Score - Sustainable Construction in Rural and Fragile Areas for Energy efficiency

The following guidelines come from a deep analysis of case studies, norms and regulations, in relation to the local level. This analysis is summarized in a card that can be downloaded in Italian language.

The primary function of the housing, such as protection from external agents, has been joined over time by the task of modulating conditions in order to create more comfortable environments; task performed mainly in relation to differing climatic conditions of the context. This century, however, has made us witnesses of an involution of the technology built, characterized by the loss of all connections with the physical environment that the building envelope had acquired over time, returning only the function of protective shell. The relationship between the behavior of the building and its casing is quite critical, if we think that it should isolate the wind, humidity and rain at once but must be permeable to light and air, retaining heat and providing security and privacy. Get these results, burning less oil, coal or gas is possible only by combining the components of the housing (old and new) to the very old design principles and assign it the casing an important function, that of thermal controller, capable of reaching within optimal comfort levels without the use of mechanical systems or systems that require a high consumption.The gradual development of an attitude more 'accountable to energy consumption, both by the many actors involved in the construction process, is rapidly bringing the practice to design increasingly efficient buildings both as regards the plant and equipment, both for their same technological concept. The search for closure solutions and largely insulated from the thermal behavior is more efficient then pushing the project to standards approaching those of the so-called passive houses and achieve a real energy independence. Autonomy that is not only based on the use of devices for the exploitation of renewable energy, but also on the adoption of strategies for the control of radiation and natural ventilation. The reduction in energy demand during use can be currently considered a priority in the construction industry even though it is only one of several items that contribute to a broader and more complex energy balance. The different energy contributions in the game are changing the way we design and build by introducing significant elements of innovation, however, sometimes also involve unexpected effects on the behavior of the system or the means of enjoyment. One aspect often overlooked in the run at levels of performance ever higher is the fact that a casing of high efficiency is also generally a casing high seal. In other words, it is a system in which the exchange between the external environment and the inner are minimized and, in any event, tend to be subject to various forms of control. If an exchange is done simply because the project has provided the utility. An effective example of this is offered by the sector of fixtures which provides very high performance products and solutions aimed at optimizing the connection of the frame and the subframe to the support structures isolating each possible source of leakage. In this way, it is possible to ensure that most of the energy invested for the heating or cooling is efficiently utilized, but the same time, deprives the body construction of the natural exchange of air which was previously determined precisely from the discontinuity. The absence of accidental cracks or crevices and subsequent drafts is a need to provide, at the project level, some possibility of change of air. In many countries, in which the complete opening of a window can cost very high dispersions, are already widely different solutions which provide for the integration in the fixed frame or the glass closure system of special adjustable ventilation slots. In a building with high efficiency is not sufficient to be able to control the trade in relation to the expected functional program adopted, but must also consider those elements which, although necessary, cause a discontinuity of the housing. The design scenarios that are emerging in relation to new matters raised by a more sustainable approach in construction and in relation to the growing need to reduce energy demand and emissions and impacts on the assumptions anticipate that the buildings will be designed as bodies increasingly complex. Not so complex, or at least not only in technological terms but rather in terms of relations between the different parts that constitute them: it will be necessary to govern a larger number of variables given by higher components but also by rising standards of performance. The shape and the stratification of the shell will be more choices compared to the plant and the implementation of solutions for passive or active exploitation of radiation and more generally of renewable resources. The building will tend to be conceived as a set of parts in the report, aimed at achieving a synergistic behavior. The same design, have changed considerably over the years with the spread of computer resources, will be modified further to meet a substantial increase of the variables involved and the need for specialized knowledge. In order to obtain high efficiency buildings, with wrappers that contribute actively to the achievement of substantial energy savings and devices designed to achieve real energy independence, will no longer be possible to design in patterns and recurring patterns. There will also be possible to imagine a technological solution to transfer uncritically from one place to another. The project will operate on a level of "customization" increasingly large and increasingly tied to the peculiar conditions of the context in which it operates.

However, there are national and even regional level a number of issues / constraints related to the process of construction of new interventions for directing design towards effective sustainability scenarios:

• regulatory and environmental (incongruities, inconsistencies and delays in implementing legislation; increasing energy consumption per cycle of extraction and production of building materials and poor attitude to the use of materials second life, the result of recycling processes, little attention by the manufacturers to products and components suitable for the development of sustainable design ),
• educational level and technical (lack of training of most of the technical and institutional traders, despite the current dissemination of university courses directed to environmental planning, need for new tools of analysis and calculation methods for determining the performance of 'building envelope),
• at the cultural level (distrust and lack of information of economic agents, as evidenced by the spread of unfounded belief that the environmental quality and energy constitutes an unbearable burden of construction costs),
• at the level of local production (of new interventions buildings in sustainable design are quite different and not overly complicated but provide products and solutions that are not widely available on the local market Ligurian poor dissemination and information on pricing and cost effectiveness of investments in the use of innovative materials opaque and transparent.- Phase Change Materials (PCM),  Transparent insulation materials (TIM) - , insulating thin thermo-reflective, transparent and innovative materials environmentally friendly building systems (systems in wood frame, solid wood panels with cross layers -  XLAM) .

To a greater spread of new construction in a sustainable eco-efficiency and optimization, may, with respect to the constraints and issues identified, to be useful the following initiatives:

• Optimising the use of raw materials, but also that of the so-called second-life materials, ie the result of recycling processes that would allow substantial savings both in terms of energy invested for the extraction and refining is a scaling of consumption during the processing steps. In addition, recycling allows a decrease in the demand for primary resources and the containment of a part of the impacts associated with the activities of disposal.
• A national policy level is important to address the policy of integration, construction, technology for the exploitation of renewable resources at the new generation while interventions at local politician you need a new way to lead the project initiative from by definition more flexible taxation of notices. For example, predict that the new residences could potentially be adaptable to different sites, to be used flexibly in relation to a change in the number of occupants or their lifestyle, require that proposals are developed by a partnership between designers and entrepreneurs with the aim to promote growth of collaboration between different sectors to achieve high quality residences and stimulate both the production designers as the world to experiment with new solutions and products to meet new requirements, but also to set targets and work patterns do not conventional face new challenges.
• Training and constant updating, compared to innovative technologies for all actors, private and public, the building process through training and work experience.
• Routes education and training in the schools concerned to address redevelopment with specific bio-ecological structures that are outdated and highly energy-and without insulation.

Indication for the Bio-construction Action Plan

According to the guidelines mentioned above, are briefly highlighted below criteria for pilot projects to be funded in the territories MED, in relation to the specific subject matter hereof.
These criteria, along with those for the other issues highlighted in the matrix of eco-contruction tools, form the Bio-Action Plan articulated construction for the various partner countries.

• Creation of an observatory to monitor the action taken, together with the dissemination of best practices in order to inform / train all stakeholders (citizens, administrators, entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, etc.), thus providing added value to the many technical local energy agencies (RENAEL), but that does not always manage to impose itself on the territory, in order to play the role of training the technical workers who work in both private and public.
• Implement, through project initiatives, technological research and the study of stratification insulating housing (Phase Change Materials (PCM), Transparent insulation materials (TIM) and insulating thin thermo-reflective and transparent surfaces (glass photochromic, thermochromic, electrochromic, ETFE, etc.) that would allow the application of innovative technologies and materials and industrialized. experimentation latest in technology package sees the application of multilayer thick insulating material content that exploit the performance of thermal insulation, thermal lag and thermal reflectance who have not yet widespread knowledge and application in the local area. support for the dissemination of environmentally friendly building systems (systems in wood frame, solid wood panels with cross layers - xlam) scarcely taken into account in the local Ligurian.
• In light of the progressive increase of complexity of the project and the importance given to the determination of the performance of the building, the development of new methodologies and new assessment tools are as important goals in a design scenario that should address more broad and inclusive the energetic behavior of a building next generation.

Possible criteria for MED bio-housing quality certificate

The international certification systems, typically provide information related to the design of new development interventions based on criteria for applying the principles of building quality biosostenibile.
In particular, for the most widespread Italian certification system, called "Protocol Ithaca", the Italian version of "Green Building Challenge", for example with regard to new construction, we can find any mention in 'Annex A of Schedule Ithaca Liguria.


The card 1 - Energy for space heating - shows indications for appropriate intervention strategies for opaque and glazed envelope components, while the card 7 - Maintenance of performance-envelope identifies strategies to prevent the formation and accumulation condensation inside the housing.
The certification of environmental sustainability LEED NC 2009 Italy provides a set of evaluation criteria for the optimization of energy performance:


EA (Energy and Atmosphere - Credit 1) with the aim to achieve increasing levels of energy performance for buildings and facilities design, higher minimum values ​​defined in the regulations and legislation in order to reduce economic and environmental impacts associated to 'excessive energy consumption. We offer two distinct options to achieve EA Credit 1. Option 1: Demonstrate a percentage improvement of building energy performance project with respect to the limit values ​​defined below; Option 2: Demonstrate a percentage improvement of building energy performance index of the project, compared to the estimated primary energy consumption of the corresponding reference building. The estimated consumption of the building reference must be made according to the Building Performance Rating Method in Appendix G of ANSI / ASHRAE 90.1-2007 by means of a numerical simulation model of the entire building.


IP (Innovation in Design - Credit 1) with the aim of enabling design teams and projects to achieve exemplary performance against the requirements set by LEED and / or innovative performance in the areas of sustainability is not specifically covered in LEED. (PATH 1. Innovation in Design - Achieving a significant and measurable improvement in building performance in terms of environmental sustainability. PATH 2. Specimens Performance - Achieving an exceptional achievement for a credit of LEED for New Construction 2009 Italy where there are indications section relating to the exemplary performance as specified in the manual.

PR (Regional Priorities - Credit 1) with the aim to promote the achievement of credits geared to specific local environmental priorities.


These recommendations, definitely useful for the purpose of a Ligurian strategy for environmental certification, should be implemented with policies that are closer to more different types of building fabric (old town, rural area, abandoned industrial area, housing, construction of the postwar period, etc.) , then differentiating the possible strategies for sustainable design in the local area taking into account the possibility of local availability of potentially employable, preferring those that come from renewable sources and recycling processes without excluding innovative materials from the most recent scientific research. In the Liguria region already exists a system of energy certification of buildings (though not environmental, in that it addresses only the issues related to the reduction of energy consumption) - Regulation of 21 January 2009 n.1. Through this regulation is becoming more widespread attention to the issue of the case, though, to have significant results on a large scale, it was not until the rule becomes fully operational.

Case studies

• Passive house Dionisi - Cogoleto (GE)

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