SOSTENIBILITA' ENERGETICA E AMBIENTALE DELL COSTRUZIONI

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students know and understand:

•       the fundamentals of Life Cycle Thinking and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology applied to the construction sector, in its standardised methodological phases;

•       the mechanisms generating the environmental impacts associated with the material and energy flows along the entire life cycle of building products, from production to use and to end of life;

•       the environmental profile of the main building materials and products, the characteristics of low-impact materials and the role of secondary raw materials;

•       the European and national regulatory and legislative framework on energy and the environment, ecological quality labels, the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD);

•       the multi-criteria protocols for the assessment of the environmental quality of buildings, with particular reference to ITACA, LEED and BREEAM.

Applying knowledge and understanding

By the end of the course, students are able to:

•       set up and interpret an LCA of a construction work, selecting an appropriate functional unit, system boundaries and impact categories, also in new or unfamiliar fields and in interdisciplinary contexts;

•       comparatively assess the environmental profile of building materials and products and critically read an Environmental Product Declaration;

•       apply the Minimum Environmental Criteria at the design stage and verify the compliance of the solutions adopted;

•       employ environmental certification protocols for the multi-criteria assessment of the environmental quality of a building;

•       carry out the energy and environmental analysis of a construction work, from the collection and organisation of the data through to the presentation and discussion of the results.

Making judgements

Students are able to formulate autonomous judgements on the energy and environmental sustainability of alternative construction solutions, also on the basis of limited or incomplete information, integrating knowledge from the technological, energy and regulatory fields and managing the complexity inherent in multi-criteria assessment. They are able to recognise the extent to which the methodological choices made — functional unit, system boundaries, databases and characterisation methods employed — affect the outcome of the analysis, and to reflect on the social, environmental and ethical responsibilities connected with the solutions proposed. This ability is developed mainly through the energy and environmental analysis of a construction work chosen by the student, which requires collecting and interpreting data, making reasoned methodological choices and critically discussing their implications.

From this perspective, the course contributes to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, addressing issues related to energy, to the energy efficiency of buildings and to the environmental impact of building technologies, in accordance with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

•       SDG 7 — Affordable and clean energy: the assessment of the energy demand and of the energy performance of the building-plant system guides students towards solutions with lower consumption and a greater use of renewable sources;

•       SDG 11 — Sustainable cities and communities: multi-criteria protocols and the Minimum Environmental Criteria provide operational tools to raise the environmental quality of the built environment and of settlements;

•       SDG 12 — Responsible consumption and production: life cycle assessment, ecological quality labels and Environmental Product Declarations educate students in the informed choice of materials and production processes, in the recovery of secondary raw materials and in the reduction of construction and demolition waste;

•       SDG 13 — Climate action: the quantification of embodied and operational carbon makes it possible to steer design choices towards the mitigation of climate-altering emissions.

Communication skills

Students are able to communicate the conclusions of their own analysis and the methodological reasons underpinning them clearly and unambiguously, with an appropriate technical language, addressing both specialist and non-specialist interlocutors, and to employ the forms of representation proper to the discipline: product system flow diagrams, impact characterisation charts, protocol scoresheets. These skills are exercised through the drafting of the final report and the group oral discussion of the assignment, which also requires students to defend the choices they have made.

Learning skills

Students acquire the ability to update their competences in a self-directed manner in a field subject to rapid regulatory and technological change, critically consulting databases and archives of Environmental Product Declarations, assessment protocols, European directives and technical standards, and to evaluate the reliability and the transferability of the data retrieved. This ability is fostered by the independent analysis of case studies and by the direct use of sources during the development of the assignment.

The course comprises 60 teaching hours, of which 21 hours of lectures (Didattica Erogativa) and 39 hours of interactive teaching (Didattica Interattiva).

Lectures are mainly devoted to the acquisition of the theoretical, methodological and regulatory fundamentals listed in the “Course planning” section.

The exercise sessions and the energy and environmental analysis of a construction work chosen by the student (interactive teaching) develop the applied competences, the making of judgements and the communication skills, thus ensuring consistency between the educational objectives and the teaching methods adopted. The assignment is carried out in groups, develops progressively along the course — definition of the object of study and of the functional unit, collection of the inventory data, calculation and interpretation of the results — and concludes with the drafting of a final report, which is discussed at the examination.

If the course is delivered in blended or remote mode, appropriate adjustments may be made to the above, in order to ensure consistency with the syllabus.

It is important that students possess:

1.      the fundamentals of heat transfer and applied thermodynamics;

2.      the ability to set up the energy balances of a building and to interpret their outcomes;

3.      a basic knowledge of the characteristics of building materials and of the technical elements that make up the building.

Such knowledge constitutes a cultural and not a formal prerequisite: the Academic Regulations of the Degree Programme do not set formal prerequisites for this course.

Attendance of lessons is not compulsory; it is, however, strongly recommended: attending lessons on a regular basis makes the course of study more fruitful and faster, and the guidance of the lecturer is decisive in enriching and completing the recommended teaching materials. Attendance is particularly relevant for the purposes of the assignment, which develops progressively during the course and is assessed at the examination.

The course is organised around the following topics, aimed at the understanding and the assessment of the issue of the energy and environmental sustainability of buildings:

1.      The principles of environmental sustainability.

2.      Raw materials, secondary raw materials and production processes of building materials.

3.      Pollutant emissions generated by technological processes and the related environmental impacts.

4.      Environmental impact assessment indicators.

5.      Environmental profile of the main building materials and products.

6.      Building materials with a low environmental impact: characteristics and fields of application.

7.      Eco-sustainable decommissioning techniques and management of demolition materials.

8.      Certification and ecological quality labels of building materials and products.

9.      Building energy performance and code-compliance checks.

10.   Principles and techniques of the environmental analysis of materials: from Embodied Energy to LCA.

11.   Methodological phases of LCA.

12.   International protocols for the multi-criteria assessment of the environmental quality of buildings, with particular reference to the ITACA, LEED and BREEAM protocols.

13.   European directives, national legislation and technical standards on the energy and environmental sustainability of buildings.

14.   Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).

15.   Examples of LCA assessment of building materials and products.

•       M. Lavagna, Life Cycle Assessment in edilizia. Progettare e costruire in una prospettiva di sostenibilità ambientale. Hoepli, Milano, 2012

•       M. Cellura, Life Cycle Assessment applicata all'edificio. Metodologia e casi di studio sul sistema fabbricato-impianto. Editoriale Delfino Collana AICARR, Milano, 2017

•       F. Asdrubali, G. Beccali, M. Cellura, F. Cumo, U. Di Matteo, F. Gugliermetti, L'analisi di ciclo di vita degli edifici. Celid, Torino, 2012

•       I. Orberti, Prodotti edilizi per edifici ecocompatibili. Uno strumento per orientare la scelta. Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna, 2014

•       G. L. Baldo, M. Marino, S. Rossi, Analisi del ciclo di vita LCA. Edizioni Ambiente, Città di Castello, 2008

•       L. De Santoli, Analisi del ciclo di vita del sistema edificio-impianto. Palombi Editori, Roma, 2006

•       Lecturer's notes

The examination consists of a group oral discussion of the assignment carried out during the course and of an individual oral examination on the theoretical topics covered during the lessons, each lasting approximately 30 minutes.

The assessment takes into account the relevance of the answers with respect to the questions asked, the quality and completeness of the contents, the ability to establish connections between the topics of the programme, the command of technical language and the overall expressive ability of the student. In the discussion of the assignment, the correctness of the methodological approach, the soundness of the data employed and the ability to interpret the results critically are also assessed.

The final mark, expressed out of thirty, is determined by combining the outcome of the assignment (group test), which accounts for 15/30, and that of the individual oral examination, which accounts for 15/30.

The final mark is awarded on the basis of the following parameters:

•       Examination not passed: the student does not possess the minimum required knowledge of the fundamentals of Life Cycle Thinking and of the relevant regulatory framework; the ability to use the specific technical language is poor or absent and the student is not able to independently reconstruct the phases of a life cycle assessment.

•       Mark 18–21: the student possesses a minimum knowledge of the LCA methodology and of the environmental assessment tools; the topics are presented in a sufficiently clear manner, with a modest ability to establish connections and a poorly developed command of language; in the assignment the student played a mainly executive role.

•       Mark 22–25: the student possesses a fair knowledge of the contents, although limited to the main topics; the phases of the analysis are reconstructed and their results interpreted in a not always linear manner, and the topics are presented with a fair command of technical language; in the assignment the student justifies the choices made with essential arguments.

•       Mark 26–28: the student possesses a good knowledge of the contents, critically connects methodology, regulatory framework and certification tools, discusses with awareness the influence of the methodological choices on the results, and presents the topics clearly and with an appropriate technical language.

•       Mark 29–30 cum laude: the student possesses a thorough knowledge of the contents, integrates and manages the complexity of multi-criteria assessment, formulates autonomous and well-argued judgements even in the presence of incomplete information, and demonstrates excellent communication skills and a full command of technical language.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students may request a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs. Students can also contact the CInAP (Centro per l'integrazione Attiva e Partecipata — Servizi per le Disabilità e/o i DSA) referring teacher within their department (https://www.cinap.unict.it/content/referenti).

1.      Describe the methodological phases of LCA according to the reference standards, specifying the content and the function of each of them.

2.      Define the functional unit and the system boundaries in an LCA study, discussing the influence of such choices on the outcome of the analysis.

3.      Describe the main environmental impact indicators used in the building sector and the meaning of the corresponding units of measurement.

4.      Describe the pollutants generated by the production processes of building materials and the corresponding environmental impacts.

5.      Describe the characteristics and the fields of application of building materials with a low environmental impact, justifying their selection in a given case study.

6.      Describe the eco-sustainable decommissioning techniques for demolition materials and the role of secondary raw materials in the life cycle of a building product.

7.      Describe the ecological quality labels of building materials and products, distinguishing their types and their informative value.

8.      Describe the structure of an Environmental Product Declaration and explain how its data are to be read for the purpose of comparing alternative products.

9.      Describe the structure of the Minimum Environmental Criteria and the criteria for their application at the design stage.

10.   Compare the ITACA, LEED and BREEAM protocols in terms of structure, assessment criteria and field of application.

11.   Explain the difference between Embodied Energy and Embodied Carbon and their role in the life cycle assessment of a building.

12.   With reference to the assignment carried out, describe the methodological choices adopted and the sources of the inventory data used, and comment critically on the results obtained.