GLOBAL SAVING EVALUATION THROUGH A RETROFITTING ACTION

The paper shows a work that was carried out by the authors as members of the PADesign Company, academic spin off of University of Palermo. Currently, energy retrofit of existing building has become an important goal, because it is now widely recognized that the buildings are one of the main causes of CO2 production and of non-renewable energy consumptions. To act on the energy performance of existing buildings (adapting their performances to those required by regulations) is an important strategy to reduce energy consumptions since they are much more than new buildings. Through the application of innovative technologies and methodologies and the choice of appropriate investments, the retrofit can also be an economic opportunity. The paper will present the result of a research about the convenience of the retrofit actions: it can be possible to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies proposed by examining an emblematic building and measuring the improvements obtainable through the energy requirements simulation according to the intended use. In this way it is possible to predict the final energy needs and to estimate the obtainable savings. A cost-benefits analysis allows to evaluate the proposed solution. This aspect will be addressed with special effort, in fact most of the energy retrofit action despite being efficient they don't take into account the high costs of interventions, discouraging the users

MASS-PRODUCED ELEMENT IN STRUCTURAL GLASS: “ARTIFICIAL VINEYARD”

The aim is to design an architectural element flexible and easily adaptable to different urban situations using a material such as glass that, for the last years, is being employed as a structural element. The mass-production is rarely applied to glass construction systems that instead are usually designed case by case. The paper reports the results of a research carried out by the Dipartmento di Architettura and Dipartimento DICAM (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali), of the University of Palermo, within the project "VESTRA" (POFESR 2007/2013 - Action Line 4.1.1.1), that aims to the experimentation of mass-produced elements in structural glass. The prototype was designed to satisfy different urban contexts (public transports, rest areas, pedestrian path, etc.) ensuring the protection performances (from solar radiation and rainfall) required in these cases. The main achievable benefits are: - The design flexibility: from the basic module of 4 sqm it is possible to compose different elements obtaining surfaces of about 25 sqm. - The possibility of taking advantage of the characteristics of materials that, thanks to modern technology, can provide superior performance to other materials commonly used. Furthermore, glass is a recyclable material almost 100% and, unlike many other materials used for serial production can be recycled indefinitely; - The easy and quick assembly, allowed by the die-cast aluminum joint systems that simplify the implementation. The prototype may provide suggestions to use materials and technologies not yet used in the industrialization field

PASSIVE SYSTEMS FOR BUILDINGS INDOOR COMFORT

The paper shows the preliminary studies for the University Campus ZEB Energy realization in Palermo. The particular location in the Mediterranean basin has required careful planning to resolve the problems related to high temperatures and humidity. For this reason has been employed strategies, elements and building materials that meet the requirements of sustainability and energy savings provided by law, in order to build a new building energy self-sufficient. The University of Palermo had the need to create new spaces to be used as classrooms for different types of education and especially of a space for conferences and conventions. This type of spaces is usually very energy eater because it must be kept a continuous very high interior comfort during the hours of use. To contribute passively to the conditioning of this space, especially during the long, hot summer months, it was set up a natural cooling system, which can contribute to the lowering of the internal temperature or most of the year. This system takes advantage of cool outdoor air intake by a shaded courtyard inside the building, in this courtyard was expected a tank of water and vegetation so that air can cool off naturally by contact. The air thus cooled introduced into the conference room through the iron grids, and generates an air movement that allows to lower the internal temperature of 3-4 C° compared to the initial one. The internal air movement is guaranteed by application of extraction grids in correspondence of the opposite wall, suitably designed to ensure a draw upwards and the consequent expulsion of the exhausted air. The study of the effective lowering of the temperature was carried out through a CFD simulation program that has also allowed us to identify the circulatory flow of air. The use of this simulation program has contributed to the design so that interior comfort has been guaranteed. For example the CFD simulation has allowed to arrange the seating so that the air distribution is not dangerous for the occupant. Thanks to this occasion we have developed an energy-saving strategy that could be shared under similar climatic conditions and collective spaces that consume a lot of energy