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“Transition” is the dynamic process of changing state, going beyond, crossing over, and passing from one point to the next. The signification of the word is close to that of evolution, modification, mutation, and transformation, all of which are confined into a strictly restricted timeframe. Etymologically, “transitions” can be nothing else than temporary: they appear silently, burst, violently establish, and gradually disappear into reality. In their blinding momentariness, “transitions” bear with them the positive undertone of change and renewal, along with the hopefulness of that which is unknown. If the term “transition” recurs regularly in the contemporary vocabulary of architecture and design cultures, this repetition reveals a period characterized by overlapping and sequential changes. The word is without a doubt overused, but not without reason. Indeed, we find ourselves in an unusually extended period of consecutive “transitions”, overwhelmingly undefined in temporality and ambitions. As we are witnessing societies go through stark demographic, political, economic, and cultural changes, the intersecting problematics (e.g., ecological, digital, pandemic, etc.) form a rather complex topography of change, negatively charged by the instability of dilated time and the uncertainty of undefined destination. The word is employed with the confidence of a natural process, as if it were a storm, and while we affirm our existence in “transition”, we nod our troubled times away. Whether positively or negatively perceived, “transitions” form bridges between histories. Yet, what does it actually mean to be in “transition”? Can we define it as an autonomous and productive period whose importance could go beyond a starting and an ending date? How are “transitions” impacting and being impacted by human spaces, the built environment, and design cultures? What are some concrete, practical case studies that demonstrate how “transitions” could affect architecture and design cultures while emphasizing the role that these disciplines play in transitional processes? It is within this backdrop that we put forward the theme of “transition”—in all its simplicity and complexity.

The way we live has revealed a lot about the choices made in the last decades. These choices are mostly based on a predatory socioeconomic structure, based on the pillars of anthropocentrism and inconsistent with the principles of global sustainability. This structure based on fossil fuels degrades the environment and directly and indirectly impacts the biomes. According to The International Energy Agency (2020), the sector was responsible for more than a third of global energy consumption and 40% of total GHG emissions into the atmosphere (directly and indirectly). This thesis presents the main effects of climate change observed in the built environment and at the urban territorial scale, through a review of the state of the art of the subject in the last decade (2010-2021). The thesis breaks down the projectual process seeking to identify how the architect and urban planner can mitigate the effects of climate change, adapting existing structures or in projects, and also promoting the expansion of the resilience of these building systems., Il modo in cui viviamo ha rivelato molto delle scelte fatte negli ultimi decenni. Queste scelte si basano per lo più su una struttura socioeconomica predatoria, fondata sui pilastri dell'antropocentrismo e incoerente con i principi della sostenibilità globale. Questa struttura basata sui combustibili fossili degrada l'ambiente e impatta direttamente e indirettamente sui biomi. Secondo l'Agenzia Internazionale dell'Energia (2020), il settore è responsabile di oltre un terzo del consumo energetico globale e del 40% delle emissioni totali di gas serra nell'atmosfera (direttamente e indirettamente). Questa tesi presenta i principali effetti del cambiamento climatico osservati nell'ambiente costruito e alla scala territoriale urbana, attraverso una revisione dello stato dell'arte della materia nell'ultimo decennio (2010-2021). La tesi scompone il processo progettuale cercando di individuare come l'architetto e l'urbanista possano mitigare gli effetti del cambiamento climatico, adattando le strutture esistenti o in progetto, e promuovendo anche l'espansione della resilienza di questi sistemi edilizi.

The present research Thesis is part of a growing interdisciplinary field of studies concerned with finding strategies to foster ecosystem stewardship of social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems, such as cities and, in particular, of those that involve the notion of participation and collaborative design, to effectively build resilience in the context of climate change and ecological crisis. Framed within other glocal climate action movements, as part of an increasing number of “urban climate change experiments”, often emerging outside formal contexts of decision-making and led by actors other than municipal government, the object of the present research is the globally growing socio-technological phenomenon of Civic/Green Hackathons, and of Climathon® in particular, an international 24-hour collaborative design event aimed developing solutions to tackle climate change in urban settings. Through the double lenses of social-ecological resilience and of participatory processes, with the objective of helping Urban Institutions in better coordinating, integrating and consolidating bottom-up contributions towards the achievement of pressing global targets of social-ecological resilience and sustainability, the findings of the present research have been used to develop a clear set of Recommendations for improving the ability to expand social-ecological resilience under conditions of uncertainty, and to understand the role and importance of Climathon® and of the other glocal climate action movements, in a new adaptive co-design framework for urban resilience and ecological transition. The proposed new framework is an heuristic model and pragmatic tool, implementable and replicable in other regulatory contexts and decision-making processes, addressed to Urban Institutions that have undertaken a path of resilience planning and ecological transition, to assist them in planning and managing participatory resilience planning processes more adaptively, and to facilitate their recognizing windows of opportunity to address change towards sustainable development and, in prospective, to foster active (Human) ecosystem stewardship through collective action, starting from cities.

Il rapporto tra impianti produttivi e paesaggio è complesso e spesso conflittuale. Considerando l’accezione di paesaggio promossa dalla Convenzione europea del paesaggio, le interferenze con il contesto coinvolgono sia la dimensione ambientale, sia la sfera estetico-percettiva, generando ricadute anche sulla sfera sociale. Quello dell’industria agroalimentare è uno dei settori dove si registrano le interferenze più acute con il paesaggio, per questioni localizzative, funzionali e di coerenza tra l’immagine della fabbrica e i valori aziendali. In particolare, l’analisi è condotta in Emilia-Romagna, dove il comparto svolge un ruolo rilevante in termini economici, sociali e “percettivi”. Dall’indagine della letteratura emerge che gli strumenti disponibili per valutare e migliorare la compatibilità paesaggistica degli impianti produttivi sono ancora limitati, settoriali e focalizzati su singole problematiche. Quindi lo studio tenta di coniugare in un unico strumento la valutazione degli impatti ambientali, estetico-percettivi e sociali delle fabbriche sul paesaggio. Applicabile sia agli impianti esistenti che a quelli di nuova costruzione, la metodica sviluppata: individua gli impatti ricorrenti dei siti industriali sulle diverse componenti del paesaggio; poi, adottando le procedure tipiche dei protocolli di certificazione della sostenibilità degli edifici, determina un sistema di crediti utili a misurare gli impatti nel loro complesso. Parallelamente viene realizzato un repertorio di buone pratiche, selezionando insediamenti produttivi considerati virtuosi per l’applicazione di strategie di mitigazione paesaggistica; questo alimenta una libreria di tattiche generali di mitigazione. Infine, combinando il Sistema di crediti e il Repertorio di buone pratiche, viene sviluppato un protocollo operativo, testato sugli edifici dell’azienda Orogel. Il principale risultato della ricerca è un protocollo per valutare e proporre azioni di miglioramento della compatibilità paesaggistica dei siti produttivi, in grado di assistere le aziende nella definizione di specifiche strategie progettuali in base alle proprie preferenze di immagine, disponibilità economiche ed esigenze funzionali, coerentemente con i valori di cui si fanno portatrici., The relationship between factories and the landscape is complex and often conflicting. Adopting the concept of landscape by the European Landscape Convention, interference with the context involves both the environmental and the aesthetic-perceptive spheres, generating disturbances also in the social sphere. The Agri-food sector records among the most acute interference with the landscape, due to its location, functional issues and consistency between image of the factory and corporate values. In particular, the investigation is undertaken in the Emilia-Romagna region, where the sector plays a key role in economic, social and "perceptive" terms. The literature review reveals that tools for assessing and improving the compatibility of production plants with the landscape are still limited, monodisciplinary and focused on specific problems. Therefore, the study attempts to combine the evaluation of environmental, aesthetic-perceptive and social impacts of factories on the landscape. Addressed both to existing and new manufacturing sites, the method adopted: identifies the recurring impacts generated by industrial plants on the three landscape components; then, referring to the procedures typical of green building rating systems, a system of credits useful for measuring impacts overall is developed. In parallel, a repertoire of good practices is created, by collecting case studies considered virtuous for the application of mitigation strategies towards the landscape, from which a catalogue of general design tactics is extracted. Lastly, the system of credits and the repertoire of good practices are combined into an operational protocol, which is tested on the buildings of the company Orogel. The main result of the research is a protocol to evaluate and propose actions to improve the landscape compatibility of factories, helpful to companies in defining specific design strategies based on their image preferences, economic availability and functional needs, consistent with the corporate values.

Following the progressive recognition, at the European and international levels, of the multi-faced benefits that Cultural Heritage (CH) brings to cities and society, creating better and more attractive places where to live and work, the research deals with CH and its potential in supporting integrated, people-centred, participatory and sustainable development policies at the urban level. The research follows the progress of the process launched in 2016 by the Pact of Amsterdam, which called for the adoption of a European Urban Agenda, to identify, through multi-level and multi-stakeholders Partnerships (UAEU Partnerships), effective solutions to the increasingly complex urban challenges. Within such a framework, the research has elaborated an integrated approach for the definition of an Action Plan for Cultural Heritage, consisting in a set of local actions, resulting from the intersection between: - the review of the most recent EU and international policies and programmes related to CH and integrated urban development; - the main findings emerged from the work conducted by the ongoing 14 UAEU Partnerships, to identify possible cross-cutting issues and correlations with the CH domain; - the analysis of the solutions implemented by the most recent and innovative EU-funded projects in the field dealing, in a synergic, participatory and transversal way, with CH as an engine of regeneration, innovation and inclusive and sustainable growth, and whose findings result from the collaboration between urban authorities, research bodies and other relevant stakeholders, each contributing with its own competences, practical experience, perspectives and concrete needs. The validity of the proposed methodology in defining relevant and immediately implementable actions has been assessed against the Bologna Strategic Metropolitan Plan 2.0, demonstrating how international research is capable of nurturing in iterative process allowing to translate EU policies into local practices and vice versa, while offering new insights and inspiration for future research agendas.

The present thesis project revolves around recognition of the critical environmental footprint generated by constructions, from their conception to their disposal. The first part of the research therefore centered on the study of the environmental consequences arising from the construction industry through the analysis of the sustainability assessment protocols or green buildings rating systems (GBRSs), identifying a “set core” of representative categories and indicators of buildings’ sustainability. As a consequence of a number of evidences emerged from the analysis upon the “embodied impacts” (not related to buildings operation) this research centered on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, which emerged as an appropriate tool to measure such impacts. A second analysis of GBRS frameworks was conducted in order to identify the most distinctive aspects, providing a shared buildings LCA framework and underlining several discrepancies in how the method is applied within a wide context and regarding the interpretation of the results. The last part of the thesis, therefore, dealt with the development of a simplified approach capable of overcoming the drawbacks that emerged in order to facilitate the environmental evaluation, from both a methodological and operational point of view, during the early phases of the process which turned out to be particularly significant stages for describing the environmental profiles of buildings. With respect to the complexity of the LCA assessment for non-expert practitioners, implementation of the proposed framework within the Building Information Modelling (BIM) environment was investigated resulting in the development of a customizable and convenient LCA-BIM integration approach. The research concluded with an illustrative application to a case study in order to test the proposed LCA-BIM integration, intending to demonstrate the process and, at the same time, identify and discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of such a method with a view of future developments., Il progetto di ricerca presentato in questa tesi di dottorato è incentrato sul tema della determinazione e della valutazione del profilo ambientale degli edifici durante il loro ciclo di vita. Inizialmente la ricerca si è concentrata sullo studio degli effetti ambientali ascrivibili agli edifici attraverso i protocolli di valutazione della sostenibilità (Rating Systems) identificando un "nucleo" di categorie e indicatori rappresentativi della sostenibilità degli edifici. A seguito di alcune considerazioni emerse dall’analisi sugli “impatti inglobati” (non ascrivibili alle fasi operative), la ricerca si è orientata sulla metodologia Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), individuata come uno strumento appropriato per la misura di questo tipo di impatti. Una seconda analisi dei protocolli di sostenibilità è stata condotta al fine di individuare gli aspetti più distintivi dell’LCA in riferimento alle applicazioni sull’ambiente costruito, delineando una serie di requisiti condivisi ed evidenziando alcune discrepanze nell’applicazione del metodo in contesti eterogeni e nell'interpretazione dei risultati. L'ultima parte della tesi, quindi, affronta lo sviluppo di un approccio condiviso e semplificato volto a superare i limiti emersi e facilitare le valutazioni ambientali, sia da un punto di vista metodologico che operativo. In particolare, l’approccio è stato ideato per essere applicato durante le prime fasi del processo costruttivo (progettazione), considerate determinanti nella configurazione dei profili ambientali degli edifici. In merito alla complessità dello svolgimento delle analisi per gli utenti meno esperti, è stata studiata l’integrazione del framework proposto con gli strumenti Building Information Modeling (BIM), attraverso lo sviluppo di un flusso di lavoro personalizzabile e conveniente. La ricerca si è conclusa con l'applicazione sperimentale del metodo su un caso studio al fine di testare il flusso di lavoro proposto per l'integrazione tra LCA e BIM, mostrandone il processo operativo, individuandone e discutendone i potenziali vantaggi e svantaggi in vista di successivi approfondimenti e sviluppi.

Smart City (SC) emerged during the end of last century as a reference concept for shaping the city of the future. The literature review shows how SC originates from a debate questioning about the future of cities in a world continuously object of pressures: resource scarcity, economic crisis, lack of social identity, besides continuous input from technologies. The progressive permeating of innovative devices, simplifying people life or enabling them in networking and knowledge, led to relevant modification of the built environment. The word “smart” refers therefore not only to the ICT component of city but it also refers to the need of facing an increasing complexity involving all sectors of cities. The extend of approaches, applications, testing and theories coming along with the SC topic oblige the research to critically and extensively study those elements, broadening the analysis to additional experiences, and going toward the definition of SC for coming to a wider definition of Green City as an integrated, sustainable, resilient and smart urban regeneration approach. The research studies these approaches deepening the relation between Architecture Technology and Urban Planning, with a specific insight into a step-by-step project approach and a KPIs performance assessment. The main original output of the research is the proposition of the Green City Circle: a model for addressing the regeneration of districts into existing urban contexts. The thesis is Climate KIC labelled (European Institute of Technology).

Smart energy city (SEC) development is a component of the urban development initiative smart city, which has been a popular response to the global energy challenge in Europe during the past two decades. SEC development aims to increase the sustainability of urban energy systems and services. Since 2011, SEC development has been supported by the European Commission as part of the Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET-Plan) and through the European Union Programmes for Research and Technological Development (specifically FP7 and Horizon 2020). This, along with the promising vision of SEC development and considerable financial support by the private sector, has encouraged numerous European cities to initiate SEC projects. Successful implementation of these projects at the urban scale is crucial to achievement of urban energy objectives and sustainability of future urban development. The here presented thesis aims to support urban decision-makers towards successful implementation of urban scale smart energy city development in Europe. The study includes three stages. The first stage is dedicated to conceptual analysis. Within this stage, I conceptualized smart city through a keyword analysis of existing literature on the concept. Then, within the context of the smart city concept, I defined SEC development through literature review and expert knowledge elicitation. The second stage is dedicated to empirical investigation. Using the definition of SEC development, I distinguished and investigated 43 previously implemented SEC projects to identify common barriers that hinder successful implementation of SEC development. In addition, I proposed a new multi-dimensional methodology that allows a simultaneous prioritization of barriers against their probability, the level of impact, scale, origin, and relationship with other barriers. The third stage of the thesis is dedicated to learning methodologies that allow efficient transfer of knowledge from the past SEC experiences to the new SEC developments. I introduced the application of two learning methodologies that support decision-makers to predict barriers to the implementation of a new SEC project: case-based learning and decision tree learning. The former predicts barriers based on internal similarities between the new SEC project and the past projects. The latter uses the past projects and creates a predictive model for each barrier based on internal and external project characteristics. These models are later used to predict barriers to a new SEC project. Both methodologies were tested in a new SEC project, named SINFONIA. The conceptual analysis revealed that application of information and communication technologies, the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, integration of multiple urban domains, and sustainability evaluation are the constant characteristics (i.e. principles) of smart city and SEC development. It resulted in, to the best of my knowledge, the first multi-dimensional and comprehensive definition of SEC development, revealing its principles, objectives, domains of intervention, stakeholders, time and spatial dimensions. Furthermore, a list of smart energy solutions in each SEC domain of intervention was provided. The empirical investigation of the past SEC projects resulted in the identification of 35 common barriers to the implementation of SEC development, categorized in policy, administrative, legal, financial, market, environmental, technical, social, and information and awareness dimensions. The barrier prioritization showed that barriers related to collaborative planning, external funding of the project, providing skilled personnel, and fragmented ownership should be the key action priorities for SEC project coordinators. Application of case-based learning methodology resulted in identifying five past SEC projects that were the most similar to the SINFONIA project in terms of project internal characteristics. Investigating the barriers to the similar projects revealed that fragmented ownership is the most probable barrier to implementation of SINFONIA project. Application of the decision trees methodology resulted in generation of 20 barrier models, four of which showed a very good performance in prediction of barriers: lack of values and interest in energy optimization measures, time-consuming requirements by European Commission concerning reporting and accountancy, economic crisis, and local unfavorable regulations for innovative technologies. None of these four barriers were predicted to occur in the SINFONIA project. The application of this method in the SINFONIA showed a higher predicting power when a barrier was absent. The findings of the here presented thesis contribute to successful implementation of SEC development by supporting decision-makers in different phases of SEC projects. The results of the conceptual analysis contribute to a common understanding and foster the dialogue on the concept among various SEC stakeholders, particularly decision-makers and urban planners. The results of the empirical investigation lead to a better comprehension and evaluation of the barriers to the implementation of SEC projects in order to efficiently allocate resources to mitigate barriers. The proposed learning methodologies proved to be promising in helping decision-makers to identify similar projects to a new SEC development and to predict barriers to the implementation of new SEC projects. The thesis concludes that SEC is an outstanding urban development that can make a valuable contribution to the sustainability of urban energy systems. The specific characteristics of SEC development pose new challenges to the future smart and sustainable urban planning. Nevertheless, SEC development brings about unprecedented opportunities for integration and application of advanced quantitative techniques with current urban planning methods. This allows efficient knowledge transfer in not only intra-urban but also inter-urban levels in order to provide a collaborative, integrated and constructive movement towards successful implementation of SEC projects and sustainability of future urban development.

In recent years, a growing attention is spreading towards the Twentieth Century architecture which encloses, in the typological and technological innovation, its cultural value, but at the same time it contains major conservation problems derived from high level of testing of the materials utilized. In particular, cement mixes, combined or not with iron, show incredible malleability and ease of processing, characteristics that guarantee success in the Art Nouveau period (examined in this research); later, with the spread of rationalist architecture, testing is implemented, introducing on the market conglomerates and mixtures cement-based, innovative products such as symbol of 'durability', mainly used for the realization of bold structures that exceed the constructive logics possible up to that moment. However, the enhanced durability and strength of the cement, both of the products with structural function and of refined decorative elements reveal currently their limits, so many buildings have expressed the need of adeguate restoration. In spite of the protection of many Twentieth Century public buildings, according to the "Code of cultural heritage and landscape" - Legislative Decree n. 42/2004, it is still evident the lack of attention, about the materials set, during the planning in the restoration of modern buildings. In fact, unlike the oldest buildings, currently operating decisions aim to the reuse of the building, without paying attention to the cultural values of the materials of the construction1. Waiting for the attention to modern materials will face more and more careful, nowadays the legislation does not provide useful addresses to the designer: so the preservation of Twentieth Century materials depends on the attention of the technician and the client who, hurried by the degradation and the urgency of the intervention, work without any suggestion of restoration specialists. The research starts by studying the manuals and documentation of archive concerning with patents and performance techniques of historical mixes, with the aim of identifying those most prevalent during the examined period. This is followed by the analysis of sixty-three case studies, essential to know the characteristics of the Twentieth Century mixtures set in place and their degradations. The selected buildings, realized between 1900 and 1918 and with different conservation problems, are located between Emilia Romagna and bordering regions and have mostly residential function. For each building were collected different types of data, classified in order to provide a basis for further processing of interpretation. These evaluations aim to put into relation the degradations with several factors affecting the cement mixtures. The result of these evaluations, as well as the first product of the research, consists of preparing the 'degradations sheets' relative to cement mixes used in Italy during the period examined. Subsequently restorations on architectures of the early Twentieth Century were identified, so it was possible to analyze the different approaches currently in use in the construction phase, including techniques, materials and conservative principles. Speaking about this, it is useful to consider also the construction sites of national and European research projects which study similar issues, allowing a comparison of the different practices, but also a better understanding of the current research level in this field. The study concludes with the drafting of the final product of research, that is operational suggestions useful to correct any phase of restoration, which lead to conservative choices respectful both of safety requirements, and the cultural meanings of the material, relevant for technological innovation expressed in material essence and aspect. This product is for technicians and enterprises that, in designing and construction phases, approach to the conservation of historic buildings made of cement. The large number of constructions realized with these materials, that in the near future will be identified as cultural heritage, requires appropriate restoration practices, providing a useful and consistently tool to work for the Twentieth Century architectures. --------------- 1 MONTANARI G., Cosa conservare dell’architettura contemporanea?, in: CALLEGARI G., MONTANARI G. (edited by), 2001, pp. 29-35.

The growing awareness of the importance to limit soil sealing process is one of the reasons to definitely shift the building activity on the existent stock. Approximately a third of the European housing stock was built during the thirty years after WW-II. A huge part of these buildings presents different kind of obsolescence. This declining performance process makes necessary to take a decision about how buildings can meet actual requirements. A decision must be taken in order to choose the preferable intervention in a sustainable and lifespan conscious design perspective. Renovation and demolition are both possible for multi-storey apartment buildings that do not present historical or testimonial quality. By the analysis of some case studies the research illustrates which are the most incidental parameters in the decision-making process and selects some indicators that could be defined as the limits of renovation project. Aware that from a sustainable viewpoint diffused demolition are not preferable, these indicators represent the conditions in which demolition could nevertheless be a preferable option.

Environmental messages communicated by the physical environment are considered a source of stress in hospitals when represented by negative meanings or meanings which do not match patient’s environmental expectations. In the present study, it is assumed that the hospital physical environment, through its meaning, allows or even promotes affective stress restoration when raises positive cognitions and affects. In this way, it was proposed to identify visual physical attributes of pediatric inpatient rooms that communicate environmental messages related to affective stress restoration. The study adopted a mixed method design, by associating direct and indirect observation; a qualitative and quantitative research strategy; and a descriptive profile. In total, 124 pediatric patients from the age of 8 and 66 parents participated in the study. The investigation was conducted in pediatric inpatient rooms of four hospitals in north-central Italy: one pediatric hospital and three general hospitals. Data collection took place in two phases, comprising: (a) direct observation of the physical built environment (inpatient rooms), observation of traces, administration of questionnaires to patients and parents, as well as consultation to medical records and architectural plans (Phase 1); (b) semi-structured interviews with patients from photographs of inpatient rooms (Phase 2). Data analysis involved descriptive and relational statistical analysis and thematic-categorical content analysis. It was possible to empirically establish a relation between environmental meaning and affective stress restoration. A better environmental evaluation was associated with a greater restoration. In addition, restoration was greater the more patients considered the hospital room as reassuring, orderly, cheerful, relaxing, comfortable, with fresh air, spacious, pleasant and lively. It was found that the following physical attributes of inpatient rooms play a role in the construction of these meanings: residential appearance, fresh air, visual and physical access to natural outdoors, moderate amplitude, opportunities for privacy, opportunities for social interaction, access to technologies, paintings and illustrations on the wall, support for parents’ needs, presence of toys and play areas, conservation and order of the healthcare facility. The results were discussed from multimethodological convergence and with the support of the literature regarding Restorative Environments, Environmental Perception and Cognition, and Evidence-based Design. The study of restorative environments and process from the affective stress condition by analyzing environmental meanings proved relevant, highlighting some of the issues that may promote pediatric patient’s welfare. This volume includes an English version of the thesis and, in the Appendix, the research report related to a complementary study conducted at the HELIX Centre, London.

The aim of this study is to investigate night Ankle Foot Orthoses, commonly prescribed to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients to understand if there are margins to increase their comfort, aesthetic customization and psychological acceptance by the users, but even to improve their manufacturing process and to reduce costs. Duchenne is a rare form of muscular dystrophy affecting 1 on 3.500 male children that, at about 8 to 12 years old progressively become wheelchair bounded and with an expectation of life on the late 20 or 30 years old, since usually cardiac or pulmonary complications occur. Due to muscles’ weakening, Achilles tendon takes over on muscle tissue and starts to thicken and shrink, causing plantar flexion and retractions, while the function of AFOs is for applying a stretching force that can delay equine deformation of the feet. It is scientifically demonstrated that a constant use of night Ankle Foot Orthosis, together with physiotherapy, can extend the independent ambulation by up to two years and delay the occurrence of other complications. The PhD study was conducted from 2012 to 2014 thanks to a partnership between the Department of Architecture of Ferrara University and Parent Project Onlus for Duchenne and Becker. Moreover the thesis was endorsed by the Neuropsychiatric Department specialized in Duchenne of the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome, orthoses manufactures, experts in 3D survey, parametric design, and solid prototyping and, last but not least, by the direct contact with final users and their families. The core of the thesis was organized in three parts. In the first one, after a brief recognition on the disease, a market analysis on all the lower limb orthoses available on Italian, European and North American market was conducted. The elaborated interactive database was essential to understand the state of art, the Italian picture and the most advanced innovations and ongoing experimentations. All these data were a crucial tool in the design process. The second part focused on cultural and methodological approaches in the design of the AFO. After an overview on theories that frame the research, as Customer Centered and User Centered Design, as well as Universal Design, Inclusive Design, Design for All and Design for disabilities, a Quality Function Deployment process was chosen to translate theories into design directives. Relating user needs, technical requirements and comparison with the competitors, the scheme provides the guidelines for the design of a really innovative dorsal night AFO for DMD patients. The results of the research and future perspective are exposed in the third part. The analysis of the handcraft current processes of manufacturing suggested the opportunity of investigating the application of modern technologies aimed at the optimization of the process and the final product. Indirect survey techniques of photo-modelling or laser scanner are used to accurately reproduce the shape of the leg, while the user is sitting on a particular bench designed to acquire the foot in a stretching position and to entertain the child as he was on a rocking horse. The 3D virtual reconstruction of the limb, combined with 15 control points, is elaborated in an algorithm of parametric design to obtain a customized AFO that can be 3D printed with complete freedom of personalization to meet the tastes of the child. The results are highly promising and deserve to be further developed in future experimentations on field.

Seismic events in recent years have caused heavy damage to historic city centers. This calls for an effective planning aimed at reaching an adequate decrease of the vulnerability of city centers buildings. A deep knowledge of the structure of the urban environment ‐ and, to a lesser extent, of the buildings the urban environment is made up of ‐ is the essential precondition for effectively intervening on the urban fabric. Currently, the most used means of knowledge are Vulnerability Assessment Forms, whose goal is to assess not only the damage suffered by a building in the aftermath of an earthquake, but also its habitability standards. These forms, which are supposed to assess the buildings as a whole, in most cases only analyzes single buildings or cadastral units, since there is no well‐defined procedure on how to identify single units within the urban fabric. The identification of an Elementary Unit (i.e. the smallest independent unit within the fabric) is the crucial point of this delicate process. This identification process, though, is based on weak and misleading definitions, e.g. those that have been used up to today to fill in the Assessment Forms. This work of research aims at clearly defining both the idea itself of Elementary Unit and a procedure to identify it. This procedure could be extensively used not only in emergency situations, but also for the regular preventive territory management. This goal can be reached through a constant phenomenological examination of the urban fabric buildings carried out using Muratori‐inspired typological analysis tools. By studying the transformation process of the basic building types, it is possible to identify the Elementary Units the urban fabric is made up of. Once the urban fabric structure has been comprehended, this work will present a clear and most valid definition of Elementary Unit, which will simplify any later examination of the urban fabric – from the identification of “subjects” for AeDES Forms, to the drafting of Reconstruction Plans. The case study of Ferrara offers a chance to verify the validity of the process of identification of buildings within the urban fabric, designed on a real example. This will, in turn, prove the validity of the term “Elementary Unit” and its strong connection with the concept of building type and the typological development.

The very actual theme of building stock retrofit includes wide ranges of possible actions, especially in social housing. Multi-criteria assessments should be lead to evaluate the proper operational approach (considering social, structural, maintenance, thermal and economic parameters). The lower-impact actions typically involve improvements on the building skin, such as insulation and window re-placement, while the higher-impact solutions lead to demolition and re-building. Overall, building retrofit through solar technologies represents a relevant strategy to achieve significant energy saving. In this context two comparative solutions have been proposed for an early ‘80s social building in Modena. The former consists in the ap-plication of passive systems to optimise solar gains and active tech-nologies to generate energy. The latter is based on demolition and re-building of a newly designed block according to best practice princi-ples. The performance of solar strategies efficiency has been evaluated through parametric markers, while multizone thermodynamic and CFD analysis have been used to estimate the effects of passive cooling technologies.

The increasing demand for affordable housing or controlled rent accommodation, due also to the reduced purchasing power of a share of users, undoubtedly exacerbated by the economic crisis that has fallen upon global markets since the second half of 2008, highlights the need and urgency for new procedural means and standards aimed at the recovery of the existing property heritage. The subject of this research is the vast heritage of state-owned residential property, accumulated from 1949 through to 1963, through the action of the Public Housing Intervention Plan named “Gestione INA Casa”, with special reference to the target district of Barca in Bologna, by Giuseppe Vaccaro, selected as a specific case study. Attention was focussed on the improvement of heat insulation properties of the enclosure, acting exclusively from the interior to keep the specific architectural features of the INA Casa building unchanged. The objective and main target of the research consisted in the drafting of guidelines organised in charts and technical assessments for a retrofit intervention, to apply to the INA Casa residential property, specifically in the cases in which interventions from the outside are not possible. In the last phase of research, an evaluation was made of the economic sustainability of this energy requalification intervention, simulated in order to draw up the said guidelines. The methodological approach selected in this case, i.e. the assessment model used, is defined as the Cost and Revenue Analysis (CRA). In the case in question, comparable to a renovation project in terms of energetic requalification and subsequently placed on the market (in other words let at a fixed rent or sold as a property), this model, by means of a discounted cash flow (DCF), enables an assessment of the economic profitability of a property investment. Lastly, the hypothesis was formulated to make use of instruments and conventional means already in place in the specific market of social housing, and which can guarantee the potential funding of an intervention such as that simulated in the case study. More specifically, the hypothesis was made of the possibility of setting up a closed property investment fund by transferring the property share still owned by the state. The subjects potentially interested in the procedures developed and in the results obtained, are the various “Aziende casa” (Regional housing authorities) present in Italy and public administration authorities, such as Municipal authorities, who are entrusted with the ownership of a residential complex due to undergo retrofit interventions for maintenance purposes and to enable these properties to subsequently be placed on the social housing market. Other potential user subjects are the freelance professionals assigned with requalification of the share of INA Casa buildings transferred to private ownership

The research aims to create guidelines for restoration of maritime heritage, wooden built or wooden-metal composite boats, considering principles and standards specific for restoration. Different types of documents have been prepared specifically for traditional maritime sector, with the help of effective documents adopted for protection of other types of cultural assets. In order to increase the awareness of size and characteristics of the national maritime heritage, a tool for boat census has been issued in the form of a website, which allows data gathering and statistical analyses. With the help of observations in shipyards, used to recognize the main issues in this kind of boats, it has been possible to identify a list of typical damages in wooden hulls. Thanks to the cataloguing of traditional building materials and techniques, the research presents valid action methods on maritime heritage. In order to evaluate effectiveness of guidelines, the whole research work has been validated through two case studies (Dragon class), with damages, structural and building characteristics similar to bigger classic and traditional boats

Achieving thermal comfort in buildings has currently become an urgent need, because of excessive demand in energy consumption across the length and breadth of the world. Accordingly, academics, policy-makers, regulators and governments are striving to find solutions that can be applied to achieve thermal comfort in buildings without excessive consumption of energy. Corollary to this, thermal comfort and energy efficiency in buildings are two faces on the same coin. Egypt is characterised by haphazard utilisation of prototypical design in public housing projects. The haphazard utilisation of prototypical strategy is in stark contrast with the conventional strategy, which takes into account the various climatic design issues in carrying out social housing projects. Previous studies indicated that the thermal behaviour of same building stock varies across Egypt due to different climatic regions. This evidence overtly illuminates that in order to ensure thermal comfort in residential buildings in Egypt, a combined strategy that takes into consideration the prevailing climatic condition is imperative. It is therefore, against this backdrop that this study examined how the combination of natural ventilation behavioural strategies and insulation retrofitting technique influences indoor thermal comfort without using any mechanical cooling or heating systems. In order to accomplish the research aim, the problem of thermal comfort in the prototype design social housing building stocks within the hot arid climate of Egypt was identified. Further, the Integrated Environmental Solution – Virtual Environment (IESVE) was adopted to predict the building thermal behaviour whilst applying natural ventilation behavioural strategies on the one hand and its combination with insulation retrofitting technique on the other hand. Predictions were comparatively analyzed to identify the optimum strategy during each month of the year. Cross analyses were carried out to ascertain either this strategy highlights the differences among building orientations or otherwise. In addition, a comparison between typical and upper floor was conducted to highlight their differences. By applying natural ventilation behavioural strategies, scenarios of natural ventilation were categorized into three; the base case scenario, the actual behavioral scenarios and the hypothetical suggested scenarios. The results illuminated that, In terms of the summer season, the hypothetical suggested scenario of cross night purge ventilation revealed a considerable improvement in indoor thermal comfort. Moreover, whilst natural ventilation scenarios had a modest improvement in thermal comfort in springautumn period, it had a negative effect in winter season. In regards to the combination strategy, simulation results revealed that whilst this strategy played a major role in increasing indoor thermal comfort and reducing cooling demand in summer period, it had very slight impact on enhancing indoor comfort and reducing heating demand (in winter) and heating or cooling demand (in spring-autumn periods). However, by comparing the combined strategy with natural ventilation only, it was deduced that the insulation technique had relatively small impact on thermal comfort enhancement in all periods of the year. Improving indoor thermal comfort in residential buildings in hot‐arid climates through the combination of natural ventilation and insulation retrofitting techniques II The study further assessed the effect of orientation on indoor thermal comfort via the utilisation of natural ventilation only as well as the combined strategy in winter, summer and spring-autumn periods. The observable fact illuminated that the orientation has no significant effect on indoor thermal comfort in winter, summer and spring-autumn seasons. Finally, the comparison between typical and upper floor confirmed that the difference between them is negligible in terms of thermal comfort.

Retrofitting interventions on existing rural buildings are frequently associated with new functional requirements consequently causing changes in intended use. Rural architecture is intrinsic to human needs and environmental specifics and it is characterized by long periods of product testing and modifications to reach the optimal among building techniques, materials and environment. The process of upgrading and enhancing the traditional rural landscape should be oriented towards environmental sustainability; it should recognize the typical characteristics of the natural environment and built up surroundings. For this reason, the energy redevelopment project of existing rural buildings should take into consideration the purpose for which the technological solution was envisioned. Adapting the building techniques to the new constructional needs and the new redistribution of space is essential. The proposed intervention methodology is driven by the desire to acquire a broader approach in respect to the one tied to the mere renovation of a country house. The aim is to employ a modern interpretation of using space, once dedicated to common activities, and now the subject of renewed interest. Research is therefore aimed at providing the tools you need to fully characterize both the refurbishing of rural buildings and any possible activities that can be done, highlighting the potentialities of the territory on which these buildings lie. Measures not separating the building from its territorial context are taken, while maintaining the close relationship that binds the architectural form to its use. A careful conversion is pursued, allowing the subject of intervention to remain a vital resource for the community. Creating a full scale investigation of these rural buildings in our national territory is not easily achievable. Therefore the study is limited to rural housing in Piemonte: the hilly and mountainous area are taken into account to assess the performance characteristics for different weather conditions. The proposed methodology, in addition to identifying the steps required to correctly accomplish the energy redevelopment building interventions, provides guidelines able to support professionals and technicians complying with the indications provided by the local authorities. An in-depth and complete documentation of each step incorporating accurate input and output data will be provided throughout the working process. Guidelines for the energy recovery of rural buildings provide a practical professional resource in designing technological solutions, in order to improve the energy efficiency of rural architectural heritage. This is accomplished through the analysis of building components and the critical constructive joints.

In the perspective of “nearly zero energy buildings” as foreseen in the EPBD 2010/31/EU, herein a prototype of a wooden prefabricated BiPV wall is conceived, designed, built and tested. The prototype key concepts, identified according to the recommendations of the IEA Task 41 research project, are: multi-functionality, prefabrication, sustainability and integration. The prototype design is the result of a theoretical study which takes into account both architectural integration aspects and energy performance issues. The latter in particular, is based on the evaluation and improvement of both PV and building-related aspects, through the investigation and implementation of low-cost passive strategies to improve the overall BiPV performance. A modular specimen of the prototype was built thanks to an industrial collaboration and tested through an experimental approach, based on the combination of several phases performed in two test facilities (i.e. INTENT lab and SoLaRE-PV lab) by means of original experimental set-up. The effectiveness of the proposed BiPV prototype configuration is proven by comparing the results of the experiments with monitored data of two BiPV systems (a roof and a façade system) located in South Tyrol (North of Italy). The experimental results are then generalized, providing significant data and experimental expressions for a deeper understanding of BiPV systems energy performance.

The 2008 economic and financial crisis has deeply affected the global economy, causing the collapse of the building market and particularly the propriety housing; besides, the new demographic organisation has defined its type of user, which we are going to take into account. Information and Communication Technologies ICT are basic to define the innovative government of a country, influencing both buildings, the urban landscape and bettering the relationship among users. The several meanings releted to Smart City embody all the possibilities to create a new environment. With Open Government we mean a new philosophy of life that is at the same time a practice of dealing with data that can be shared by users freely because they have lost any sensitive information. Untill a recent past, these data where stored in the archives of the Public Administration, now the user can get and reuse them freely in a new perspective and with a different aim. The topic of this reaserch project is to identify a scientific methodolgy to choose, arrange and use these Open Data. This will help to better manage a geographical and urban area according to specific requests, for example the creation and the spreading of co-housing, a model of accomodation, particularly suitable in some contexts. Phdcohousing.idra.it is a web site that shows the appliance of this process, referring also to users and their new needs of housing. Actually this practice could be quite useful also for the Public Administrations, agencies, architects and builders that will save time and money and will meet the needs of the users more effectively.

A project of energetic redevelopment of a historic building starts from the preliminary assessment of its energy potential and residual performance, in order to tailor interventions and properly address the energy needs according to the characteristics of the building, without losing or jeopardizing its heritage and historic value. This approach is relatively new and specific industry regulations have not yet been developed. The absence of specific legislation means that a dedicated methodology for calculating the energy performance of historic buildings is not included in the best practices of intervention. Currently the energy performance of historic buildings, on which the whole intervention project is based, is calculated with the same tools developed for modern buildings. This research starts from the hypothesis that the two types of calculation available today (analytical standardized method and simplified method) present some limits of applicability, in particular if used for the evaluation of historical architecture, which has technical, geometric, and architectural characteristics that differ significantly from the ones of newer buildings. The use of non-specific instruments can lead to errors in the calculation of the residual energetic performance of buildings. This calculation error can consequently lead to choices of intervention that can be harmful to the conservation of the building, to final level of comfort of its interior, or to its resulting energy efficiency. This study, therefore, critically analyzes the current methods of calculating energy efficiency, with the aim of verifying their validity and limits of applicability by testing them on a sample of historic buildings. This analysis shows significant differences between the results obtained by the analytical method, taken as reference, and the calculations made with the simplified system. It identifies the need for evaluating the energy performance of historic architecture in a different way from that used for recent buildings. At the same time, the application of different methods of calculation to the case studies also highlights the inherent difficulty of finding, for buildings constructed in the past, the necessary data for correctly applying the standard analytical method, regarded so far as the only reliable system. These findings call for the refinement of the simplified method, more suitable to the calculation of the energy performance of historic buildings, and the development of a new instrumental method for the measurement of the energy characteristics of historic buildings, which can be used in parallel with the analytical calculation.

In preindustrial basic buildings, technological solutions that a local community processes to respond to specific needs are the lexical components of building language. Such processing takes place within the limits of a spontaneous behavior - which is aimed at finding the most economical resolution in terms of material and constructive knowledge - until the gradual progress of technological possibilities and the gradual weakening of the cultural and constructive limitations caused by the local-size of each community, lead to solutions gradually more elaborate than the initial spontaneous ones. This process is particularly interesting if it’s related to the costitutive elements of building enclosure, which constitute the main vehicles of rework in construction, technology and formal solution- first relating to the local tradition and then to monumental architecture’s codes- enriched gradually by the intentionality of architectural language. This process is particularly important in historical basic buildings, where urban tissue is readable in plan and elevation as a continuous organic and enclosure, in its specific connotation of facade, plays a key role in the characterization of building units. This applies in basic buildings rather than monumental architectures, because in monumental architectures all parts of the construction, such as the enclosure, are configured as costitutive elements designed to be representative of a coded language and architectural culture that often goes beyond the local traditions. Building language, as an anthropic product at minimum scale construction, it’s a particular aspect of the spontaneous process in pre-industrial buildings that regulates transformations in building structures and urban tissues. The approach to its reading can be follows methodological criteria of morpho-typological basic buildings reading, with the aim of systematically reconstruct the logical spontaneous figurative and construction processuality of its elements. This investigation, based on a multi-scale reading of building transformations, can break free from considerations about uniqueness of building product and influence of specific actors in building process; these are evaluations that were otherwise inevitable in the case of investigations on individual building, especially in monumental architecture. It is possible to encode, and not only classify, basic building language to reconstruct systematically the figurative and construction processuality of its elements? It is possible to outline this method of analysis to develop a design tool to support cognitive actions on historical urban tissue? These are the questions that the research aims to answer.

The sequence of events that, in Italy, has characterised the development of Social Housing since the Second World War until today has made it necessary to face the renovation of social residential buildings. Despite the short period of time that has elapsed since their construction, the condition of large housing estates built in our country between the 1960s and 1980s are not only largely unfit for purpose but they also present substantial limitations with regards to energy efficiency. In this respect, research has defined a methodology to approach the regeneration of buildings of reference and has assumed some strategies to improve energy efficiency. After outlining the latest developments regarding public and private housing construction both in Italy and in Europe since the post-war period, some representative Italian residential areas with high density living have been analysed taking into particular consideration their most important features. Among these areas, an suitably representative case study has been identified in the “Virgolone” housing development which is located in the Pilastro district of Bologna. In this large housing estate, consisting of more than two thousand units, the technical and architectural features of the three main urban sections have been firstly identified. This sections correspond, in turn, to three periods of construction (1964-1986) whose predominant differences have been highlighted. The variety of housing types, of building systems and of management policies has characterized a diversified development which, depending on the building, has sometimes produced a variety of results in the same housing estate. Defining a strategy for effective renovation necessitates acquiring a preliminary and detailed knowledge of the building of reference, based on an analysis of a multiplicity of elements, in particular of those elements which are most affected by obsolescence and that influence its performance directly. The cognitive survey investigated the performance deficit of technological units which make up the building envelope and assessed the degradation phenomena related to structural and construction features, contextualizing the choices in a given historical moment. This survey has been followed by a critical evaluation of the qualitative analysis carried out and of the instrumental data acquired, which has allowed to focus the attention on the most important problems of the individual residential units and to gain a basic knowledge necessary to undertake the following phase, which consists of defining the possible intervention of renovation. In this regard, the energy consumption of the building has been calculated, comparing it with the energy performance index defined by legislation. The results of this in-depth analysis has contributed to formulating scenarios of intervention through following transformation stages, proposing different project hypotheses for solutions for which assessments of the intervention costs and of the time it would take to have a return on the investment have been calculated.

La tesi di dottorato “Il genius loci e l’architettura sostenibile. L’ambiente naturale e costruito della Val di Gresta” attiene alla definizione di una metodologia di studio efficace a descrivere i caratteri ricorrenti in un ambito territoriale omogeneo, analizzando il territorio nelle diverse scale da quella dell’insediamento a quella dell’edificio, a quella della tecnologia. Lo studio non doveva solo comprendere il paesaggio in tutte le sue componenti ma si è voluto definire i principi concettuali di trasformazione passati, attuali e futuri, e soprattutto questi ultimi al fine di riattivare un processo congruente e compatibile con al naturalità del territorio, con l’economia e la cultura del luogo. Nel corso del lavoro è stato analizzato il paesaggio della valle di Gresta, ove si è registrato un forte declino della diversità del paesaggio, con conseguente semplificazione del mosaico paesistico e la riduzione delle caratteristiche identitarie strutturali e culturali. E’ stata rilevata infatti la scomparsa di elementi strutturali caratterizzanti, come i terrazzamenti, la modificazione nella dimensione degli insediamenti e l’alterazione formale e tecnologica degli edifici. Le diverse sollecitazioni esterne che inducono le evoluzioni in un territorio sono continue, quindi è evidente che anche il processo di trasformazione deve proseguire, ma in rapporto simbiotico con l’esistente, come un tempo, dove le varie modificazioni si stratificavano nell’architettura e nel paesaggio. L’ analisi del paesaggio naturale e costruito e delle architetture della valle è quindi servita per comprendere l’evoluzione e la trasformazione nel corso dei secoli del rapporto di equilibrio stabilitosi tra artificio e contesto, analizzando le modificazioni avvenute alle diverse scale. La conservazione e valorizzazione del paesaggio sono il fine del processo di conoscenza intrapreso ma anche l’inizio di una sensibilizzazione alle politiche ambientali e di trasformazioni del costruito in cui assieme alle permanenze più o meno integre del sistema storico che ha caratterizzato i luoghi nel corso del tempo si attuano delle modificazioni congruenti legate ad attribuzioni di significato che contribuiscono a mantenere e ri-definire l’identità culturale del territorio.

The research aims to calculate the influence of urban textures on the energy demand of residential buildings. It compares 24 samples of housing aggregations in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands, that are characterized by different levels of texture complexity. Building types are recognized through a clusters analysis of the morphological data of the residential stock. Sun radiation and energy demand for heating and cooling are calculated with a GIS model. The results are compared to the typological uniformity, the prevailing building type and the seriality of the aggregations.

The research aim is to provide architects with decision making and analysis tools in order to manage the actual glass technology complexity in the field of architecture. Such kind of complexity belongs to: - the high standard levels of production; - the number of glass materials and glass technologies; - the required knowledge and skills through concept design, project development, construction phase and occupancy; - the high materials and technology prices; - the energy costs connected with glass technology in use. These parameters have been investigated starting with the role of information in the entire chain.

The energy performance of buildings, their needs and the possibilities of energy saving, have long been an issue in the debate of construction and real estate sectors. The transposition of the Directive 2002/91/EC (EPBD), as well as of the Directive 2010/31/EU, has modified the relationship between building and energy, also in existing buildings. On the other hand, the energy performance certificate (EPC) spreading has changed the real estate perception. Energy upgrade is a good way for retrofit existing buildings of the second half of the 20th century, but not for all existing buildings. The cultural heritage and preindustrial basic building should be a special case to discuss. Several studies discuss energy performance of single building, building stock, heritage building and also urban comfort. The planning of actual energy policies and the organization of targeted action in the structural planning, can only start from the knowledge of the real state of things. With the aim of validating the real need for improvement of energy performance in preindustrial basic building, my dissertation provides an in-depth quantitative analysis of the thermal energy demand and the improvement of energy efficiency in preindustrial basic building, through the analytical investigation of the case studies in the urban center of Ferrara.

Premise – One on big mistake in restoration and retrofit project are technical plant installation impact. In order to solve this kinds of problems in the course of the 80’s and 90’s of the 20th century - in Italy, the most fruitful timeframe for the debate on urban and monumental restoration – many valuable experimental interventions were made, which proved to be useful for the identification and finalization of methodological and operational strategies. Their exploitation and re-use requested however the set-up and retrofitting of installations key for the development of the recovery project. In view of the subsequent technological evolution, such interventions and adjustments have shown to be of particular impact. Furthermore the actual requirements needs, not only to replace obsolete installations but also to implement and upgrade the so-called reversibility criteria of such restoration interventions while integrating them with a new sustainability assessment and verification in terms of environmental, economic and energy sustainability. Objectives – Identification, by means of SWOT Analysis methodology, of retrofitting solutions for technical installations (heating, cooling and HVAC) vis-à-vis their interface with the architectural asset and the inherent project characteristics of installation devices. The aim is to show the efficacy of the solutions applied for the integration of the installation sub-systems chosen to guarantee the best micro-climate conditions.” Methods – Use of the “as build” [ex-post] verification vis-à-vis two sample cases of particular significance : 1) Turin, Recovery of the former Convento di S. Croce (16th-17th century) as university site – project by: A. Magnaghi et alia, 1980; 2) Turin, Preservative Restoration of the Chiesa e Coro di S. Pelagia, 17th century - project by: A. Magnaghi et alia]. In that respect, the following aspects are taken into consideration : a) the type characteristics of the installations made at the time of their deployment (1985) in comparison with the current installation solutions that could be potentially applied; b) the technological elements that led to the main project choices with verification of the geometric-functional parameters of the technological upgrade/retrofitting to confirm/disconfirm the related application ; c) the peculiar and autonomous features of the architectural intervention in the preservative restoration vis-à-vis the effects of the occurred historicizing of the intervention itself, i.e. the subsistence of qualifying elements that can co-exist with the different phases in the lifespan of the monumental building/unit. Conclusions – The combined use of two analytical tools can lead towards a more balanced assessment of the restoration intervention and the technological-functional retrofitting of the preserved works of art/heritage.

Le strutture turistiche vocate all’accoglienza appartengono a tipologie diversissime fra loro (hotel, b&b, ostelli, ecc.), gli alberghi sono però l’ambito più consistente e quindi quello che oggi richiede maggiori investimenti per rimanere al passo con gli adempimenti normativi e col modificarsi delle esigenze del cliente. Le modalità di intervento sono principalmente tre: riqualificare l’esistente, procedere ad una ben ponderata dismissione di ciò che oggi è fuori dagli standard (eventualmente attribuendogli nuove funzioni) e progettare nuovi edifici che siano non soltanto accoglienti ma anche sicuri ed efficienti dal punto di vista ambientale. Questo volume raccoglie spunti e strategie di intervento indirizzate alla riqualificazione del settore turistico-alberghiero in un’ottica di sistema, cioè valorizzando le possibilità di collaborazione a rete fra soggetti diversi ed invitando imprenditori e tecnici ad una progettazione più attenta e coordinata, imparando ad integrare saperi diversi per evitare errori e spreco di risorse. Il progetto vede la collaborazione del TekneHub del Tecnopolo dell’Università, di Federalberghi, di ASCOM ed Iscom che, dal 2011, lavorano insieme per offrire strumenti operativi agli imprenditori e ai tecnici che operano nel settore turistico e ricettivo. Le responsabilità connesse alla sicurezza sono certamente una priorità, sia quelle imposte ai luoghi di lavoro (D.Lgs 81/08) sia dalle cautele di prevenzione incendi (il DM 09.04.1994), pertanto a questo tipo di adempimenti è stata dedicata l’intera Seconda Parte del volume, completata anche grazie alla collaborazione di tecnici esperti del Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco. Tuttavia un albergo è una realtà complessa, che si fonda sul comfort e sulla piena fruibilità dei propri spazi, quindi la sostenibilità tecnica ed economica di un intervento non possono prescindere dalla sintesi di questi fattori in una proposta unitaria e coerente. La Prima Parte del testo suggerisce quindi ipotesi di miglioramento e di investimento indirizzate all’intera filiera e propone casi studio locali che già hanno fatto dell’efficienza energetica, dell’accessibilità e della sicurezza la bandiera della propria eccellenza.