The optimal use of natural lighting in schools ensures an adequate level of users comfort and well-being, allowing an artificial lighting limitation and as a result lower power consumption and energy saving. The study proposes an experimental analysis of the lighting conditions in classrooms with students and teachers participation, in order to identify technical solutions, also low-cost, and to promote active and conscious management of lighting control.

L'articolo è relativo a un lavoro di ricerca, che ITC-CNR, ENEA-UTEE, DES (Diagnostic Engineering Solution) - spin off del Politecnico di Bari e Comune di Bari stanno portando avanti al fine di definire un metodo di indagine ottimizzato ed integrato sia per la valutazione dei deficit energetici e di comfort dell'edificio scolastico che per l'individuazione di soluzioni progettuali ad hoc. Il metodo proposto in questa sede si basa su un approccio olistico-sistemico, con validazione sperimentale, che ai metodi tradizionali di indagine strumentale in situ integra un metodo del tipo "post occupancy evaluation" con il coinvolgimento degli utenti e la loro valutazione soggettiva delle condizioni di comfort (scala ASHARAE) durante l'uso effettivo dell'edificio. Gli interventi ipotizzati sono stati del tipo step by step, per la individuazione di benchmarks di miglioramento minimo, in funzione dell'ottimizzazione delle risorse- scarse- a disposizione.

The improvement of school buildings is a primary aim which cannot be ignored in a vision of a more sustainable and safe society. Because of the widespread degradation state of Italian schools, it is undelayable to ensure safety conditions not only in terms of structural behaviour but also of users' comfort and hygienic conditions, improving at the same time the energy performance and efficiency of buildings (Directives: 2010/31/UE on nearly zero energy buildings and 2012/27/UE). The aim of this research work is to define an optimized and integrated survey method for the assessment of building energy performance and comfort deficit in order to identify the design solutions for the enhancement of the building potentialities. The proposed method is based on a holistic-systemic approach with an experimental validation that integrates the methods of instrumental investigation in situ with post-occupancy evaluation through the users' involvement and their subjective evaluation of comfort conditions (ASHRAE scale), during the actual use of the building. In order to reduce survey time and to optimize resources utilization, this method also proposes the identification of sample areas with different use conditions, orientation and position inside the building, for the assessment of the energy performance of the whole building. The school building choice was made as a function of the energy behaviour that is representative and comparable to that of buildings with certain widespread typological and constructive characteristics in Italy (reinforced concrete buildings of the 60s-70s). The assessment of the building energy performance and of lighting and thermal comfort, arising from the integration of objective data with the subjective users' perceptions, was the basis for defining a number of improvement works on both the building envelope (opaque and glazing surfaces) and systems, also through the use of renewable energy sources (RES) and better management strategies. The hypothesized interventions were of the step-by-step type, in order to identify benchmarks of minimal improvement in function of the scarce available resources optimization.

Nowadays, it is important to understand how to combine energy efficiency and the point of view of resilience. Regarding buildings, resilience represents the ability to recover from or adapt to an unfavorable condition or event, maintaining their own functionality and performances. This issue has been ignored for several years, especially in building sector, but the impacts of natural hazards and climate change are becoming more and more influential and frequent. Moreover, urban areas are responsible of a great part of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions, in addition to the intensification of greenhouse effect. For this reason, the use of new technologies (PCM and cool materials) for buildings can affect not only indoor microclimate, but also urban environment. Starting from the dynamic simulations of common buildings in South of Italy and then in other hotter Mediterranean climate (Athens, Tunis), the research analyses various typologies of these materials and possible combined applications. The aim of the study is to understand, through a set of proper indicators, how they can contribute to enhance energy performance of buildings and climate resilience in order to face rising temperatures also at neighbourhood level.

Since climate changes are now evident, it is not only important to achieve high level of energy efficiency, but also to think about retrofit actions in order to mitigate the impacts of natural hazard. The idea of resilience in buildings is developing and buildings have to be able to survive and maintain their own functionality and performances even in an uncertain future. Moreover, environmental degradation is accelerated by climate changes and global warming and by the linked disruptive events. As regards, the paper focuses on climate change effects in summer and on how it is possible to reduce them through façade system retrofit in Mediterranean climate. Most of the facades in the existing building stock need retrofit, but current practices do not allow designing systems that adapt to changing external conditions. Moreover, in comparison with other elements of building envelope, such as roofs, facades have an extended surface area that has the greatest influence on comfort at pedestrian level in urban area. Therefore, they are crucial elements to ensure energy efficiency and indoor comfort, but also to mi-tigate urban heat island phenomenon. Starting from energy dynamic simulations of an existing building within an urban area in a Mediterranean city, different retrofitting actions regarding building facades are applied (external insulation, PCM, green wall, cool materials). Then, they are compared in order to understand the influence of different building skin typologies on neighbour-hood microclimate changes and their different resilient behaviour.The aim of the work is to develop a set of climatic resilience indicators for differ-ent building facades (in particular opaque envelopes), in order to take into account resil-ience ability against climate change, both inside and outside of buildings. At the same time, it is introduced a new holistic approach in the evaluation of buildings performanc-es and their interaction with urban neighbourhood climate.

The study seeks to develop a replicable procedure in relation to environmental parameters of objective and subjective comfort perception, both through the use of dedicated Information Technologies and diagnostic instrumental methods (thermal and lighting audit) and assessment data collected from users (students and teachers), actively participating in the quality judgment. The involvement of students is intended to increase their awareness towards sustainable building issues and the adoption of behaviours aimed at saving energy and improving comfort conditions. Central Europe towards Sustainable Building 2013.

In order to reduce climate change and energy waste, due to the harmful impact on the environment, some Northern European countries have adopted standards to make compulsory the use of flat roof technological solutions with energy dynamic behaviour (e.g. in Germany approximately 35% of all cities have integrated green roofs as part of their regulation). Instead, in most Mediterranean area, there is not any regulation about these issues and then it is necessary to carry out comparative studies of adaptive roof solutions that are able to mitigate especially the overheating in summer conditions. Through software simulations and data comparison it will be analyzed the possible uses of innovative materials (PCMs, aerogel, materials for green and cool roof) in relation to hygro-thermal and environmental performance and to resilience levels against the rising risks of climate change impacts. Moreover, it will be examined a case study of a historic existing building in a Southern Italian town.

L'articolo riporta le attività di ricerca e le azioni di efficientamento energetico delle scuole condotte dall'ITC-CNR, dalComune di Bitonto e dal centro interuniversitario ABITA (UNIFI). Lo studio evidenza la possibilità di utilizzare l'edificioscolastico come teaching tool nel processo di miglioramento delle prestazioni energetiche e delle condizioni di comfortattraverso la partecipazione e la condivisione delle analisi e dei risultati tra i diversi stakeholder (comunità scolastica,autorità locali, dirigenti scolastici, insegnanti, personale tecnico, ecc.). Questo obiettivo è perseguibile grazie all'usoinnovativo di ICT (Information Communication Technology) sul patrimonio scolastico esistente, tra cui si riporta il caso diun edificio storico degli anni '30.

Since the Italian school buildings cause huge energy waste, it is increasingly compelling to identify, quantify and eliminateenergy deficits through integrated audits and coordinated actions of energy saving and retrofit. We developed a methodology thatis based on a holistic approach that correlates students' post occupancy evaluation with instrumental survey and softwaresimulations and, at the same time, we examined an innovative use of virtual tour to make the energy audit results friendly availableto school managers and community. This methodology, validated on a school building of the 20s-30s, identified energy saving andretrofitting actions according to cost levels.

The validation of the operational tools, developed by ITC-CNR within the 'Genius Loci' research program (recently concluded), on two IACP public housing case studies in Bari gave the possibility of experimenting with the "papery handbook" as a support for energy-efficient and environmentally compatible design, with a particular focus on heating systems and alternative energy production devices as well as on local building materials.