School buildings built in the Fifties and in the Seventies in Italy were often designed with the primary goal to keep the economic investment as low as possible, avoiding any “waste” of common spaces and construction materials. But this utilitarian approach seems now often to constitute a major hindrance for the improvement of their environmental performances. The situation of the building of the Industrial Technical Institute “Feltrinelli” in Milan is a typical case of these. Some design solutions were evaluated by the author, as a consultant for the Province of Milan, through thermal simulations with ESP-r, showing that an enlargement of the common spaces at the expenses of the classrooms, coupled with architectural modifications suited to improve passive ventilation (mostly by stack effect in the corridors) could substantially increase the comfort levels in the building and its pleasantness. In this case, an apparent waste of space showed to produce a gain of value in both environmental and (possibly) economic terms. This might be not so a rare condition in buildings of this age and type.
'Wasting' space to improve energy performance. Strategies for the rehabilitation of a school building in Milan
BRUNETTI, GIAN LUCA
2006-01-01
Abstract
School buildings built in the Fifties and in the Seventies in Italy were often designed with the primary goal to keep the economic investment as low as possible, avoiding any “waste” of common spaces and construction materials. But this utilitarian approach seems now often to constitute a major hindrance for the improvement of their environmental performances. The situation of the building of the Industrial Technical Institute “Feltrinelli” in Milan is a typical case of these. Some design solutions were evaluated by the author, as a consultant for the Province of Milan, through thermal simulations with ESP-r, showing that an enlargement of the common spaces at the expenses of the classrooms, coupled with architectural modifications suited to improve passive ventilation (mostly by stack effect in the corridors) could substantially increase the comfort levels in the building and its pleasantness. In this case, an apparent waste of space showed to produce a gain of value in both environmental and (possibly) economic terms. This might be not so a rare condition in buildings of this age and type.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
