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

The following guidelines come from a deep analysis of case studies, innovative products, norms and regulations, in relation to the local level. This analysis is summarized in a card that can be downloaded in italian language.  The guidelines come, further, from the comparisons with the local stakeholders.

The design of natural lighting (daytime illumination factor, the indoor light diffusion, the relation to indoor and outdoor) still is a current topic in building design for:

• The need to reduce energy consumption and the use of electricity
• The availability of low-emissivity glass that allow you to insert large windows maintaining good levels of thermal insulation of the building
• Improving the quality of the environment and the living comfort

The critical points normally encountered during a natural lighting design are:

• The structure and the interpretation of landscape norms
• The qualification level of technicians and designers in the specific sector

In the common design practice the sunshine and the quality of illumination are not considered as an aspect of living comfort. The good examples in this sector still are privilege of particular types of buildings as museums, schools and churches, all along characterized by lighting quality. 
So the indications for the guidelines below are about the application of natural lighting solutions in the public buildings, especially housing (public competitions, construction criteria, local regulations) and for the diffusion of a specific formation for technicians and students.

• an interinstitutional study able to find criteria and types compatible with regional landscape norms to find norms based on performances
• specific training for professionals, for evaluators and for future technicians who will master the subject
• development and diffusion of software for the detection and for the calculation of the average daylight factor in internal spaces
• write good practice starting from the public housing, and insert in the general criteria of sustainable architecture the aspects of natural lighting

In the “Protocollo Itaca”, italian version of “Green Buildings Challenge”, (Itaca semplified 2004, Itaca residential 2011) natural lighting is identified as a requirement for internal spaces (n°4.1. 1.). These criteria could be taken as a reference in design.

Case studies

• Residenza al mare, Bergeggi (Sv)
• Biblioteca, Loano (Sv)
• Centro di informazione e educazione ambientale, Genova

Download PDF (Italian language)