Recovery And Preservation of the Building

Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: ANGELA MOSCHELLA

Expected Learning Outcomes

The course aims to provide students with knowledge about issues, methodology and tools to deal with the renovation of existing buildings stock within a needs-performances approach. Students will acquire critical skills to define intervention strategies on existing buildings and technological solutions in response to new performance requirements and in line with current principles of environmental sustainability.

Course Structure

Frontal teaching and group design.

Required Prerequisites

Passing the “Architettura tecnica II” and “Fisica tecnica”  exams is required. 

Attendance of Lessons

In presence, mandatory



Detailed Course Content

THEORETICAL LESSONS

1.     Framing of the topic.

2.   Complexity and systemic approach. Built Environment as system. Needs-performances approach for renovation of existing buildings.

3.     Evolution of construction systems in the twentieth century.

4.     Categories of intervention: Maintenance, Renovation, Reuse.

5.   Methodology for building renovation. Analyses of existing buildings and its context. Non-destructive investigations. Technical and performance diagnosis. Design strategies. Technological  solutions.

6.    Environmental sustainability of design: Sustainability paradigm, role and responsibility of the construction sector. Building renovation and environmental sustainability. Life Cycle approach (LCA method, Environmental Product Declarations). Tools for assessing the environmental sustainability of building renovation (Italy GBC Protocol and ITACA Protocol). Circular economy in construction. Minimum Environmental Criteria in Public Procurement.


DESIGN ACTIVITIES

The design exercise will focus on a real case study in the local area. Students are required to form groups of 3 or 4 people. Each group, with periodic reviews by the teacher, will develop a renovation design for a building constructed between the 1950s and 1970s of XX century.



CONTRIBUTION OF TEACHING TO THE GOALS OF THE UN 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

Goal 11_SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Target 11.6

Mode: frontal lesson

 

Target 11.b

Mode: frontal lesson


Goal 12_RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Target 12.5

Mode: frontal lesson

 

Target 12.8

Mode: frontal lesson


Goal 13_CLIMATE ACTIONS : Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Target 13.3

Mode: frontal lesson



Textbook Information

1.     Di Battista V., Ambiente costruito. Un secondo paradigma, Alinea, Firenze, 2006.

2.     Di Battista V., Giallocosta G., Minati G. (a cura di), Architettura e approccio sistemico, Polimetrica, 2007.

3.     Conte V. Elementi della costruzione edilizia, 1970

4.     Gasparoli P., Talamo C., Manutenzione e recupero. Criteri, metodi e strategie per l'intervento sul costruito, Alinea, Firenze, 2006.

5.     Grecchi M., Malighetti L. E., Ripensare il costruito: il progetto di recupero e rifunzionalizzazione degli edifici, Maggioli, 2008.

6.  Grecchi M., Building Renovation. How to Retrofit and Reuse Existing Buildings to Save Energy and Respond to New Needs., Springer, 2022.

7.     Guarnerio L., Elementi costruttivi dell’architettura, Gorlich, 1964

8.     Lavagna M., Lyfe Cycle Assessment in edilizia. Progettare e costruire in una prospettiva di sostenibilità ambientale, Hoepli, 2008

9.     Malighetti L. E., Recupero edilizio e sostenibilità. Il Sole24ore, Milano, 2004.

10.  Malighetti L. E., Recupero edilizio. Strategie per il riuso e tecnologie costruttive, Il Sole24ore, Milano, 2011

11.  Moschella A., Organismi di pietra. Argomenti per la qualificazione del processo diagnostico, Bonanno editore, Acireale-Roma, 2012.

12. Pagliuca A., L’architettura del grano a Matera: il Mulino Alvino. Frammenti di tecnologie costruttive del ‘900, Gangemi Editore, 2016.

13.  Pagliuca A., Materiali made in Italy. Avanguardia italiana nell'industria delle costruzioni del primo '900, Gangemi Editore, 2019

14.  Petrignani A., Tecnologia dell’architettura, Hoepli, 1984

 

During the course further bibliographic material will be provided.

 

 

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1For each programme’s topic, the lecturer will provide slides as teaching support.For each programme’s topic, the lecturer will provide slides as teaching support.

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

The examination will consist of an oral interview on the topics covered during the lectures. The assessment of the oral exam, that constitudes 50% of the final grade, is based on the following criteria: level of knowledge of the required topics, expressive ability and language property, ability to connect the various topics of the programme. The final grade will take into account both the outcome of the aforementioned oral interview and the assessment of the design exercise that constitudes 50% of the final grade and is based on the following criteria: completeness, correctness, originality and accuracy of the work. This design exercise must be completed within approximately one week after the end of the course (the exact date will be indicated well in advance by the lecturer) and the evaluation will be group-based. Each member of the group will be free to appear at the examination calls independently of the other colleagues in their group.





Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

Methodology for Building Renovation

Evolution of the concept of sustainable development

GBC Home Protocol

Environmental Product Declaration