ARCHITETTURA TECNICA, TIPI EDILIZI ED EFFICIENZA ENERGETICA - TECNOLOGIE PER LA PROGETTAZIONE SOSTENIBILE

Academic Year 2019/2020 - 4° Year
Teaching Staff Credit Value: 12
Taught classes: 80 hours
Exercise: 40 hours
Term / Semester: One-year

Learning Objectives

  • Building construction, building types and energy efficiency

    The aim of the course is to deepen the knowledge of contemporary construction processes, to address the issue of the building feasibility of an architectural work and the environmental ustainability of the intervention, both for the new and old constructions.

  • Building technologies for sustainable design

    The course aims to provide the fundamental design tools to manage and control the consistency between architectural choices and sustainable technological solutions. The acquired knowledge will help students providing independent judgment and the ability to evaluate which control tools, technologies and operating procedures apply, depending on the specificity of the project, both for new buildings and for the upgrading of the existing ones.


Course Structure

  • Building construction, building types and energy efficiency

    See the integrated module "Building technologies for sustainable design"

  • Building technologies for sustainable design

    The topics of the program of the theoretical lessons will be presented through classroom lectures.

    During the course the students (individually and in groups) will develop design activities, as specified in the "Detailed Course Content" section.

    Where possible, the teacher will organize:

    • guided visits to building sites or manufacturers of materials and building components;
    • workshops on specific topics of interest;
    • participation in conferences and fairs.

Detailed Course Content

  • Building construction, building types and energy efficiency

    B2. Seismic and energetic renovation of buildings

    Seismic vulnerability and energy performance of the residential building stock. Review of the main strategies for the energy renovation and seismic upgrade of traditional (built before 1950) and recent (built in 1950-1990) buildings. Economic aspects and tax incentives.

    B3. Dry construction systems and processes

    Review of the main "dry" systems and construction methods currently used in the construction sector. Advantages for the selective demolition of buildings.

    B4. Examples of sustainable design

    Review of contemporary examples of sustainable architecture.

  • Building technologies for sustainable design

    Theoretical lessons

    A1. Evolution of sustainable development

    Sustainable approach to the design of the built environment. Demographic aspects and land consumption. Energy consumption of buildings and environmental impact.

    Revival of the local constructive culture, bioclimatic architecture, bio-architecture, ecological architecture, sustainable architecture.

    A2. Principles of sustainable design, with particular regard to the Mediterranean climate

    Analysis of macro and microclimatic factors and of the morphology of the building area.

    Form and orientation of buildings. Albedo.

    Use of vegetation to control solar radiation, wind speed and direction, relative humidity.

    "Passive" and "active" heating and cooling systems.

    Architectural integration of renewable energy source systems.

    Overview of the functional distribution criteria of residential buildings. Positioning, insulation and solar shading of windows.

    Advantages of massive walls for the thermal comfort of buildings in Mediterranean climate.

    Technological solutions for the reduction of thermal bridges.

    Green roofs and green walls.

    A3. Passive House standard, on zero energy buildings, on the energy certification

    Introduction to Passivhaus standard and to zero-energy and zero-emission buildings (ZEB, nearly ZEB, net ZEB).

    Energy certification of buildings in Italy.

    A4. Use of renewable and sustainable energy sources in construction

    Introduction to the most widespread renewable and sustainable energy sources in the construction sector, at building or neighborhood level (solar, wind, geothermal, biomass energy). Pre-dimensioning of solar panels.

    A5. Evaluation of the environmental sustainability of buildings

    Environmentally-friendly construction materials and components. Embodied energy. Introduction to life cycle assessment in buildings (LCA). The ITACA protocol.

    Design activities

    1. Workshop on sustainable architecture in Uganda

    During the first month of the course, each student, in groups of 2 or 3, will have to design a volunteer's house, following the principles of sustainable architecture. This house will be located in the village of Kuffu, Uganda. Local materials and construction techniques must be used, taking into account the characteristics of the local tropical climate.

    The best project will then be concretely realized, in whole or in part, in August 2020, by the non-profit humanitarian association I Bambini di Antonio (www.ibambinidiantonio.it), with the participation of the teacher.

    The final project, in paper A2 format (following the layout provided by the teacher), must be delivered to the teacher on xx.4.2020; by the same date, the PDF and DWG files must be sent by jumbo mail, WeTransfer, etc. to the address margani@unict.it.

    Each group will present different solutions, relative to the construction system to be adopted for vertical coverings and closures, the location and size of the openings, etc. The thermal comfort generated by these solutions will have to be determined and compared parametrically by dynamic modeling using Grasshopper's Honeybee and Ladybug plug-ins for Rhino (see module B1).

    The required design documents are the following:

    • general plan of the lot with external arrangements (1: 100);
    • ground floor plan (1:50);
    • shell plant (1:50);
    • elevations on each front (1:50);
    • 2 significant sections (1:50);
    • construction details, with descriptions describing materials and components (1: 2/1: 5/1: 10).
    • parametric analysis results and identification of the optimal solution;
    • estimate of the costs of the various solutions envisaged.


    2. Design exercise on seismic-energy redevelopment or new construction

    Starting from mid-April a second design exercise will be assigned, in which the students, always in groups of three, will have to elaborate the project of a residential building (seismic and energy redevelopment or new construction) with minimal environmental impact, following the principles of sustainable architecture and with the aim of achieving energy certification in class A and, where possible, the net-ZEB standard (mandatory, however, for those who choose the new construction project).

    To verify the achievement of class A the use of a software for the energy classification of buildings will be required (eg "Docet" v. 3 of ENEA, http://www.docet.itc.cnr.it/) .

    The final papers will have to be delivered within the 20th. 20.2020 at 9.00, in rolled up paper tables (A1 or A0, following the layout provided by the teacher); by the same date, the PDF and DWG files must be sent to margani@unict.it.

    The required design documents are the following:

    • technical-descriptive report, showing the photos of the state of affairs (only for requalification), the objectives of the intervention, the design choices adopted (passive and active systems, maximum calculation of the electricity and thermal needs of the entire building, stratigraphy and calculation of the transmittance of CVs and COCs *, technical sheets of materials and components) and the energy performance certificate (APE);
    • territorial framework plan (1: 2000 approx.);
    • general floor plan with external arrangements (1: 100) *;
    • plant of the foundations (1: 100) *; for the redevelopment project it is necessary to report the new septa in c.a. or any exoskeleton, with its foundations, as well as the connecting curbs added for the purposes of seismic improvement;
    • standard floor carpentry (1: 100) *; for the redevelopment project it is necessary to report the septa to c.a. added for the purposes of seismic improvement or the possible exoskeleton;
    • plants of each level (1: 100), furnished in case of new construction;
    • plan of the roofs (1: 100) *, with diagrams of the slopes and with design of the eventual garden roof and positioning of the eventual solar panels and / or micro wind turbines;
    • min. 2 significant sections (1: 100) *;
    • statements on each front (1: 100) *;
    • sustainability table, with evidence of sustainable design principles adopted;
    • construction details with descriptions describing materials and components, assigned by the teacher (1: 2/1: 5/1: 10).


    * = in the event of redevelopment, produce the report of the actual and project status.


Textbook Information

  • Building construction, building types and energy efficiency

    Jones L., Atlante di Bioarchitettura, UTET, Torino, 2002 (E-c-129/13).

    R. Krippner, W. Lang, Atlante delle facciate, Ed. UTET, Torino, 2005 (E-c-129/18). 


    For the texts available at the DICAr library, the relative locations are indicated in brackets.

    The illustrations presented by the teacher during the lessons will be made available online at http://studium.unict.it.

  • Building technologies for sustainable design

    M. Lavagna, M. Bonanomi, C. de Flumeri, Life Cycle Assessment in edilizia. Progettare e costruire in una prospettiva di sostenibilità ambientale, Hoepli, Milano 2008 (D-m-32).

    M. Lavagna, M. Bonanomi, C. de Flumeri, Edifici a consumo energetico zero. Orientamenti normativi, criteri progettuali ed esempi di Zero Energy e Zero Emission Buildings, Maggioli, Dogana 2012 (D-m-38).

    K. Voss, E. Musall, Net zero energy buildings. International projects of carbon neutrality in buildings, Detail Green Books, Munich 2013 (D-m-43).

    Dall’Ò G., Green energy audit, Ed. Ambiente, Milano 2011 (D-m-37).

    G. Margani, “Murature massive e comfort sostenibile in clima mediterraneo”, in Costruire in laterizio, vol. 137, Milano 2010, pp. 65-71.

    G. Margani, “L’edificio passivo nel clima mediterraneo”, in Costruire in laterizio, vol. 141, Milano 2011, pp. 46-49.

    It is also recommended to consult "Detail" magazine, UTET "Atlases" and "The Plan", available at the DICAR library.

    For the texts available at the aforementioned library, the relative locations are indicated in brackets.

    The illustrations presented by the teacher during the lessons will be made available online at http://studium.unict.it.