363 research outputs found
Traditional and innovative materials and solutions to improve the energy efficiency of historic windows: a literature review
No full textDuring the last decades the improvement of the energy efficiency of historic built heritage has taken on increasing importance: this has led to the production of a great amount of research works within the scientific community. Among the building components, windows are commonly considered the weakest element of the envelope and, therefore, the first to be replaced in historic buildings. Contrary to what one may think, more “sustainable” solutions are possible: there are several strategies that can be applied to enhance windows thermal performance, sustainability and conservation without substituting them. Our goal is to outline the research state-of-the-art in this field through a literature review: to this purpose we collected many publications for a total of 126 documents. The result is a as complete as possible view of the research status on window interventions, with particular attention on problems and future perspectives of the high-performance materials integration in the historical context
Balancing energy efficiency and conservation aspects of Terragni’s Casa del Fascio in Como: thermal analysis, energy modelling and intervention proposals
No full textThis paper aims to present a methodology for planning energy improvement interventions in modern listed buildings, carried out through a combination of desk research, on-site survey, monitoring campaign and energy modelling. For this purpose, Giuseppe Terragni’s Casa del Fascio has been chosen as our case study. The building is characterised by indoor microclimate conditions that are far from the standard requirements: summer is the most critical period because there is no possibility of limiting overheating due to the absence of the original devices designed by Terragni. Based on monitored data and building characteristics, an energy dynamic model was carried out with the aim of simulating the recovery of the original solutions or the addition of low-impact measures. The simulated options were eventually evaluated by taking into account their compatibility with the building features. This resulted in some strategies suitable for Casa del Fascio, that enable to reconcile the conservative goal with that of improving internal comfort
The role of colour in Modern Movement Architecture. The case of Terragni’s Casa del Fascio in Como
No full textThe belief that 20th-Century architecture can be recognized by the use it made of the colour white has been widely rebutted over the last few years. One of the most interesting results of the research studies on the buildings of the Modern Movement is the rediscovery of colours. Many factors contributed to the idea that Modern Architecture was mainly characterized by white, but black and white photography is for sure the most influential one. All those black & white pictures were instrumental in paving the way for a precise iconography associated to Modern Architecture, thus leading to a serious misconception. It is as if Modern Architecture lived a parallel life in vintage photographs. Even if it is perceived in the collective imagination as that perfect artistic shot suspended in time and space, Modern Architecture did develop and change over time, in particular with respect to details and finishes, such as colours. This article aims at highlighting those tiny changes that – even though insignificant when taken singularly – substantially contribute to changing the way a building is perceived when considered as a whole. Giuseppe Terragni’s Casa del Fascio is so well suited to the purpose. One of the masterpieces of the Italian Modern Movement, inaugurated in 1936, it has been used as Guardia di Finanza police headquarter since 1957. Colour variations represent a key element in the architectural language of Casa del Fascio. The plasters, the wood and iron windows and shutters, the doors, the grout joints of the concrete-framed glass blocks, the stairway railings changed in colour many times, thus altering the appearance of the building. Walls, for example, have many different coats of paint: originally the lower part had a special colour obtained by mixing blue and light green, while the upper part had a lighter colour. When looking at black & white vintage photos we can spot the different colour shades, as if these were supposed to enhance some surfaces in contrast to others. Today this effect has been eliminated through the white paint coat applied to all the surfaces. The stairway railing met a similar fate: originally embellished by a two-tone effect it is now all black. Together with the white walls it seems to inaccurately translate the vintage pictures. Although it is of utmost importance to understand which colours characterized the building at the time of its construction, no less important is to comprehend how its surfaces were transformed over time and why a specific colour was chosen and eventually altered. Terragni’s Casa del Fascio can now be returned to the inexorable passing of time, as it no more embodies the idea of an incorruptible monument
Bonus edilizi e patrimonio culturale costruito, una politica sostenibile?
No full textIn recent years, improving energy efficiency in historic building stock has become a priority in European policies and government agendas. In Italy, the main instruments used to drive the sought-after ecological transition in the building sector are tax incentives, including the ‘Superbonus’ and ‘Ecobonus’, to name but a few. However, while these measures stimulate economic recovery and promote the modernisation of existing buildings, they can ‘threaten’ the preservation of historic buildings with their over-emphasis on achieving the best energy performance at all costs. As a matter of fact, the current energy-focused approach to tax incentives has neglected the broader concept of sustainability, which encompasses environmental, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. This narrow view is further evident in the lack of a life cycle analysis perspective and neglect of context-specific needs in defining retrofit measures, resulting in the implementation of standardised solutions. This can cause a massive transformation of historic buildings with significant cultural and social implications, such as the loss of heritage values and collective identity. Numerous press-related appeals have raised concerns about the risks associated with the uncritical application of these incentives, especially for historic buildings not formally listed, highlighting the urgency of alternative strategies. Therefore, a different cultural framework is needed to overcome the drawbacks highlighted. In this regard, the paper offers a reflection on the UK’s experience, where similar issues have been effectively addressed by adopting a more balanced and integrated approach, namely the ‘Whole Building Approach’, which has been successfully included in the regulatory framework since 2021. Inspired by it, we advocate for a paradigm shift in Italy as well, in favour of a holistic approach that respects the material authenticity of historic buildings while meeting energy efficiency needs
ANALISI TERMO-MECCANICHE DI DIAFRAMMI ENERGETICAMENTE ATTIVI
No full textI diaframmi energeticamente attivi sono un particolare tipo di opera di sostegno all’interno dei quali è installato uno scambiatore di calore che sfrutta l’energia geotermica del terreno. Scopo di questo lavoro è stato individuare le condizioni termiche estive più gravose per un diaframma durante l’esercizio dell’impianto geotermico e, mediante analisi numeriche termo-meccaniche, studiare l’influenza dello scambio termico sul comportamento dell’opera di sostegno in termini di spostamenti, deformazioni e sforzi indotti nel diaframma
Qui sont les Dii mauri ?
No full textThe author reviews the various but rare interpretations of the divine collectivity referred to by the name of Dii Mauri. From a re-examination of the literary or epigraphic mentions of the 50 specifically African local or regional divinities, and of the 20 dedications to the Dii Mauri known to this day, he believes he can propose the relationship, even the identity, between the local gods and the Dii Mauri. The comparison between the authors of the dedications shows that the worship of the local gods principally concerned « civilians » (82,5 %), whereas the Dii Mauri were invoked by governors, imperial procurators, soldiers (81,25 %). Moreover the Dii Mauri are invoked as often in Numidia and in Africa as in Caesarian Mauretania (they are unknown in Tingitana). Therefore the term of "maurus" is not linked to the Roman administrative carving, it applies to what is rebellious to Latin culture, to what is specifically native and unassimilable. Dii Mauri and African gods are the same divinities, only the dedicators change.The author reviews the various but rare interpretations of the divine collectivity referred to by the name of Dii Mauri. From a re-examination of the literary or epigraphic mentions of the 50 specifically African local or regional divinities, and of the 20 dedications to the Dii Mauri known to this day, he believes he can propose the relationship, even the identity, between the local gods and the Dii Mauri. The comparison between the authors of the dedications shows that the worship of the local gods principally concerned « civilians » (82,5 %), whereas the Dii Mauri were invoked by governors, imperial procurators, soldiers (81,25 %). Moreover the Dii Mauri are invoked as often in Numidia and in Africa as in Caesarian Mauretania (they are unknown in Tingitana). Therefore the term of "maurus" is not linked to the Roman administrative carving, it applies to what is rebellious to Latin culture, to what is specifically native and unassimilable. Dii Mauri and African gods are the same divinities, only the dedicators change.Camps Gabriel. Qui sont les Dii mauri ?. In: Antiquités africaines, 26,1990. pp. 131-153
Investigation on the behaviour of a thermo-active diaphragm wall by thermo-mechanical analyses
No full textThe thermo-active diaphragm walls are traditional retaining structures that embed heat exchangers for the exploitation of the near surface geothermal energy, used in the thermal conditioning of buildings and infrastructures. The coupled energetic and structural function of these so called energy walls requires some investigation in order to optimize the embedded circuit and assess the possible occurrence of significant consequences, in terms of temperature variations within the soils mass and thermal effects on the stress/strain state of the structure. In this contribution, the behaviour of an energy wall is assessed by finite element thermal analyses, that allow to investigate the energy performance and the short and long term influence on the soil temperatures, and by finite element thermo-mechanical analyses, to highlight the wall geotechnical and structural response. A one year cycle of heating/cooling operating mode of the geothermal system has been considered and the effects have been discussed in terms of soil-structure interaction and structural internal actions. The results show that the thermally induced mechanical effects are not negligible, especially as variations of the internal axial forces and bending moments. Although they seem to be not detrimental to the geotechnical and structural safety, they require a careful evaluation in order to predict possible situations of unexpected overstress conditions
Thermo-mechanical finite element analyses of energy walls
No full textEnergy walls are thermo–active diaphragm walls that embed heat exchanger pipes with the pur-pose to exploit the thermal energy of the subsoil. Their geotechnical and structural performance is related to both thermal and mechanical loads and still needs to be thoroughly investigated. To this purpose, three–dimensional thermo–mechanical finite element analyses allow to highlight the effects of the heat transfer pro-cess on the soil temperature field, on the wall and on the soil–structure interaction, in terms of internal actions and earth pressures. The main findings show that the effects of the thermal loads can be considered admissible for the geostructure, in terms of its global stability and structural safety, though they are generally not negligi-ble. Unexpected overstress conditions can occur, such as tensile stresses and out–of–plane effects, whose magnitude depends on the thermal boundary conditions and on the constraint degree of the structure
Extending the Entity Relationship Approach to Take into Account Historical Aspects of Systems
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