration of Phase Change Materials to sustain an optimal surface temperature for extended heating applications.

Salvatore Polverino, Sebastiano Bellani, Antonio Esau Del Rio Castillo, Luca Gabatel, Stefano Lazzari, Marilena Isabella Zappia, Francesco Bonaccorso, Renata Morbiducci
Assessing the Spatiotemporal Impact of SLODs in Urban Square, Considering User’s Exposure and Vulnerability

Slow-onset disasters (SLODs), such as increasing temperatures and air pollution, impact the microclimate, health and habits of users in the built environment (BE), especially in outdoor spaces such as squares. While numerous risk assessment methodologies are available for the BE at a macroscopic level, methodologies focused on local analysis of mesoscale elements, are still limited. These spaces play a crucial role in the public life of cities, influencing the activities and behaviours of inhabitants. The SLODs risk in the squares depends primarily on the interaction of various factors, including specific hazards, square characteristics (e.g., morphology, activities, and type of activities and services available), exposure and user characteristics (e.g., health, age, mobility). There is a requirement for methodologies to effectively incorporate all these factors, specifically to enhance the implementation of risk reduction strategies. This work introduces an innovative approach to formulate a user-oriented risk index using a Risk Matrix (RMA), which combines the different factors involved. The proposed method ensures rapid applicability while integrating quantitative analyses (from large datasets, accessible online) and qualitative assessments (from experience and knowledge). It allows for the representation of assessed risk levels through mesoscale maps that show the risk variation as specific local conditions change. The simplicity and versatility of the method facilitate its use by non-experts and local authorities to obtain a quick risk assessment and support the definition of targeted mitigation strategies. The study assessed and mapped local risks in both a real scenario and a project scenario where green areas are implemented, and traffic is reduced. Results highlight the influence of localized features, such as greenery and specific attractions on risk levels (e.g., shops, universities, railway stations).

Enrico Quagliarini, Gessica Sparvoli, Juan Diego Blanco Cadena, Graziano Salvalai, Gabriele Bernardini
Simulation-Based Effectiveness Evaluation of “Best Strategies” for Single and Multi-Risk Mitigation in Typological Historic Squares

Squares in historical city centres are challenging scenarios for disaster risk mitigation. Besides their physical vulnerability, they are “hot spots” in both terms of morphology and human factors, being also characterized by overcrowding and the presence of vulnerable users. Thus, mitigation strategies should be designed to be effective in various single-risk and multi-risk scenarios, depending on hosted users’ emergency needs and behaviours. This paper aims at determining optimal mitigation strategies against rising temperatures, air pollution, terrorist acts and earthquakes and their combination, using a behavioural simulation-driven methodology. Single risk Key Performance Indicators are defined to combine users’ exposure and vulnerability to square features (i.e. morphology, physical vulnerability, climatic attributes, hazard probabilities, and damage levels). Multi-risk metrics are then developed combining these indicators. Input data for indicators and metrics are calculated through validated simulation models, and applications to relevant typological configurations of Italian historic squares are performed considering the scenarios before and after the implementation of literature-based strategies affecting users’ behaviours. Results show how implementing greenery and engineered planters can be selected as “best strategies” to face the given risks, since they can both decrease effects on users’ health and support evacuation flows in emergency conditions. Being tested in typological (idealized) conditions, this study provides an initial strategies inventory that can be further customized in real-world squares. Decision-makers can evaluate their specific impact using the proposed simulation-based methodology and the proposed indicators and metrics.

Enrico Quagliarini, Edoardo Currà, Fabio Fatiguso, Giovanni Mochi, Graziano Salvalai, Gessica Sparvoli, Elena Cantatore, Ilaria Isacco, Federica Rosso, Letizia Bernabei, Alessandro D’Amico, Martina Russo, Gabriele Bernardini
Residential Building Restoration from the Second Half of the 20th Century. Energy Performance Improvement Methodology: Comparison Between Application in Italy and Spain

In Italy and Spain, almost all Europe, in the second half of the 20th century under the influence of the international style (modern style), several million homes have been built. Something that happened in general throughout Europe. Most of these buildings have been built with cavity wall exterior enclosures, with an air gap inside and without thermal insulation. Starting in the 80s, thermal insulation began to be widely used in both countries but in very small thicknesses (2–4 cm plus air chamber inside), which will have to wait for the European EPBD directives, already in the 21st century, and their transposition to the member states, to be increased to average thicknesses of 8–16 cm (depending on the climatic zone where the building is located, the conductivity of the insulating material, as well as the rest of the envelope). This article addresses, on two different case studies located one in Italy and the other in Spain, the privilege of the reduction of energy demand, passive conditioning, the energy behaviour of the envelope, compared to other measures on active systems (conditioning systems). For this, two energy performance evaluations will be used in two different states, one before and one after the energy restoration, which will be non-invasive and acting on the air gap. The results highlight the energetic privilege of the envelope, what we can call the prerogative of building well, above the dimensioning of thermal conditioning systems and the need for research into new insulation materials to intervene in these types of buildings; within these types of envelopes, safeguarding the architectural heritage of the constructions.

Giovanni Francesco Russo, Rafael García-Quesada
Extend and Certify the Concept of Comfort Within Built Spaces

Sustainable environmental development is now recognized as imperative for the survival of our planet. On the other hand, the concept of well-being is evolving, which must be understood as an indispensable sustainability requirement for human beings. Therefore, for a true “sustainable building”, it is necessary not only to expand the range of requirements that a building must guarantee but also to find a way to concretely assess the compliance of the built space with the new demand framework. The greater attention to the user implies a broadening of the parameters to be considered and the evaluation of performance becomes the improvement strategy to design (in a new building) or modify the conditions of the internal environment (in an existing building) for the benefit of the well-being of the occupants. Certification tools capable of considering the extended needs of user comfort, applicable on different types of buildings and in various geographical contexts, are therefore indispensable. In the case of pre-existing buildings (in Europe 35% of the total are over 50 years old), a further difficulty for certification derives from the lack of technical and construction information. Among the available certifications, in this work it was chosen to apply the WELL v2 to an existing building intended for offices, which the International Well Building Institute redefined in 2018 for the assessment of human health, well-being in the broadest sense and global sustainability in buildings, through the concepts of air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community and innovation. Starting from a study already carried out on an existing and already renovated office building, we tried to apply it, compiling in the form of tables the results obtained in the current situation and those that could be obtained with the adjustments hypothesized in the study, thanks to which a good score can be achieved in the certification.

Raffaella Lione, Ludovica Maria Sofia Savoca
Effects of Different Adhesions and Solar Radiation Shieldings on Surface Temperature Sensors Measurements for Low-Budget Applications

In the field of architectural engineering, it is often needed to perform building envelope monitoring campaign which may also involve reading temperatures of external surfaces, possibly exposed to solar radiation. Also, it is often necessary to develop cheap setups due to budget issues. Therefore, small size low-cost temperature probes are usually preferred. The present study aims to better investigate low-cost temperature sensors response and transient behaviour for surface temperature measuring by using different types of adhesion and/or gluing and different means of shielding against solar (IR) radiation, among those suitable to be used in building thermal monitoring considering issues like quick installation, low profile, etc. In this respect, two different tests were performed using DS18B20, common digital IC thermometers, to read the surface temperature of a 0.5 mm aluminium-magnesium alloy sheet heated up by IR emitters. For what concerns contact thermal effectiveness, results show that the epoxy resin is the adhesion type that performs best, likely due to a better thermal conductivity and an optimum bonding between the sensor and the support compared to alternative glues. The second test case showed a strong influence of the surface emissivity in the temperature results. Based on the evidences collected, the best option results to be providing probes with shields that have emissivity similar to the surface of the material tested.

Giacomo Scrinzi, Sofia Pastori
Green and Architecture: Environmental Problems and Performance Requirements

Urban greenery is universally recognized as a mitigator against environmental problems. It's indeed in the cities - where lies the highest concentration of anthropogenic activities - that the effects of pollution and uncontrolled urbanization have caused more damage, with the known phenomenon of "heat islands", especially in the metropolises, undermining the inhabitants' quality of life. Numerous data collection on urban dimensions and specific indicators reveal the significant paucity of green spaces in urban realities. So how could greenery be implemented, especially in contexts where sealing and paving of outdoor spaces (squares, parking lots, etc.) have reduced the availability of natural soil?A simple but effective solution can be offered by the verticalization of green spaces, where the green areas are not only capable of purifying the environment through the retention of CO2 and particulate matter, but also of improving the building energy performance: the design proposal of the ‘Living Wall’ on the facade of a public building serves exactly this scope. An analysis of the perimeter surface has been carried out in order to identify and measure the comparison energy efficiency parameters before and after the proposed intervention. A simulation has confirmed the improvement of the building energy performance: the transmittance values, other than complying with the verification procedure as stated in the Italian decree DM 26.06.2015, show a significant reduction with those of the actual state and are decreased by almost half if compared to the case when only the insulation has been applied. The model has shown beneficial effects even on the thermal phase shift, a key parameter for both summer comfort and energy savings. Much of the heat affecting the building is absorbed in the daytime (retaining it but keeping it out of the internal rooms) and then gradually released in the nighttime when the external heat has subsided.

Alessandro Colucci, Claudia Sicignano
Artificial Intelligence and Lean Construction: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

Lean construction (LC) is nowadays a key management approach for construction projects. Although lean principles and methodologies have progressively been introduced in the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) field since the early nineties, digitalization, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are increasing opportunities and potentialities of lean construction, as well as providing construction managers with new methods to control and optimize the building process. Within this scope, this paper elaborates on the multiple digitation levels of LC and discusses the application of different AI techniques to construction project monitoring and management. Two AI applications for LC, one focused on automatic monitoring of construction works and the other dedicated to material handling and transportation planning, are then presented and discussed.

Davide Simeone, Chiara Marchionni, Marianna Rotilio
Nature-Based Solutions as Climate Change Adaptation Measures: Lessons and Best-Practices from European Cities

Climate change is the greatest challenge facing our planet. Heavy overbuilding and the associated sealing of soils in recent decades have limited the availability of green spaces in cities, the fundamental importance of which is now recognised. The urgent need to create more green spaces and areas in the built environment draws attention to nature-based solutions configured as preferred adaptation solutions that enable the built environment to cope with the effects of climate change. The focus of this study is on the impact of climate change on urban areas, which are recognised as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a significant proportion of energy consumption. After analysing the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) with particular reference to green and blue strategies, this study proposes an investigation of the application of NbS in different European cities in order to define a framework that outlines the phases for the implementation of NbS in urban areas and promotes climate adaptation. This framework consists of five phases, ranging from the definition of the challenge to the monitoring of the proposed solutions, to the phases in which the application circuits, the scale of application and the associated measures to be implemented are defined. Although cities are defined as complex systems responsible for high energy consumption, this study highlights the key role of nature-based solutions from an environmental, social, and economic perspective, configured as best practices and preferred solutions to test and outline city-level adaptation strategies whose replicability is essential for orienting urban environments towards a sustainable ecological transition. The inclusion of NbS in planning enables the creation of sustainable cities and communities in line with current European policies to achieve climate neutrality and sustainable development goals.

Francesco Sommese
Building Characteristics of the Residential Asset in Bologna After World War II

Renovation of unlisted built heritage is a topical issue at the European level. In countries such as Italy, there are more than 12 million residential buildings; 86% of them were realized before 1990, thus before the adoption of stringent regulatory standards. In Bologna, many residential buildings in the first suburbs date back to the post-World War II period. These constructions were often built quickly to respond to the growing need for housing due to a relevant population increase, often to the detriment of their construction quality. Through deep archival research, 191 buildings realized within the Municipality between 1947 and 1961 with the adoption of State funds were analysed. These buildings, consisting of 2,260 housing units and 9,335 inhabitants, represent 2% of the city population in 1961. The rich documentation, consisting of working drawings, metric calculations, reports, and photographs, made it possible to determine the following information for each building: general data, typological characteristics, housing unit characteristics, construction characteristics, finishes and facilities. The collected data were implemented in a database and a geographical information system to offer an insight into the ways of the building practice adopted at the time, providing indications both on the ways of living and on the performance in terms of structural, energy and functional distribution.

Lorenzo Stefanini, Giorgia Predari
Decision Criteria for the Assessment of Building Retrofit Integrating Innovative Façade Solutions

In the present environmental and political scenario, energy and carbon issues represent both ecological and economic challenges. The individuation of strategies capable to confront these complex circumstances by improving the quality of urban areas and, moreover, of buildings is considered a priority, as well as identifying paths and technical solutions capable to support this transition. A critical approach to building solutions, operating on existing buildings, could allow it to reach higher efficiency targets and possibly lead to a more aware occupancy. In this scope, adaptive façades enable the retrofit of existing buildings characterized by low energy performance and envelope pathologies, also offering a response to the level of comfort to be ensured for the occupants of the internal spaces. The technological unit of vertical closure influences several factors that form the energy consumption of a building, influencing it by more than 50%. The impact of façade systems on the needs for rational use of resources and user well-being and health opens the way to the implementation of advanced solutions, applied to existing buildings. In this contribution, a framework for the evaluation of eligibility of innovative façade solutions in building retrofit is proposed. A strategy considering these façade solutions can benefit from both established and innovative technologies, both in reaching ambitious targets by an effective and wide application and in providing a leverage to the local building sector in design approach and life-cycle management.

Carlo Antonio Stival
Soil Consumption: Regenerative Solutions for Vulnerability Management and Environmental Protection

Huge soil consumption is one of the main factors of degradation at a global level: “Soil consumption implies its fragmentation with artificial elements that constitute real barriers in terms of connectivity of the ecological network” [1]. Deciding what is meant and what should be classified as ‘consumed’ soil is crucial both for understanding how to detect and measure the phenomenon and for identifying strategies and actions to govern it [2]. With this in mind, the contribution intends to investigate the reasons and risks of pathological urban sprawl by evaluating new mitigation and compensation tools. In particular, NBS (Nature Based Solutions) must become key resources both to base land governance on soil protection principles and to mitigate the effects of climate change and its impacts on people, such as extreme events and heat waves, and to reduce pollution through reforestation and renaturation of the city. The “inhabited organisms” will have to orient themselves towards new rules of architecture-nature, to measure themselves against new technologies and new regulations, to find new forms of identity in relation to climate, exposure, the varied vegetation of places, landscape and culture.Every place, every space, every city will therefore have a forest that is different in shape, height, plants, etc., but also because the inhabitants who inhabit these living organisms will contribute to building it by imbuing it with their own culture and identity. How to do this will be the challenge of our century.

Rosa Maria Vitrano
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Proceedings of the 11th International Conference of Ar.Tec. (Scientific Society of Architectural Engineering)
herausgegeben von
Rossella Corrao
Tiziana Campisi
Simona Colajanni
Manfredi Saeli
Calogero Vinci
Copyright-Jahr
2025
Electronic ISBN
978-3-031-71863-2
Print ISBN
978-3-031-71862-5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71863-2