COUNTRY REPORT - Italy - South

BUILD SEE
Addressing the divide between the EU indicators and their practical implementation
in the green construction and eco-social re-qualification of residential areas in South
East Europe regions
Working Package 3 (WP3)
COUNTRY REPORT
- Italy LP – FAM Alma Mater Foundation
ERDF PP9 – COBO Municipality of Bologna
ERDF PP10 – CIRI-EC Centre for applied research Buildings and Construction,
University of Bologna
List of contributors:
Chapter 1: Public Administration Issues
Claudia Mazzoli – FAM (Group Coordinator)
Daniele Donati – FAM
Inti Bertocchi – COBO
Damiana Di Silvio – COBO
Simona Tondelli – CIRI
Angela Santangelo – CIRI
Chapter 2: Social Issues
Inti Bertocchi – COBO (Group Coordinator)
Viviana Verzieri – COBO
Maurizio Bergamaschi – FAM
Marco Castrignanò – FAM
Stefania Proli – CIRI
Angela Santangelo – CIRI
Chapter 3: Building Innovation Issues, Annex 1 and Annex 2
Simona Tondelli – CIRI (Group Coordinator)
Angela Santangelo – CIRI
Valeria Zacchei – CIRI
Barbara Ferracuti – CIRI
Marco Maglionico – CIRI
Claudio Mazzotti – CIRI
Giovanni Semprini – CIRI
Davide Prati – CIRI
Irena Stojkov – CIRI
Andrea Boeri – FAM
Roberto Maci – FAM
Inti Bertocchi – COBO
Coordinator of the LWGs:
Francesca Calvaresi – FAM
Index
Chapter 1 Public Administration Issues
1.1.
Introduction
1.2.
What does social housing mean in Italy?
1.3.
Evolution of the regulatory context
1.4.
1.5.
1.3.1.
From Plan-based urban planning to Project-based urban planning
1.3.2.
The allocation of competences among national, regional and local level
1.3.3.
Regulatory context and actions at a National level
1.3.4.
Regulatory context and actions at a Regional level
1.3.5.
Regulatory context and actions at a local level
Best practices and SWOT analysis
1.4.1.
AMA – Agenzia Metropolitana per l’Affitto (Metropolitan Agency for House Rentals)
1.4.2.
Self-building and renovation of municipal properties
1.4.3.
Contratti di Quartiere II (Neighbourhood Contracts II)
1.4.4.
Program “A house for young couples”
Conclusions
Chapter 2 Social Issues
2.1.
Introduction
2.2.
Social and demographic changes in Italy and in Bologna
2.3.
2.2.1.
Social and demographic framework
2.2.2.
Social and economical framework
2.2.3.
Changes in the assignment of Council houses
Best practices for the participation of residents and social inclusion
2.3.1.
Best practices at district/town level: participatory urban planning workshops
2.3.2.
Best practices at city level and block/neighbourhood level: community projects
2.4.
Possible solutions and recommendations
2.5.
Conclusions
1
Chapter 3 Building Innovation Issues
3.1.
Introduction
3.2.
Current situation
3.3.
3.2.1.
Introduction to first level fact-sheets
3.2.2.
Project sheets
3.2.3.
Technology/methodology sheets
Selection and discussion of best practices
3.3.1.
BIM Technology
3.3.2.
Quick methodologies for the seismic assessment of buildings
3.3.3.
Casanova Neighborhood – Public housing, Bolzano
3.3.4.
IPES Building via Dalmazia – Public housing, Bolzano
3.3.5.
Social housing and X-Lam constructing technique, via Cenni, Milan
3.3.6.
Exterior thermal insulation and finishing systems
3.3.7.
Efficient water management inside and outside the building
3.3.8.
Integrating technologies: unfired clay and electric heating films
3.4.
Possible solutions and recommendations
3.5.
Conclusions
Annex 1 – Project Sheets
Annex 2 – Technology/methodology sheets
2
Chapter 1
Public Administration Issues
1.1
Introduction
This report is not intended to provide a complete overview of the Italian situation regarding social housing,
nor to give a detailed description of the best practices employed at a National level. It has rather been
drafted aiming at providing an as simple as possible summary to be submitted to the attention of the
international partners – those participating in the BUILD SEE European project – giving a starting point,
together with the National reports of the other countries involved, for the drafting of common strategies
to achieve the goals of the project.
This overview of the regulations and administrative procedures in force retraces the plans and the tools
employed nowadays and in the past, according to the distribution of duties at a National, Regional and
local level. Given the lack of National policies on social housing, this research, after performing an analysis
of the current situation at a National level, narrowed its field of research to Emilia-Romagna and, in
particular, the Municipality of Bologna, the town where all three Italian partners of the BUILD SEE project Alma Mater Foundation, Municipality of Bologna and University of Bologna – Centre for applied research
Buildings and Construction - are located.
Hence, the first part of the work is based on the definition of the reference scenario, lacking a univocal
definition of social housing, and on the evolution of the regulatory context from the beginning of the 20 th
century to date, an essential analysis to understand the Italian situation in a broader international
perspective. Then, the administrative distribution of duties regarding public and social housing are briefly
described, characterised by a progressive reduction of public actions by the State and a gradual transfer of
functions and administrative duties to the Regions and the local authorities. In the following paragraphs
the regulatory framework and the actions taken at a National, regional and local level are described. A
range of best practices and actions promoted by the Emilia Romagna Region and the Municipality of
Bologna are suggested, in order to provide help both to specific groups and broad population ranges living
in a difficult housing situation. In conclusions, some solutions and recommendations are provided as a
starting point for a transnational debate.
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1.2
What does social housing mean in Italy?
Recently, in Italy, the English term social housing has been often used to describe the possible answer to
the housing issues in a general sense. It is used without an official and a univocal definition and it includes
different practices and policies for their nature and the beneficiaries, being aware that any measure is
unrelated to the other and that any experience comes after trials, since there is no definition of the
indications and the requirements to be satisfied.
However, even at a European level, the issue of finding a common terminology and definition is very
important, given the scenario in which the Member States of the European Union are characterised by
different National housing situations and policies. A definition which has been commonly recognized and
accepted at an international level is the one suggested by CECODHAS1, defining social housing as the
range of activities aimed at providing suitable housing, through established rules of assignment, to those
unable to satisfy their housing needs on the market, due to financial reasons or for the lack of an adequate
offer.2
The Italian legislations defines the concept of social housing in the DM 22/04/2008, but it does not provide
a univocal definition of residential social housing (Edilizia Residenziale Sociale - ERS). Consequently, the
term social housing has been commonly associated to the wider range of actions in public interest housing
going beyond the traditional borders of public residential housing and that imply partnerships with private
and non-profit entities. In short, there are many ways to interpret social housing in Italy basing on the
characteristics which are stressed in different occasions: a definition may include the full range of housing
policy actions receiving public support in any form; another may interpret social housing as an area of
housing policies going beyond traditional residential public housing, differentiating from it in terms of
flexibility, the broader target of people in housing deprivation and for the subject involved; while another
definition may label social housing as some well-established forms of public-private partnerships for the
investment of resources for urban renewal and the set up of new housing interventions. Social housing is
therefore a complex field of action involving many aspects and needing many actions to give effective
responses. From an economic-financial point of view, the term social housing has been used to describe
actions promoted by private entities in which the public partner has the duty to facilitate the acquisition of
building areas at more favourable economic conditions compared to the open market. As far as welfare
1
European Committe for the promotion of the Right to Housing.
“Social housing is defined as housing for households whose needs are not met by the open market and where there are rules for
allocating housing to benefiting households.” Social housing definition given by CECODHAS in Thessaloniki in November 2006.
2
5
policies are concerned, there is a broad range of actions that are included under the definition of social
housing policies, such as social real estate agencies working to support people and families living in
disadvantaged conditions, carrying out a role of facilitators and guarantors; homes for social inclusion
aimed at specific targets; specific housing projects betting on the direct and active involvement of the
residents, such as self-build, self-renovation and cohousing.
The lack of a juridical definition of residential social housing (ERS) provides more uncertainty to an already
confused terminological scenario in which this term is often used instead of residential public housing
(ERP) without a clear and universally recognized distinction between the two of them that are often
misinterpreted, inverted or given the same meaning. Residential public housing (Edilizia Residenziale
Pubblica - ERP), this is how was renamed by the regulations contained in the L.865/1971, means housing
properties built with the financial contribution of the State or other public entities for the building of lowcost houses for the poorest range of citizens. The DLgs n. 112/1998 gives the Regions authority on the
whole sector, while the State preserves functions of generic indications and the definition of criteria to
facilitate access to the leasing market and the actions regarding income financial support. This system is
made up of three ways to provide houses for ERP-Residential Public Housing: subsidized, based on
municipality agreements and facilitated housing; the first option is the one fully or partially financed by the
State for those who are in need and need the most to be collocated in council houses. The term Residential
social housing (ERS) was created in Italy to represent the attempt to broaden and improve the quality of
the offer of for-lease (and, to a lesser extent, for-sale) houses, providing new houses for those who are
excluded from ERP for their income but who are still unable to bear market costs. Although they are as
characterized by a social function as ERP-Public residential housing measures, the ERS-Residential Social
Housing measures are those actions in which there is a partnership with private companies or bodies for
the building and the management of the houses for, in turn, receiving leases constituting, in part, a profit
for the private investor. To make these projects feasible from an economic perspective, a public
contribution in form of non-refundable grants or transfers of property rights is needed. In this way the
Public Administration becomes a catalyst of private funds which couldn’t have been invested in the
financing operation, since the profit margin would have been to low compared to the risk of the operation.
In conclusion, ERS - Residential social housing contains all the traditional social actions defined by ERP Residential public housing, but it broadens the possible implementations, the characteristics of a
heterogeneous target, the lease fees applied to the housing units produced (higher than public housing
but still lower than the open market) and the partners involved, ranging from public entities to private
companies and non-profit organizations. ERS - Residential Social Housing is different from ERP 6
Residential Public Housing due to its opening to new forms of partnership between public bodies and
private entities, it includes subsidized housing and the cooperation to an undivided property, in addition to
sale-oriented (even if to a lesser extent) agreement based and facilitated housing and all the new forms of
partnership recently arising. Therefore, we can consider residential public housing as a subset of social
housing policies and, hence, of residential social housing.
Bearing in mind the lack of a univocal definition, for this report we suggest to employ the following: social
housing is the set of policies aimed at providing housing solutions for a broad range of population with
different nature and needs, finding itself in a situation of deprivation and unable to satisfy its housing
needs on the market. The causes are to be found in an inadequate offer, strongly unbalanced towards
property housing and the economic impossibility to access an adequate house, even though they are
individuals earning an income and do not need total support from the public sector.
1.3
1.3.1
Evolution of the regulatory context
From plan based urban planning to project-based urban planning
Since the early 20th century, the issue of housing for the categories with no income has been very
important for the State. The Luzzatti Law (L. 254/1903) created in 1903 the Istituti Autonomi Case Popolari
(Council Housing Autonomous Institutes), local municipal entities with decision power in this area. These
regulations envisages a regulatory role of the State rather than an economic one, regulating the granting
of loans for the construction of council houses by several entities to legally recognized cooperatives and
mutual organizations. The “Testo Unico sull’edilizia popolare ed economica” (Consolidated act on public and economical housing) of 1938 (R.D. 1165/1938) defines a new provincial character of IACPs and sets
regulations on the characteristics of the housing units and the subjects admitted to their building.
Although the first half of the 20th century was marked by a remarkable activity to provide an answer to the
housing needs, the Italian Constitution does not translate the housing issue into a right to housing in a
strict sense.
The post-WWII period was characterized by an intense construction activity going on until the Seventies.
The main reasons are related to the significant urbanization trends in the main cities and industrial centres,
the growth of the population and the destruction of a huge number of buildings during the war. The Piano
INA-Casa (Istituto di assicurazioni, L. 43/1949 - National Insurance Institute Housing Plan) gave way to a
long-term action plan for the building of social housing units for workers, allowing the absorption of non7
qualified workforce moving from the agricultural to the industrial sector. This plan mostly aimed at
reducing unemployment through the development of the construction sector as a driving force for the
rebirth of the country after WWII. Hence, starting from the Fifties, the State takes a more incisive, but still
indirect, role by envisaging autonomous bodies such as INA-Casa and, from 1963, GESCAL (Gestione case
per lavoratori - Housing management for workers). These plans are financed partly through a direct
contribution in the form of taxes, partly by employees and by employers. It’s the most important public housing action after WWII. In the same year, with the Law 408/1949, the distinction between public and
economical houses ceased to exist, thus giving the INA-Casa plan a new procedure, not limited to workers
but for the citizens in general, regardless of their job, complying with some established requirements. The
GESCAL (L. 60/1963) was founded in 1963 after the suppression of INA-Casa, with the duty of developing a
10-year plan for the construction of housing units through Zone Plans; the local administrations had the
duty of finding the construction areas, according to the zones of the General Urban Plan, to be developed
through Zone Plans promoted by public and private entities and proceeding to the subsequent
urbanization.
In the early Seventies, a rearrangement of the organizations and duties regarding residential public
housing was launched; the L. 865/1971 established the Comitato Edilizia Residenziale (CER - Residential
Housing Committee) distributing the allocated funds for the execution of programs and giving the Regions
the task of localizing actions and implementing them through the selection of public (IACP) and private
(mostly construction cooperatives) executive entities. Hence, we can see a shift to a regulatory-financing
role of the State. The existing estate assets built with INA-Casa and GESCAL contributions were
transferred to the Istituti Autonomi Case Popolari, which turned into public entities indirectly managed by
the State. The L. 457/1978 marked the start of a new phase of constructions with a 10-year plan of
residential housing and the introduction of important modifications to the previous regulatory framework,
envisaging new public housing interventions and the reuse of the existing assets with the institution of the
Renovation Plans. CER performed control activities at a national level, the duty of the Regions was to draft
4-year plans and 2-year intervention projects after analysing the housing need at a regional level and the
distribution of the interventions for areas, as well as the definition of the maximum acceptable costs and
the technical and procedural control towards the partners working in programs financed with public funds.
A new phase of national housing policies started in the early Nineties. Residential public housing is not the
only object of the intervention but a component of a broader program to improve urban quality. As a
matter of fact, low construction and urban quality of the housing assets, together with the onset of
8
degradation, requires a qualitative approach replacing the quantity-oriented one characterizing the offer
in the previous years. There is also a progressive reduction in the direct intervention of the State in favour
of property housing. The L. 179/1992 refinances the 10-year public housing plan and establishes the
Programmi di Riqualificazione Urbana (PRiU - Urban Regeneration Programs) and the Programmi Integrati
di Intervento (PIN - Integrated Intervention Programs), while the L. 493/1993 establishes the Programmi di
Recupero Urbano (PRU - Urban Recovery Programs) aiming at carrying out interventions on the residential
public housing assets through a set of actions, ranging from the construction, maintenance and
modernization of primary and secondary urbanizations, the completion and the integration of existing
urban complexes to the xurrent and supplementarymaintenance and the conservative reconditioning. The
resources to be allocated for these new programs were partly found through the sale of leased housing
units, according to L. 560/1993, even though this measure led to a significant reduction of the housing
stock, it was not enough to find sufficient resources for new housing units due to the low sales prices. For
this reason, this became a period of new policies and tests, such as the Contratti di Quartiere Neighbourhood Contracts (DM 22/10/1997), urban recovery projects promoted by Municipalities in
neighbourhoods struck by degradation of buildings and of urban environment and by a lack of services in
low social cohesion and high housing deprivation contexts. The fundamental goal was to stimulate, in
these areas, more public and private investments in social initiatives.
From the second half of the Nineties there was a progressive reduction of the State public intervention and
a transfer of functions and administrative tasks to Regions and local authorities. However, in these years it
is evident that the Regions are working in the framework of a social housing National policy which simply
cannot fulfill the needs of their areas of competence with suitable support policies. As a matter of fact, the
transfer of duties from the State to the Regions has not been supported with a suitable allocation of
resources. The most significant opportunities are those given by Community Programs, in particular the
ones related to energy efficiency in the housing sector, to the promotion of pilot projects for the
construction of new buildings and the renovation of the existing housing assets
according to
environmental, social and economic sustainability criteria.
1.3.2
The allocation of competences among national, regional and local level
The current and recently introduced configuration of the duties regarding residential social housing has
been defined through a regulatory process leading to the reorganization of powers at a national, regional
and local levels. The DLgs 112/1998 established the transfer of duties from the State to the Regions, giving
the former the task of determining general principles and goals in order to avoid big imbalances among
9
the Regions as far as the housing welfare policy is concerned. According to the principle of subsidiarity3,
the State does not interfere with the drafting of regional programs, but it only gives the fundamental
guidelines for the harmonization of national scale programs: the State has the task of defining general
principles and goals according to the objectives of social policies, the minimum levels of housing services
and housing units quality standards, the determination of criteria to favour the access to the lease market
by low-income families and the interventions concerning financial income support. The Regions are given
the task of allocating financial resources according to the already established intervention guidelines and
the incentive modes, the management and implementation of the interventions, the determination of the
types of intervention, the setting up of criteria for the assignment of public houses and the determination
of their lease fees. It is also up to the Regions to define statutes and to control the partners carrying out
the interventions. The transfer of duties has been confirmed by the reform of Title V of the Italian
Constitution in 2001 regarding the regulations of local autonomies, and it established that residential
public housing is not a matter for which the State has the exclusive legislative competence nor it is a
matter for which the competence is concurrent between State and Regions: while the Regions maintained
some functions such as programming, giving guidelines and determining minimum requisites, the Local
Authorities, especially Municipalities, were given tasks regarding the definition of specific rules to handle
the ERP system, including the transfer of property of ERP houses. Nowadays, some Municipalities are
directly managing the transferred assets, while others decided to delegate the Aziende Casa transferring
also the management of houses already in their possession.
1.3.3
Regulatory framework and actions at a national level
The national legislation is in charge of determining general principles and goals in order to harmonize
regional housing programs at a national scale. The developing program on subsidized for-lease housing,
promoted with Law 21/2001, aims at increasing the offer of houses to be permanently leased for an agreed
fee or to be assigned according to the conditions established by Regional Laws on residential public
housing first of all in order to meet the housing needs of the weakest social groups and of those families
who received a notice of eviction. These interventions are preferably carried out in municipalities with
severe housing problems. This program is one of the most significant experiences of the last decade, even
though it was not completed due to a cut of funds. The DDMM 27/12/2001 and 30/12/2002 indicated the
3
Introduced by L. 59/1997 (legge Bassanini) and the following reform of Title V of the Part II of the Constitution (art. 118
Constitution, as introduced by Legge Costituzionale n. 3/2001), the principle of subsidiarity establishes the distribution of
administrative tasks among the different levels of local Government (at a supranational level: EU-Member states, at a national
level State-Regions, at a local level State-Regions-Local Authorities) limiting the framework of intervention of the higher entities
compared to the scope of the lower ones.
10
financial resources and established the procedures for the implementation of innovative programs in the
urban field called Neighbourhood Contracts II. This programs involves peripheral, or however degraded,
neighbourhoods and its purpose is to be another edition of the Neighbourhood Contracts I experience,
aiming at carrying out actions in contexts of high construction and urban environment degradation, of lack
of services and of low social cohesion and high housing problems. Unlike the first edition, these
neighbourhood contracts are handled by the Regions which, through their own calls for tenders, commit
themselves in allocating funds to the most deserving projects suggested by the Municipalities. The need of
a definition of residential social housing (ERS) arose, in particular, between 2007 and 2009, when the
Communitarian dispositions on State benefits for social housing (decision 2005/842/CE) had to be
translated into the Italian legislative system. The DM 22/04/2008 gives the definition of social housing,
meaning a residential housing unit on a permanent lease to achieve the integration among different parts
of the society and the improvement of the lives of the targets: disadvantaged families unable to access the
open lease market. Moreover, it is envisaged that private partners, chosen after public procedures, would
obtain forms of compensation to earn a profit. Hence, social housing becomes an essential element of the
residential social housing system, which is made up by a set of housing services aimed at satisfying
primary needs. The characteristics and the rules for accessing this program are set, however a univocal
definition of ERS is not given. The most innovative part of this regulations is represented by the
interpretation of social housing as an added urban standard to be achieved through the free granting of
areas or housing units. The implementation of this provision is complex and it has been delegated to the
regional regulations which have to define criteria and rules. The Piano Nazionale di Edilizia Abitativa4 (Piano
Casa - National Plan of Residential Housing) aims at increasing the offer of houses to be assigned to, first
of all, disadvantaged social groups through the construction of new houses or the renovation of the
existing ones, complying with determined criteria of energy efficiency and reduction of polluting
emissions. The Decree sets the limit for the public subsidies for each intervention according to the type of
construction and includes, among the elements for the selection of the suggestions, the contribution of
additional resources apart from the public ones, making particular reference to those coming from the
private sector. The main interesting element is the configuration of a mixed and participatory model with a
strong involvement of the private construction, being it both direct, through project financing or the
participation in integrated intervention projects, or indirect, with the participation in financial instruments
such as estate funds. The available tools are, as above, estate funds, innovative investment forms (e.g.
warranty funds), financial resources of State, Regions, Autonomous Provinces, Local Authorities and
4
Art. 11 Decreto Legge 112/2008, converted with modifications into Legge 133/2008, implemented with DPCM 16 July 2009.
11
Public Authorities, project financing, activities of housing cooperatives. In particular, the Sistema Integrato
di Fondi Immobiliari (SITI - Real Estate Funds Integrated System), is in charge of promoting the
development of a network of funds or other financial instruments for the improvement of urban areas and
the construction of social housing units. The shares can be acquired exclusively by institutional long-term
investors. Despite the innovative feature of this Piano Casa, the goal of giving a significant response to the
growing demand of ERS has not been achieved, as the Corte dei Conti (Court of Audit) declared in the first
report of 2012, expressing a negative judgement on the effectiveness, efficiency and the public
expenditure allocated for the Piano Casa.
1.3.4
Regulatory framework and actions at a regional level
Housing policies at a regional level consist of a set of activities aimed at the growth of the offer of available
housing units at facilitated conditions compared to the open market, but also promoting and
implementing more policies aimed at satisfying the demand of services and the housing welfare of weak
subjects and groups.
In the Emilia-Romagna Region, the regulation governing housing policies and public interventions on
residential construction is the Legge Regionale n.24 del 2001 “ Disciplina generale dell’intervento pubblico nel settore abitativo” (General regulations on the public intervention in the housing sector). This act reformed
the regional system of residential public housing, dictated the basic norms related to the public housing
assets and it is currently being updated to adapt to overlying regulations and to a mutated social situation.
One of the main features of this 2001 Regional Law is that it modified the governance of the residential
public housing (ERP) sector by changing and redistributing the tasks and the functions among the different
institutional levels, as well as the rules governing their relations. In the distribution of tasks, this law drew
inspiration from a vertical subsidiarity criterion (Region, Province, Municipality). ACER (Azienda Casa
Emilia Romagna) is the public economic entity provided with a legal status and organizational, patrimonial
and accounting autonomy in charge of defining specific rules to manage the ERP system and its activities
are regulated by the Regional Law and the Civil Law. The ownership of Acer is given to the Province and
the Municipalities, which exercise it in the Conference of the Authorities composed by the President of the
Province and the Mayors of the Municipalities. The province holds 20% of the Acer net asset value, while
the rest is given to Municipalities according to the number of their inhabitants.
We should also not forget about other Regional laws such as L.R. n.6/2010 Governo e riqualificazione
solidale del territorio (Governance and social renewal of the area) with which new spur was given to L.R.
12
19/98 (“Norme in materia di riqualificazione urbana” - Regulations for urban regeneration), already updated
and integrated by L.R. 6/09, to regulate and agree on a strategic programming of urban regeneration
interventions in different areas and LR n.6/2011 “Disciplina della partecipazione della Regione EmiliaRomagna ai fondi chiusi per il sostegno dell’edilizia residenziale sociale” (Regulation for the participation of
the Emilia-Romagna Region to closed funds for the support of residential social housing) which created
the conditions to give way to the renovation of the existing assets and, most of all, to find innovative
estate financial instruments participated by public and private partners and integrated in the system.
MAIN ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE REGION.
In order to tackle housing deprivation, the Region tried different measures using national tools or its own
resources made up by programs and financial instruments, among which we can find:
1) Housing grants
Periodically, according to the availability of funds on its own budget or coming from the national budget,
the Region promotes facilitated housing programs to increase the offer of leased housing units at a
reduced fee, for the purchase of the first home and to finance maintenance and renovation
intervention on the existing housing assets.
The recipients are the Municipalities and the private partners, such as housing cooperatives, construction
companies, foundations, syndicates, non-profit organizations carrying out building or renovation of
buildings for housing purposes.
The housing units will be assigned to low-income families.
The Region, for each program, indicates the type of housing solutions to be carried out (permanent lease,
temporary lease, rent-to-buy, purchase), defines the administrative and financial guidelines and the
requirements that the recipients of the housing units must have. The access to the houses financed by the
Regions is subject to an assessment of the subjective requirements, including the family income which is
periodically updated.
The currently ongoing programs are:
Residential social housing 2010 program aiming at creating units from subsidized-facilitated
housing to be assigned: for permanent lease or right of use; long-term, at least 25 years, lease or
right of use; medium-term lease, even with rent-to-buy options, for at least 10 years; to low13
income subjects, complying with specific requirements, at a lower fee compared to the open
market.
A house for young couples and other households aiming at giving a quick response with better
conditions compared to the open market to the demand of housing services by particular
categories of citizens who do not have the necessary amount of money to purchase their first
home. The program aims at creating units from subsidized-facilitated housing to be assigned to
particular groups of citizens willing to buy their first home with a lease-to-own formula, after a
period on lease or right of use of maximum 4 years with lower lease fees compared to the market.
The price is determined at the signing of the leasing contract or the deed for the right of house
with future ownership.
Experimental self-build program, aiming at satisfying the needs of low and medium-income
families struggling to find housing at an accessible cost. The beneficiaries are those households
complying with the subjective requirements and recipients of the ownership of the self-built
housing units.
Construction program for 3000 houses for lease and to be sold as first homes through which the
Region committed itself to finance the creation of 3,000 houses to be given for permanent or
temporary lease or right of use, for a maximum of 10 years, granting the ownership for those lowincome subjects struggling to find a first home at accessible lease fees or prices.
2) Support to family for the payment of leases
The Region aims at supporting those families who, due to the ongoing economic and employment crisis,
are struggling to pay their lease. To achieve this goal, the Region allocated resources for Provinces and
Municipalities to allow them to carry out some actions, preferably together, aimed at supporting families
in their lease payments.
In this way, the resources can be employed to guarantee the credits of the banks towards those citizens
who agree on a suspension of the eviction procedure with the owners or being employed to grant
contributions for those people who are currently insolvent in paying their lease or to favour permanence
and mobility in the house renting sector.
3) Regional action programs for public property housing
As we stated before, the Regional Law transferred the ownership and the management of the ERP system,
hence, the Region is not directly involved in this matter, but supports the Municipalities and the entities
14
chosen by the Municipalities in allocating the necessary resources to improve and raise the number of
assigned or assignable houses.
Here are some examples:
-
No vacant public houses, and its continuation, it’s a program for the recovery of Municipalityowned empty houses needing maintenance or renovation in order to make them assignable.
-
Action program on the municipal residential public housing assets 2003-2004: it is a program
giving Municipalities contributions for the maintenance, renovation and technological and
regulatory upgrade of Municipality-owned houses in order to increase and improve the offer of
public houses given for lease.
4) Revolving fund
This fund is used to grant mortgages by credit institutes for the creation of houses designated for
permanent or temporary lease or right of use and to be given in ownership. Facilitated mortgages are
granted to Municipalities, construction companies, housing cooperatives and other subjects chosen by the
Region through specific calls for tenders.
The creation of the revolving fund is a way to fund public policies. It allows to permanently use the given
financial resources in time: as beneficiaries pay the instalments of the granted mortgages, a share of the
returned capital enters the revolving fund and can be used to fund more action programs. Through this
revolving fund, the Region gives the recognized banks part of the capitals for the granting of facilitated
mortgages. Hence, the recipients of facilitated mortgages pay interests only on the part of the agreed
capital that the banks draw from the market.
One of the first programs of facilitated housing funded through the revolving fund is the Construction
program for 3,000 houses for lease and to be sold as first homes.
5) Fund for the architectural barriers
It’s a measure through which the Region invested in improving the housing condition of physically disabled people. Initially, the creation of the fund, envisaged by a national law (L.n. 13/1989), was carried out
through national resources; time after time, needs have increased, so the Region has had to provide
resources directly.
15
The involved buildings can be either public or private for housing or residential purposes and can also
involve the accessibility and the usability of the areas in which these buildings are located, giving particular
attention to access paths. If there are available (national and/or regional) funds, the contribution is
distributed among the Municipalities according to the needs reported every year to the Region.
6) Warranty fund
It is a measure granting guarantees for the payment of mortgage instalments on behalf of the buyers of
first homes built or renovated through regional funds, granted with the program “3,000 houses for lease
and to be sold as first homes.”
In this way, the Region replaces the borrower, who, due to a difficult economic situation, is unable to pay
the mortgage instalments, anticipating the due sums to the bank. At the end of the mortgage, the
beneficiary of the fund returns the sum of money originally owed to the bank for the instalments he/she
was unable to pay during the loan.
7) Lease fund
It’s a measure for the granting of a contribution to help the recipients of housing units (ERPs excluded) in
paying their lease. The contribution is distributed among the Municipalities, which, in turn, grant it to the
households in need.
8) Agreements and regional protocols
The list goes on with more initiatives such as the ethical regional fund for social housing; the purchasing of
construction areas for social purposes; the national housing plan.
These measures are strongly related to each other, finding a formal definition consistent with national
planning through the regional definition of the “Coordinated action program for housing policies and urban
regeneration” approved in 2010. This is a program implementing the provisions contained in the
L.R.n.24/2001 and representing the vision of housing policies and, at the same time, features for a
sustainable regeneration of urban areas recalling urban safety and social cohesion.
It has to be noted that, among all these tools and actions quoted herein , only a few of them involved
topics such as urban regeneration and renewal of residential areas, because, since the general problem is to
meet the “housing demand” with a shortage of resources, the given response which appeared to be the
most immediate and efficient one was to provide a sort of “social” assistance to the person, using the
16
current accessible public or private housing assets and, only in very rare cases, recover, renovate or create
new houses.
Among the tools or action which may have directly or indirectly affected the housing assets with any sort
of intervention, we would like to provide the following examples:
URBAN REGENERATION PROGRAMS FOR HOUSES AT A SUSTAINABLE LEASE PRICE (PRUACS)
In 2008, the State, with this program, allocated resources for the implementation of an experimental
program, granting a share to the Emilia-Romagna Region. The goal of the Program, which is still on-going,
has been to increase the availability of houses, to be leased at a sustainable lease price and to improve the
infrastructural assets in those neighbourhoods with a high rate of housing deprivation, to be assigned to
those social groups complying with the requirements to enter the residential public housing system and to
those groups of citizens above this range but still living in housing deprivation conditions. (For more
details,
read
http://territorio.regione.emilia-romagna.it/politiche-abitative/studi-analisi-pubblicazioni-
1/forum-regionale-sullabitare in particular “Il contributo della riqualificazione urbana per Abitare la città” by
M.Zanelli)
NEIGHBOURHOOD CONTRACTS II
An innovative program in the urban sector created and funded by the State in 2001 in order to reduce
house deprivation and to promote actions aimed at increasing the offer of leased houses. The program
mainly aimed at increasing, with the participation of private investors, the housing assets of degraded
neighbourhoods in the cities and municipalities with the highest employment and housing deprivation
and, at the same time, measures and actions to promote employment, social integration and to adapt the
housing offer. (For more details, see http://territorio.regione.emilia-romagna.it/politiche-abitative/studianalisi-pubblicazioni-1/forum-regionale-sullabitare in particular “Il contributo della riqualificazione urbana
per Abitare la città” by M.Zanelli)
1.3.5
Regulatory framework and actions at a local level
17
1.
-
2.
-
3.
-
-
1.
2.
-
3.
4.
5.
1.
18
2.
–
19
-
–
-
–
20
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
21
-
1.4
1.4.1
Best practices and SWOT analysis
Contratti di Quartiere II (Neighborhood contracts II)
22
-
-
23
- -
-
1.4.2
Program “A house for young couples”
-
-
-
-
- -
-
-
-
-
24
-
-
-
-
-
-
25
1.4.3
AMA – Agenzia Metropolitana per l’Affitto (Metropolitan Agency for House Rental)
Sponsoring partners:
Province of Bologna, Municipality of Bologna, ACER Bologna
Managing partner:
The Managing Partner is ACER Bologna Servizi
Type of financing:
The action is financed by the Emilia Romagna Region
Beneficiaries:
Citizens living in the municipalities of the province participating in the project
Short description:
AMA - Agenzia Metropolitana per l'Affitto (Metropolitan Agency for House Rental) of the Province of
Bologna is a non-profit association collaborating with multiple public and private partners in order to
achieve its objectives.
AMA aims at meeting rental housing supply and demand by providing subsidized rental as a profitable,
equitable and favorable instrument both for owners and tenants.
Average-income tenants selected through dedicated rankings by the municipal administrations
participating in the project can find lower rentals if compared to those applied in the free market.
Private estate owners can rent their house minimizing the risks related to the selection of tenants and the
non-payment of rent.
The Emilia Romagna Region decided to financially support the agencies for house rental at a provincial
level since they represent an effective instrument to control the real estate market with beneficial effects
for the whole community.
The Metropolitan Agency for House Rental of the Province of Bologna provides:
The selection of tenants through the development and update of solvent households municipal
rankings;
Operational support for owners and tenants as well as assistance in the contract drafting phase;
Lease contracts and bureaucratic requirements management (contract registration, tax payment,
communications, etc.);
The development and management of a guarantee fund to cover arrearage (non-payments of
rental up to 6 months);
The control and monthly monitoring of the regularity of rental payments made by the tenant;
26
The supply of a list of professionals who can deal with executive procedure for ending a lease;
The reimbursement of legal costs in case of initiation of the procedure of eviction for arrears;
The insurance against possible tenant’s damages to the property, with favorable conditions for both parties.
References:
SWOT Analysis:
STRENGHTS
WEAKNESSES
-
-
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
-
27
1.4.4
Self-building and renovation of municipal properties
Sponsoring partner:
Municipality of Bologna
Managing partner:
Syndicate Association (Associazione Temporanea di Scopo – ATS) formed by the Xenia Association, the abn
- a&b Network Sociale consortium and the ABCittà social cooperative, chosen by the Municipality of
Bologna through a public call for bids.
Type of financing:
The action is financed by the Municipality of Bologna, selling its properties for one third of their market
value; the renovation costs are payable by the subject selected through public notice.
Beneficiaries:
Citizens residing or having their principal place of business in the Municipality of Bologna, with special
requirements (limitations to the in-rem jurisdiction over properties, limitations concerning the financial
situation).
Specific target:
The applications are sorted awarding more points to young couples and households with dependent
minors.
Short description :
The self-renovation project in progress in Bologna involves the renovation of 9 properties owned by the
Municipality of Bologna that is carried out by the final users.
Through a call for bids, the Municipality selected the partner in charge of the intervention, represented by
a Syndicate Association (Associazione Temporanea di Scopo – ATS) made up of subjects with different
competences. The Xenia Association (leading partner) will deal with the initial approach and social
mediation, the ABN Consortium of Perugia will deal with the technical construction aspects, as well as
financial and social elements, ABCittà Social Cooperative of Milan will be in charge of participatory
processes for an informed involvement of beneficiaries, future neighborhood and local area. This
partnership will include different competences in the technical and construction field, as well as in social
and communication areas. In order to participate it is not necessary to have specific technical-professional
skills (these will be provided by training in the field), however, some working hours availability during free
time (weekends and holidays) and motivation to work together will be required. The self-renovators will
create a cooperative and work in the construction sites in full compliance with the existing law on safety
and with the insurances needed; the ATS staff will be in charge of their training and the working groups’ 28
organization. The self-renovators will be supported by qualified personnel and they will work on all the
properties, not just on the ones they have been assigned.
At the end of the works, the cooperative of self-renovators will agree upon a convention with the
Municipality of Bologna for the transfer of building lease of the properties for 99 years, after which they
will become property of the Municipality. The amount paid for the constitution of the building lease will be
used by the Municipality to increase housing opportunities in town.
References:
SWOT Analysis:
STRENGHTS
WEAKNESSES
-
-
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
-
-
-
29
1.5
Conclusions
Residential housing is at the very core of a whole series of different policies and interests.
It is the end of the line for the natural tension between aspirations of private constructors and the need for
a strong public-driven town planning, the conflict between land planning actions and welfare
management, the tension towards housing market and the opposite one, conceiving the right to a house
as a social right.
The cases we analyzed show all these features, being a “crossroads” of different visions and actions. These are intermediate solutions and mediation choices entailing an original balance to be established every
time among the people’s needs, the needs for regulation and the limits of the law system. For this reason, among the different possibilities listed, there isn’t any systematic or comprehensive solution per se, nor a single and harmonious policy, but only specific projects with specific objectives,
involving specific areas and for specific types of citizens. Given these preconditions, it does not come as a
surprise that the jurisdiction framework of local entities is undefined and to a certain extent even
uncertain, relying on other “stronger” and consolidated functions.
The same difficulty in having clear-cut definitions, as we reminded in the first part, becomes easier to
understand: these direct and indirect actions present very few common features.
Perhaps, if we look more closely at the problem, the only common feature in the cases listed above is the
role of interests composition assigned to the entity leading the project: a composition that appears to be
collaborative and barely authoritarian, giving the observer the impression of having the provision of a
service (either professional, goods and activities) rather than a regulatory policy (even if participatory, or
non-impartial).
However, in the light of the fragility of the balance achieved, there are some rules determining very limited
differentiation areas and discretional organization within the administrations.
In the light of the analysis of local cases, there is no doubt about a clear lack of a housing legislation able to
include and promote diversity of the various urban and territorial contexts as well as defining clearly and
sensibly, on the one hand, the rights and guarantees for citizens and, on the other hand, the functions,
duties and services to be provided by the different institutions.
30
Having said that, it is important to highlight that, in spite of dealing with an area alternating inflexibility
and absence, the province and the municipality were able to implement a series of convincing and (at least
potentially) effective actions which may be insufficient to meet the housing needs completely when the
individual conditions do not allow for it, although they are providing a strong system of solutions. In this
context we must admit that housing, in these areas, is still a persistent problem (especially in these years
of crisis and unemployment), but it can find sensible and often adequate solutions in public policies.
Obviously, as it always happens, there is room for improvement. But the fact that, despite the uncertainty
observed, the residential building sector does not represent a further emergency gives us the possibility to
analyze the existing framework (and to intervene) with the necessary objectivity and calm.
And this is not of little importance these days.
31
Chapter 2
Social Issues
2.1 Introduction
The economic crisis affecting Italy and many European countries has recently created new forms of urban
poverty and segregation even in some contexts believed to be immune from this risk. This is why people
nowadays talk about “new kinds of poverty”.
Moreover, the impact of the economic crisis itself, had profoundly different effects in every reference
social context, changing from area to area according to the characteristics of households, working
conditions of their members, generational characteristics, availability of cultural resources and the amount
of the respective “social capital”. In Residential Public Housing contexts, the outbreak of new poverties is
particularly evident, as shown by an analysis of how the recipients of Council houses have changed in time.
It is a very complex phenomenon, probably going beyond the financial factor and also depending on the
onset of new social needs requiring new answers that cannot be satisfied only through social services and
volunteering networks.
The question is about what kind of measures must be taken to face this crisis. Obviously, there is a need of
national policies against poverty, universal measures supporting particularly disadvantaged social groups.
Some of these measures - both in Italy and in Europe - are already in force, while others are being studied.
However, it is important, at the same time, to draft integrated action strategies at a local level, defined
with a local map of social needs and requests in mind. According to a complete implementation of the
constitutional vertical and horizontal subsidiarity principle, these “community” actions can lead to envisage global actions for citizens and families in different contexts of ordinary life, stimulating the
growth of a shared responsibility, making the most of the available local resources and strengthening local
social cohesion.
Local strategies must be drafted bearing in mind the changes in society and population in order to grasp
the new needs of a heterogeneous population and its different perspectives: family composition, age
ranges and origins. For this reason, we will start this report from the analysis of these changes comparing
national and local mutations in population.
In the examples described herein, we deliberately focused on the experiences analysed in residential public
housing contexts, where there is a higher risk of social exclusion, and we decided to analyse the
experiences of the Municipality of Bologna, since it’s an area with a long history of civil participation,
33
having a particularly rich experience in the social field, making it a reference for innovation in the national
field.
We will focus on two action fields: the first one deals with urban planning and participatory urban projects,
involving large parts of the area (usually a town district or a part of it), the other is related to the so called
“community projects” involving very limited areas of action, e.g. a condominium or a block. We will provide some examples in the following paragraphs.
After this first analysis and the importance of this topic for the Municipal Administration, we decided to
choose the experimentation of a social mix in a sector of residential public housing as a Local Case Study
for the BUILD SEE project. This analysis will be described in a summary document which is still being
drafted.
2.2. Social and demographic changes in Italy and Bologna
2.2.1. Social and demographic framework
Resident population
During the two decades from 1991 to 2011, the Italian resident population grew from 56,778,031 to
59,394,207 units, with an overall increase of 2,616,176 people (+4.6%) (table 1). The population growth rate
was essentially low between 1991 and 2001 and significantly raised between 2001 and 2011. In particular,
in the first decade the population grew by 217,713 people (+0.4%), while in the second this figure increased
by 2,398,463 (+4.2%). Hence, in our country, the resident population is progressively and substantially
growing especially in the years analysed.
Italy
Bologna
Table 1. Resident population, years 1991, 2001 e 2011
1991
2001
56,778,031
56,995,744
406,291
378,356
2011
59,394,207
382,784
In turn, Bologna is currently undergoing a different trend. Between 1991 and 2011, resident population fell
by more than 23,000 units (-5.8%) even though there was a small increase between 2001 and 2011 (+1.2%).
Hence, resident population in Bologna fell by 27,935 and then grew by 4,428 units, showing in general an
irregular trend.
34
Resident population for big age ranges, ageing index and dependency index
Concerning the resident population divided by wide age ranges, the comparison is referred to the decade
between 2001 and 2011. As far as the ageing index and the dependency index are concerned, the reference
period is the two decades between 1991 and 2011
For the Italian situation, data show a progressive population ageing (table 2). Generally speaking, in the
decade between 2001-2011 a reduced presence of the younger population (0-44 years) is noticed while
there is an increased incidence of older classes, starting from the one ranging from 45 to 64 years old.
Going more into detail, in 2011 residents between 15-29 years of age represented 15.5% of the population,
while in 2001 they accounted for 18.7%: they fell by 3.2% in a decade (table 3). In the following range (3044 years old), the reduction is by 1.1%, while the youngest population slightly decreased by 0.1%. As far as
residents ranging from 45 to 64 years of age are concerned, they grew by 2.3% and, similarly, the over-65
population rose by 2.1%.
The over-85 population is increasing compared to the overall population accounting for, in 2010 and in
provinces such as Genoa, more than 4%, while in Bologna and Florence they represent more than 3.5% of
the residents. Even though it is increasing too, in Naples this percentage is just 1.6%, less than half of
Genoa, Bologna and Florence.
Table 2. Resident population for wider age ranges, years 2001 and 2011 (absolute figures)
00-14
15-29
30-44
45-64
65 and over
Total
2001
Italy
8,103,185
10,634,755
13,232,949
14,378,981
10,645,874
56,995,744
Bologna
36,007
52,616
88,755
101,617
99,361
378,356
2011
Italy
8,325,217
9,218,888
13,131,410
16,347,870
12,370,822
59,394,207
Bologna
42,853
48,880
88,895
102,689
99,467
382,784
Table 3. Resident population for wider age ranges, years 2001 and 2011 (in percentage)
00-14
15-29
30-44
45-64
65 and over
2001
Italy
14.2
18.7
23.2
25.2
18.7
Bologna
9.5
13.9
23.5
26.8
26.3
2011
Italy
14.1
15.5
22.1
27.5
20.8
Bologna
11.2
12.8
23.2
26.8
26.0
Total
100
100
100
100
The raise of the share of elderly people in our country has been also confirmed by the trend of the ageing
35
index, which, as we can see, shows increasing values over the two decades analysed (table 4). In particular,
between 1991 and 2011, this index grows by 52%, going, between 1991 and 2001, from 96.6% to 131.4%
(+34.8%), reaching 148.6% in 2011 (+17.2% compared to 2001). Hence, the growing level of the ageing
index is a further confirmation of how the Italian population grew older during the reference period.
Italy
Bologna
Table 4. Ageing index, years 2001 and 2011
1991
2001
96.6
131.4
282.3
275.9
2011
148.6
232.1
A direct effect of the ageing population is, in Italy, the increase of the social and economic influence of the
non-working population (00-14 and 65+) on the working one (15-64) (table 5). As a matter of facts, over the
two reference decades, the structural dependency index, as well as the ageing index, grew progressively:
between 1991 and 2001, it went from 45.3% to 49.0% (+3.7%) and in 2011 it reached 53.5% (4.5%), for a
total increase of 8.2%. In particular, the huge increase of this index, related to the growth of elderly
population, shows a generational unbalance in Italy.
Italy
Bologna
Table 5. Dependency index, years 2001 and 2011
1991
2001
45.3
49.0
46.6
55.7
2011
53.5
59.2
As far as the town of Bologna is concerned, data show a different situation. In general, even if the majority
of residents belong to the highest ranges of age (45-64 and 65+) representing more than half of total
population, it’s the share of the youngest range (00-14) that changed the most in the decade between
2001 and 2011.
In particular, the category of people between 0 and 14 years residing in Bologna rose by 1.7% while there is
a decrease of the following groups of age: 15-29 (-1.1%), 30-44 (-0.3%) and 65+ (-0.3%). In relation to 2001,
the number of residents in Bologna belonging to the 45-64 class remained unchanged. Hence, opposite to
the Italian trend, the population trend in Bologna is characterized by a peculiar growth of the youngest
part of the population.
Hence, in general, we can notice how the weight of the elderly population tends to decrease while we can
observe a growth of the youngest population, even though sometimes the adult population is growing too.
According to these data and in contrast to what they show about the Italian situation, the ageing index
over two decades has progressively decreasing values. Particularly between 1991 and 2001, it falls from
36
282.3% to 275.9% (-6.4%) to 232.1% in 2011 (-43.8% compared to 2001), for a total reduction by 50.2%.
So, even though national data show a growing trend of ageing population, in Bologna elderly people tend
to have a stable weight on the whole population. This is proven true by the increase of the youngest
population.
While the ageing index progressively decreases, the dependency index has a less regular trend. This is due
to the fact that, even though the number of the youngest range is increasing while the number of the
elderly is decreasing, there are some variations regarding the proportions inside age ranges and, in
particular, between working and non-working population. In general, there is a growth of the dependency
index in Bologna.
The ageing index in Bologna from 1991 to 2011 had a progressive increase by 12.6%: the dependency age
goes from 46.6% in 1991 to 55.7% in 2001 (+9.1%) and, even with a slower growth rate, increases even
further between 2001 and 2011, reaching 59.2% (+3.5%). Since there is a reduction in over 65, the increase
of this index is related, on the one hand, to the increase of the youngest range and, on the other, to the
reduction in the working population.
Residing families
As far as residing families are concerned, the period analysed matches the 2001-2011 decade. The year
2011 data regarding the Italian situation of households per number of components are not available yet.
Hence, the only available national figures concern the total number of residing families.
Generally speaking and looking at Table 6, we can see that in the decade between 2001 and 2011 the
number of residing families tends to increase.
In particular, between 2001 and 2011 the number of families residing in Italy rose by 12.4%, going from
21,810,676 to 24,512,012.
In Bologna the number of households increased by 10.3% (from 185.,569 to 204,598). More specifically,
single-person households increased by 9.1%, while there is a reduction of those composed by two (-3.5%),
three (-4.4%) and four (-1.3%) people (table 7). Conversely, bigger households remain substantially stable:
those composed by five people remained unchanged, while those made up of 6 or more slightly increased
(+0,1%). The increase in the number of households in Bologna is to be found in the growth of households
composed by a single person: hence, the number of families in Bologna is growing because single-person
37
households are increasing.
Table 6. Households per number of components, years 2001 and 2011 (absolute figures)
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Total
2001
Italy
5,427,621
5,905,411
4,706,206 4,136,206 1,265,826
369,406
21,810,676
Bologna
76,750
55,304
33,499
15,867
3,147
1,002
185,569
2011
Italy
/
/
/
/
/
/
24,512,012
Bologna
103,513
53,736
27,810
14,877
3,406
1,256
204,598
Table 7. Households per number of components, years 2001 and 2011 (percentages)
1
2
3
4
5
6+
2001
Italy
24.8
27.1
21.6
19.0
5.8
1.7
Bologna
41.4
29.8
18.0
8.6
1.7
0.5
2011
Italy
/
/
/
/
/
/
Bologna
50.5
26.3
13.6
7.3
1.7
0.6
Total
100
100
100
Residing foreigners
As far as the foreign population residing in the studied areas is concerned, the data are referred to the two
decades between 1991 and 2011.
Between 1991 and 2011 the foreign population residing in Italy rose considerably with a substantial growth
rate: over 20 years there was an increase by 3,697,440 units (table 8). In 2001, foreign citizens residing in
Italy were 1,334,889, around 1 million more than 1991 (356,159). From 2001 to 2011, foreign population has
more than tripled, going from little more than 1,300,000 to over 4 million in 2011 (+203.7%). The
substantial increase in foreign citizens has a determinant effect on the increase in population in the 20012011 decade: the growth in the population residing in Italy has been mainly caused by the substantial
increase of foreign citizens. In other words, without people coming from abroad, the Italian demographic
trend would have been stable or even dropping.
Table 8. Residing foreign population, years 1991, 2001 and 2011 (absolute figures)
1991
2001
2011
Italy
356,159
1,334,889
4,053,599
Bologna
4,704
17,670
52,473
The strong growth in foreign population also affects the town of Bologna, which, between 1991 and 2011,
38
had an increase by 47,769 units in foreign residents. In particular, between 1991 and 2001 they rose by
275.6% and by 196.9% between 2001 and 2011.
In line with these data showing a growing foreign population, the percentage of foreign people on the
whole population grew similarly (table 9). In general, the share of foreign citizens on the total of residents
keeps increasing everywhere.
Table 9. Percentage of foreign population
Italy
Bologna
on total residents, years 1991, 2001 and 2011
1991
2001
0.6
2.3
1.2
4.7
2011
6.8
13.7
Going into detail, between 1991 and 2001 in Italy there was a growth from 0.6% to 2.3% (1.7%) reaching
6.8% (+4.5% compared to 2001) in 2011, for a total growth by 6.2%.
In Bologna, the percentage of foreign people on total population rose by 3.5% between 1991 and 2001 and
by 9.0% in the last decade (2001-2011), showing an increase by 12.5% over 20 years.
2.2.2. Social and economic framework
Taking the beginning of the 21st century as a reference, we can notice substantial changes in the Italian
society with direct and noticeable effects on the lives of its citizens. The international economic crisis
started in 2007 and worsened since 2008 stressed the onset of new social issues involving substantial
economic difficulties for an ever growing share of the population and showing deeper issues in the Italian
society. If the effects of the crisis hit the country with different intensities, the regional and provincial
contexts were not unharmed.
Here are some points highlighting the main changing factors:
1. In 2007 the unemployment rate fell and reached 6%, however, in the following years it progressively
grew reaching 12.7% in 2013, overcoming 3 million units, the highest figure since the Istat, the National
Statistics Institute, started analysing quarterly data. The tendency of staying in this condition increased
too, since 60% of unemployed people in Southern Italy have been living in this situation for more than a
year. The most affected people were women (13.1% against 11.4% of men), especially in Southern Italy,
where female unemployment reaches 21,6%. This is the most affected area, with an unemployment rate
39
over 19%, higher than 8.2% in Northern and 11% in Central Italy. If we take youth unemployment into
account, the situation gets even worse: at a national level, the percentage of the incidence of unemployed
on the employed population or those looking for employment is 41.6% and this ratio increases even more
if we only consider the female part. Once again, Southern Italy is the most troubled area, where youth
unemployment is 50% for men and 51% for women. For these reasons, the applications for unemployment
benefits reached the 2 million mark in 2013, increasing by 32.5% compared to the previous year.
2. There are more than 2 million “Neets” (Not in education, employment or training), that is to say, young
people who are not working nor are involved in training programs. 38% of Neets are between 20 and 24
years old and the majority is represented by girls.
3. The spread of job insecurity and impoverishment, even among those who seemed safe from those risks,
due to the difficult economic situation. In 2012, 12.7% (+1.6% than 2011) of the families residing in Italy
and 15.8% (+2.2%) of individuals lived in a relative condition of poverty. People living in absolute poverty
doubled in 2005 and tripled in Northern regions (from 2.5% to 6.4%). Over the years, poverty conditions
have worsened for large families with sons, especially minors, residing in Southern Italy and for families
with aggregated members, where different generations live together. Among the latter, one out of three
families is living in conditions of relative poverty while one out of five is living in absolute poverty. Families
with three or more minors are relatively poor in 17.1% of cases, with a 6% increase just between 2011 and
2012. One minor out of five lives in a family living in relatively poor conditions while one out of ten lives in a
family living in absolute poverty, the latter value doubled since 2005. The social transfer system in Italy has
proved to be less effective in reducing poverty risk than in other European countries: the share of
population risking poverty is just 5% lower than before the transfers. In Scandinavian Countries, this
difference is higher than 10%, while in France and in Germany is around 10%. In 2012 the headline
indicator “Europe 2020”, dealing with people risking poverty or social exclusion, almost reached 30% in
Italy, a threshold overcame only by Greece in the EU15. This indicator, compared to 2011, grew by 1.7% for
the share of severely deprived families (from 11.2% to 14.5%). In 2005, 70% of relative poverty was
concentrated in Southern Italy and just 20% in Northern Italy. In 2012, the share of families in relative
poverty in Northern Italy reached 23.5% while in Southern Italy fell to 65.4%. The situation in Central Italy
remained pretty much unchanged, slightly over 10%. Hence, 65.7% of poor families lives in Southern Italy
and in the islands (where just 31.8% of Italian households resides), while the remaining 34.3% lives in
Central-Northern regions. To this situation, we should add the “almost poor” families, which have a
consumer expenditure over the poverty threshold up to 20%. For these people a minimum variation in the
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income could determine a “free-fall” into the range of relative poverty. Poverty or social exclusion risk is 5.1% higher than the European average (amounting to 24.8%) as a consequence of the higher severe
deprivation (14.5% versus an average of 9.9%) and a higher poverty risk (19.4% against 16.9%). The
increase in severe deprivation from 2011 is given by the higher share of people in families who cannot
afford a week of holidays away from home throughout the year (from 46.7% to 50.8%), who could not
afford to heat their house properly (from 18.0% to 21.2%), who cannot bear unexpected expenditures of
800 euros (from 38.6% to 42.5%) or who, if they wished, could not afford an adequate protein meal once in
two days (from 12.4% to 16.8%).
4. Poverty and deprivation are not temporary situations: in 2012 only 32,7% of severely deprived people
did not live in the same condition in the previous year (against 53.6% observed in 2011); this situation
concerns people who, in the previous year, had higher incomes on average.
5. A living condition with heavy effects on consumption, causing a drop of unprecedented proportions:
since 2008, the consumption of Southern families has dropped by 9.3% (against 3.5% in Central-Northern
Italy). From 2000 to 2010, the Italian families propensity to save dropped: it was around 16% of the
available income at the beginning of 2008; with the crisis it has dropped further, reaching 12% in 2011.
These data show that the drop of the savings rate after the crisis was particularly evident in those families
with an under-35 head of household and for those quarters of the population with the lowest incomes. For
the latter, the average savings in 2010 was substantially zero. In 2010, the crisis also led to an increase to
22% of the share of families with an insufficient income to cover consumptions; as far as low-income
families are concerned, this share is more than doubled.
6. Recently, there has been a reduction of the capacity of Universities to attract young people. The
enrolment rate (that is to say the percentage relation between students enrolled in a University course and
those graduated from High school in the previous school year) dropped to 58.2% in the Academic Year
2011/2012 from 73% of 2003/2004.
7. During the last 20 years, 2,700,000 people migrated away from Southern regions, among those people
there were 20,000 graduates who decided to leave Italy.
8. Many families increased their debt to compensate for the drop of the income, trying to maintain
consumptions unchanged.
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Regional and provincial data, although less dramatic than those from other areas of the country, show the
following negative consequences brought by the on-going crisis of the social and economic conditions of
the population:
1. Over the last five years, the share of employed people in the Emilia-Romagna Region dropped by 0.6%.
At a provincial level, figures are worse: -2.4%. The drop has been more evident in men (-3.3%) rather
than women (-1%).
2. From 2008 to 2012 the number of unemployed people at a regional level went from 65,000 to 150,000,
increasing by more than 130%. At a provincial level, they grew by 230% (from 10,000 to 33,000). As far
as gender is concerned, the number of unemployed men grew by 260% (from 5,000 to 18,000) and
the number of unemployed women grew by 200% (from 5,000 to 15,000).
3. The youth unemployment rate has had a dramatic increase in the Bologna province, too. In particular,
unemployment rate between 18 and 29 years of age went from 3% in 2008 to 17.5% in 2012. In 2012
the male rate overcomes the female one by 9%, crossing, for the first time in the history of statistics,
the symbolic 20% threshold. Even for the 35+ years of age range there was an increase in
unemployment: the rate goes from 2.1% to 5% in the five-year period and, in particular, the female
rate went from 2% to 5.5%.
4. Only 11% of newly hired people has a permanent contract
5. An analysis of income declaration forms for year 2011 in Bologna shows that more than half of taxpayers
declare taxable incomes below 20,000 euro. The gender spread remains very high: 62% of women
declare a taxable income below 20,000 euros. 78% of taxpayers is below the 30,000 euro threshold.
Italian taxpayers, declare on average twice as much as the foreign taxpayers.
6. As far as the younger generations are concerned, the average declared incomes are dropping for both
genders, showing an important loss in the purchasing power.
2.2.3. Changes in the assignation of Council houses
The availability of public houses at the end of 2012 amounted to 12,391 units. This number includes
different types of houses:
a) Residential Public Housing units owned by the municipality with an E.R.P. social lease for the weakest
ranges of the citizenship;
42
b) houses for reduced lease both privately and publicly owned by the municipality and Acer Bologna which
do not belong to the E.R.P. regulations, directly or indirectly available through urban agreements or
through the activities of the Agenzia Metropolitana dell’Affitto (Metropolitan House Rental Agency), for
intermediate economic ranges partly matching the higher access ranges for Residential Public Housing:
c) municipality-owned public houses excluded from E.R.P. regulations aimed at temporarily solving
housing emergencies which cannot be handled through the ordinary ERP and reduced lease ranking
system.
The category of social leased ERP houses amounts to 86% of total public houses but it is still insufficient to
cover an ever growing demand.
On average, in the last 15 years, 416.8 houses have been assigned each year against a far higher yearly
demand. To give an example, the requests for E.R.P. houses went from 5,465 in 2007 to 9,967 in 2012,
raising by 82.38% in just 5 years.
The situation as of 31st December 2012 is as follows:
- 10,746 households, for a total of 25,277 components, applied for the assignation of a public house.
- 81.22% of applications come from households already residing in Bologna (80.96% of total components)
- regarding the ratio with the already existing population, 5.35% of residents in Bologna submitted an
application for a public house;
- 53.12% of the applications come from Italian households and 46.88% from foreign ones;
- 56.32% of components applying are foreign citizens, while 43.68% are Italian citizens;
- Single-person (37,06%) and two-people (22,92%) households combined account for 5,978 applications,
59.98% of the total.
- The average gross monthly income of applying households is slightly above 1,000.00 euros (1,025.57 in
the ERP8 rankings). However, there are also 1,1174 households without any form of income (11.78% on the
total).
- The incidence of the lease of private house on the average gross monthly income of the last two years of
those households applying for public houses is always above 50% (50.80% in the ERP rankings). 6,744
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households (67.66% on the total) have signed lease contract. The risk of eviction for insolvency is very
high.
- In the last 5 years, evictions have grown by 200%. Over one year (from September 2011 to September
2012) in the 36 municipalities belonging to the area of the Court of Bologna there have been 2,202 lawsuits
for the validation of the eviction procedure, 1,502 (68.21%) of these regard evictions for insolvency in
residential buildings. 888 of the latter concern houses in the Municipality of Bologna (59.12% of evictions
from houses). This figure is very alarming.
2.3 Best practices for residents participation and social inclusion
Recently, the “participatory democracy” concept acquired a growing relevance. As a consequence of political and social changes leading to a general lack of confidence into traditional representation forms,
the ones of political parties and trade unions, new urban protagonists have arisen: neighbourhood
committees, environmental, cultural and sports associations, consumers’ groups, youth movements, third sector partners.
These trends make the decision process regarding the organization of the area even more complicated
because of the manifold interests and balances in a field where the policymakers role is fundamental
considering the great importance that urban regulation can have in improving or worsening social
exclusion and segregation trends. This led many local administrations to try “participatory urban planning”, a project that even the Municipality of Bologna wanted to try, organizing many workshops since 2004.
Beyond the crucial issue of citizens’ participation in shaping the local area, another central issue to fight
against social exclusion is “place-based” inclusion policies, that is to say policies at a neighbourhood, block
or even single-building level. Only by acting on the single community in which families interact is it
possible to make social inclusion actions effective, activating the inhabitants and promoting the skills and
the resources in every single community (empowerment): these are the so-called “community projects”. We can also put in this category those experimental projects regarding new participatory housing systems,
such as cohousing and self-renovation.
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2.3.1. Best practices at a neighbourhood/town level: participatory urban planning workshops
Since 2004, the Municipality of Bologna organized a set of significant participatory experiences,
representing a new urban planning concept. Sharing the decision making process leading to an urban
planning choice is probably more important than sharing the contents of the choice itself. This is because
this process, the democratic process, is a way to put active citizenship into practice, the power to affect
choices for the common good. This process has been designed in the Piano Strutturale Comunale (PSC Municipal Structure Plan), a strategic plan for town development putting environmental and social
sustainability at the core of the actions. In this plan, participation has been chosen as one of the
implementing tools, a tool putting the citizen at the core, a citizen who is free because responsible and
called to use their real power of deciding together with the others, fighting particular egoisms and
interests. Combining experts’ visions, both researchers and professionals, has not been easy. It could be
useful to identify 4 issues:
the role of communication;
the relationship between participation and project;
the relationship between participatory processes and representative democracy;
the issue of process institutionalization through regulations.
Since the very beginning, communication has been considered a fundamental ingredient, bearing in mind
that, if the citizen is not informed and if the partners involved in the debate do not share the same
knowledge base, we cannot talk about participation. For this reason, the role of the SIT (Sistema
Informativo Territoriale - Area Information System) of the Municipality of Bologna in creating database and
sharing interaction tools (even on the web) is very important, as well as the reactivation of Urban Center
Cologna as an active partner in the communication of urban transformations and the fruitful dialogue
between the Municipal Administration and each Neighbourhood, which gather information at a smaller
scale. Finally, from a participatory perspective, the importance of the communications by citizens themself
in their neighbourhoods has to be stressed. It has been demonstrated that the (informal) communication
promoted by an (informed) neighbour can be more effective and convincing than an institutional one.
Another area on which to think about and work concerns a better integration of participatory processes
and project actions, both in their creative components and their economic, technical and regulatory
feasibility. The choice that has always been made is to maintain a public debate, especially during crucial
45
phases, as close as possible to those topics handled by technical instruments, in order to make the
outcomes feasible and binding from this perspective. This is not a risk-free choice. A first risk factor is
represented by the flattening and the trivialization of projects when the requests, which sometimes are in
contrast among themselves, by non-professionals are fully and undisputedly accepted, that is to say, they
are welcomed without an accurate analysis and decision by experts. An opposite risk is represented by cooptation, of the simple search for policy-makers consensus; this happens when experts and administrators
use their influence and convincing tools to confirm already established hypotheses. In these cases,
participation is only apparent and could lead to further disappointment, creating even more distance
between citizens and institutions. In order to tackle these two threats, the participatory process has been
designed as a continuous exchange of ideas and knowledge among different subjects who, in this
exchange, are suspended from their role, albeit without forfeiting their final duties. In this context, the
project becomes the “playground” for talking about different and often contrasting, but equally licit,
transformation expectations. In this “game” there is not only space for different voices, but also for new
and unprecedented solutions. A second way of solving this problem regards the continuity of the dialogue
throughout all phases of the process, starting from the definition of general criteria, during the main
project decisions, to the monitoring of construction sites and, in some cases, the future management of
spaces by associations or citizens’ groups. In these cases, the merging of transformation and participatory
process clearly shows the need to work at different level: administrative, project and social in the local
area, something which has not always been done with continuity. There is also another difficult problem
related to time: the implementation of projects timetable is usually very different by the one requested
and expected by the citizens. In many occasions the project itself is subject to progressive modifications
due to red tape and changes in the scenario. To tackle this problem the organization monitoring actions by
the citizens has been successfully experimented, albeit it is still hard to guarantee continuity and to avoid
information holes leading to further disappointment in participants.
The relation between participatory processes and representative entities (deliberation vs. representation)
is one of the topics at the core of the political and technical debate with very different opinions. The
experiences described herein are characterized by a shared political view acknowledging the value and the
role of deliberative assemblies and, at the same time, the responsibility of representation entities. Hence,
processes are not in contrast with governance organs (at a central and neighbourhood level) but they
become a tool for an enlarged drafting of the final decision; which, in the end, belongs to those who have
been elected with a universal suffrage. The initial clarity on the limits of the discussion field and the
46
commitment to provide a certain and motivated answer to all proposals are the transparency criteria
guaranteed by the Administration.
The recognition of the value given to participation in urban planning has been proven by some regulations
contained in the abovementioned municipal urban plan (PSC) and the Regolamento Urbanistico Edilizio
(RUE - Urban Construction Regulations), as well as the inclusion of the outcomes of the workshops among
the operational urban planning documents.
Here are some of the experiences with a brief description included. If you wish to have more details, you
can refer to the Urban Center Bologna, which will provide further information.
Laboratorio Mercato: una nuova centralità, un nuovo quartiere / Market Workshop: a new core,
a new neighbourhood
(from February 2005 to June 2007).
This project deals with the renewal of an area once belonging to the fruit and vegetables market,
more than 30 hectares wide and located near the town centre, north of the railway. The
decommissioning of the market, started in the Eighties, frees up this large strategic area for its
size and location. Many urban planning projects were suggested but they were not welcomed by
the resident population. The problem was to match different legitimate expectations with
communication difficulties given by very different skills and languages. The expectations of the
Municipal Administration related to the connection to the new station, the construction of new
municipal offices, the use of construction indexes for the new Residential social housing plan. The
expectations of the residents who, after many years waiting, wanted new services and green
areas. Finally, the interests of private owners, who wanted to achieve profits through real estate
valorisation. This workshop had to face a double challenge: match different objectives and
improve communication among different languages.
Laboratorio Via Larga: la campagna di quartiere / Via Larga workshop: neighbourhood’s countryside
(from February 2006 to March 2007).
The area of the new park is a Municipality-owned plot of about 12 hectares along the main road of
the town, the turnpike road, serving as an agricultural strip in a vast transformed plain, over the
47
last fifteen years, for urban purposes(residential, tertiary sector and services). This area is
characterized by crops and it is located at the centre of a set of severely damaged historical
buildings called Villa Pini. Near these bulidings, an underpass connects the future park with the
Scandellara public campus, made of schools, sports centres, a library, etc. In the past, there were
many suggestions regarding this area, including a vast sports park, but they were all rejected by
the Neighbourhood and by the citizen groups. A survey showed that they requested new public
social spaces respecting the historical accounts in the area. The workshop and the gathering of
ideas where the tools through which several different action plans were compared and assessed.
Laboratorio San Donnino: i cittadini hanno vinto, il parco si farà / San Donnino Workshop:
Citizens won, there will be a park
(From May 2006 to December 2006)
San Donnino is a mainly residential area founded after WWII around the San Donato Road, one of
the main access routes to the city. Among the most significant buildings, we can see the old
church, the schools and the “Casolone”, a rural complex used today for cultural and recreational
purposes. This private property area, which was once cultivated and now it is partially fallow,
according to an old urban strategic plan from the Eighties, was designed as a wood area. In 2005, a
group of residents in the nearby area formed a committee to request the public acquisition of
those spaces to create a park. The workshop also involved primary schools and, after some years,
the action of the citizens committee goes on promoting debates and studies regarding public
gardens and a sustainable development of the town, together with temporary events in the park,
such as parties, sports activities, etc.
Laboratorio Villa Bernaroli: il parco città-campagna / Villa Bernaroli Workshop: the towncountry park
(between 2006 and 2007)
This park is located around villa Bernaroli, built in the 18th Century, covering 60 hectares of
municipal property: a part of still untouched urban countryside in the Borgo Panigale District, west
of town. A decision by the Town Council gave way to the implementation of the project resulting
from the participatory workshop involving, since 2006, the Borgo Panigale district and the
associations already animating that small rural area with cultural, social and agricultural activities.
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The goal of the Workshop was to achieve a common landscape harmonization and improvement
project, allowing for the preservation of values of the historical identity in the site, the historic
characteristics of the Villa, an overview of the surrounding area to make the most of this urban
peripheral rural setting. A promoting committee of the park, with the initiative of the Borgo
Panigale District, was established and it was formed by some representatives of the District
Council, citizens and representatives of several associations and groups of associations. The group
was joined by technicians from the Municipal Administration, a representative from the Province
of Bologna and it receives technical advisory from the Fondazione Villa Ghigi. This project
envisages the renovation of the existing rural buildings, making the most of natural and landscape
resources and the creation of rural, recreational and social activities.
Laboratorio Croce del Biacco: sicuri di muoversi, felici di abitare / Croce del Biacco Workshop:
safe moving, living happiness
(from March 2007 to May 2008)
Croce del Biacco is located north-east of town, in the San Vitale district, a very fragmented area
due to the presence of many roads and railway infrastructures and due to a recent and poorly
designed urban development. It is a mostly residential zone, with very little trade activities and
some welcoming and support centres, as well as an Islamic place of worship, elements generating
concerns on the residing population. This workshop was created by two main driving forces: on
the one hand, the Municipal Administration wanted to discuss the urban proposals contained in
the PSC to be approved, while, on the other, there was an attempt to listen and give an answer to
the many requests from citizens groups and associations. The workshop was coordinated by the
Urban Center Bologna with the support of Camina association (in the first phase) and the University
of Bologna (in the second phase), achieving a medium and long-term project with a vision
integrating urban planning and mobility envisaging the creation of a new public centre.
Laboratorio Bolognina Est: dare voce a uomini e donne / Bolognina Est Workshop: giving voice
to men and women
(From November 2008 to March 2009)
The object of the transformation was the first northbound development of the modern industrial
Bologna. There are important industrial facilities which are unused today, such as Caserma Sani
49
(which had a productive function) and some important companies working in the mechanics
sector. A railway track directly connected those plants with the train station and the railway
network. West of this important area, a residential zone was created, mostly populated by
workers. This area had significant demographic mutations, with a strong increase in new
immigrants, mostly from China, and their related economic activities. In spite of this deeply
mutated framework, there is still a set of knowledge and relations built by institutions and
associations. The progressive abandonment of former companies led to degradation and areas out
of social control. This Workshop was promoted by the Municipality of Bologna and the Navile
District with the cooperation of the main decommissioned productive areas, which, in compliance
with the agreements, incurred part of costs. One of the main issues was flexibility of functions.
Moreover, the idea of a linear park was suggested, as well as a park becoming the green backbone
of the regeneration of the area, with a public garden constituting a new ecological corridor for the
reorganization of services and public spaces.
2.3.2. Best practices at city level and block/neighbourhood level: community projects
The following selection of best practices is suggested to collect significant experiences of social
participation, both from the point of view of the subjects involved and the one of the adopted processes.
As a matter of facts, this is an accurate collection of projects and processes leading to the formation and
the valorisation of the concept of community, acting directly and effectively on society, rather than
drafting a general and detailed framework of the available tools and the projects completed.
In particular, since social policies are strongly related to the area and to the decisions of the local
administrations, the attention is focused on the province of Bologna and the surrounding areas. For this
reason, the selection made is about regional and local-scale actions.
The projects listed herein are selected because they respond to two different levels: the first, called “city”
level, contains both best practices involving a group of subjects not strictly belonging to the same
neighbourhood and those experiences particularly relevant at an urban scale; the second level, called
“block/neighbourhood”, includes those community projects whose beneficiaries belong to the same
neighbourhood or block.
Best practices at city level are represented by a self-building project in Senigallia and by a pilot project of
urban vegetable gardens in Bologna. Best practices at block/ neighbourhood level are represented by a
cohousing experience in Fidenza (province of Parma), the creation of pedestrian areas in Via
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Centrotrecento in Bologna, the implementation of a community program with the involvement of the local
associations in the Residential Public Housing complex Corte 3 in Bologna and the construction
regeneration and social inclusion project in the Public Residential Housing complex Garibaldi 2 in Calderara
di Reno (Bologna).
Information are inserted in fact-sheet with a common structure to show the characteristics of the projects
and the peculiarity determining their selection, the context of reference and the type of beneficiaries;
within the fact-sheet, the first of the two tables summarizes the nature of the associations involved, the
activities performed and their beneficiaries; the second lists the main elements of the SWOT analysis.
Figure: General location of the best practices analysed
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Best practice at city level
“Hands to live together” – self-build experience in Senigallia
REFERENCES:
http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/archiviodo
cumenti/casa/Documents/Pieghevole%20Senigalli
a.pdf
http://frontierenews.it/2011/08/senigallia-italianie-immigrati-costruiscono-insieme-case-low-cost/
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
“Hands to live together” is a project by the Province of Ancona co-financed (with about 250,000 Euro of
non-refundable grant) in 2007 by the fund for social inclusion of migrants of the Ministry of Labor and
Social Policies in order to implement the self-build project of 20 houses in Cesano di Senigallia. This selfbuild project is part of a broader development plan of the area of Cesano di Senigallia entailing the
construction of houses in compliance with housing-mix-oriented logics, in order to prevent the creation of
“ghettos” for the marginalized population segments and to promote, on the contrary, real integration
among different types of families made up of elderly people, non-European citizens, young couples and
heterogeneous families.
CONTEXT:
o
Characteristics
The Municipality of Senigallia selected the area where to develop the self-build project. This area
amounts to 2,247 m², it is less than 500 m away from the sea and it presents all the hydrogeological
and urban characteristics which makes it a non-marginalized nor isolated area. The purchasing cost of
the building lease for 99 years amounted to about 740,000 €, with a cost per m² amounting to about 350€. The buildings, equipped with solar thermal collectors for domestic hot water integrated by a condensing boiler and underfloor heating, are ranked in energy efficiency class B, for a total average
cost (VAT included) amounting to 1,330 euro/ m².
o
Innovative characteristics of the project
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The involvement of foreign citizens made the assisted self-build project an integration instrument and
a housing support for those subjects who, for financial and cultural reasons, cannot see their needs
met in the market.
o
Results
The works started on the 20th of August 2011, lasted one year and three months and the keys were
delivered to self-builders on the 17th of November 2012. The flats were assigned randomly in
September 2012, before the delivery of keys. This self-build project resulted in four apartment houses
with twenty flats (three on the ground floor and two on the first floor), with four housing units equal
to 65 m², four equal to 103 m² and twelve equal to 116 m².
TARGET GROUP/RESIDENTS:
The Province of Ancona and the Municipality of Senigallia published a recruitment call of potential selfbuilders households, indicating the following necessary requirements: net monthly income (between 1,380
and 1,950 Euro), being under 65 years of age, having team work attitude, availability to spend some free
time to work in the construction site and respect the established working plan. Through this public
selection, the municipality chose 20 households to work on the construction of 20 houses of different
sizes. In June 2010 the building cooperative “Hands to live together - Le mani, per vivere insieme” was established and it was made up of 7 women and 13 men, half of them European (9 Italian and 1 Polish
families) and half of them non-European (1 Chinese, 2 Iranian, 5 Albanian, 1 Algerian and 1 Ukrainian
families) with different working profiles.
MANAGEMENT:
the technical and operational management of the project was assigned by the Province of Ancona to the
“ABN - a&b network sociale” Consortium of Perugia and the “Consorzio Solidarietà” of Senigallia through a call for tenders. In mutual collaboration, the consortia dealt with the involvement of the technical team for
the design, direction and management in the operational phase of the construction site, including, at the
same time, a mediation group in charge of the acceptance of the self-builders team, supporting them from
the selection to the final phase of the project. In order to avoid discontinuity in the works, the ABN
Consortium involved the EdilCorinzi Cooperative, which is expert in construction, to guarantee a consistent
and homogeneous work through the use of specialized technology. As for the construction method, ATI of
Senigallia was involved, covering the function of direction and coordination of works employing
specialized master builders in charge of supporting and guiding self-building partners in manual work and
possibly with the capacity to carry out the most specialized construction works. Moreover, the social
53
consortia involved Banca Etica in order to obtain ad-hoc loans on the basis of the real building partners’ possibilities.
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED :
Province of Ancona
Municipality of
Senigallia
ABN - a&b network
sociale Consortium
Consorzio Solidarietà
Selection through call for tenders of the Partner in charge of managing,
directing and implementing the project in collaboration with the selfbuilding households
Publication of recruitment call of potential self-building households (in
agreement with the Municipality of Senigallia)
Selection of the area and transfer with building lease for 99 years
Publication of recruitment call of potential self-building households (in
agreement with the Municipality of Senigallia)
Involvement of the EdilCorinzi cooperative to guarantee a consistent and
homogeneous work
Involvement of Ati of Senigallia for the direction, work coordination and
support to self-building partners
Involvement of Banca Etica to obtain ad-hoc loans on the basis of the real
building partners’ possibilities
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Involvement of foreign citizens (50%)
Selection of beneficiaries only on the basis of
quite high financial requirements (between
1,380 and 1,950 Euro)
Quite limited completion time if compared to
previous associated self-building experiences
thanks to working hour planning, master
builders provided by Ati and the involvement
of a mediation team
Insufficient attention to information, raising
awareness and dialogue with the community
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Collaboration and exchange among
institutional and non-institutional subjects in
charge of project planning and
implementation
The lack of appropriate information for the
community in the local area may cause an
atmosphere of concern towards the
newcomers, especially if foreign citizens
Up to 50% savings if compared to market
prices in the same area
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Best practice at city level
ORTI di via Gandusio – Via Gandusio Vegetable Gardens - Bologna
REFERENCES:
http://www.comune.bologna.it/casa/servizi/8:6
436/20704/
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The project aims at promoting good neighborly relations and social cohesion in a public residential
building context through the creation of urban vegetable gardens on the roofs of the blocks and in open
spaces. The project is aimed at creating a participatory design process within a network of other existing
projects in the neighborhood. In this context, the San Donato neighborhood organized a workshop called
“Together for the Parker-Lennon garden” for urban recovery and management of green spaces by the
citizens. The main objective was the involvement of the people living at 6, 8, 10, 12 Via Gandusio for a total
number of 160 flats within Public Residential Building schemes and service accommodations. 18 single
mothers with their children were inserted with the support of social workers and childcare workers in these
buildings characterized by the presence of quite heterogeneous households.
In order to improve the relationships, some social initiatives were implemented, such as “musical aperitifs” on the roof or culinary and artistic events. The accompanying process resulted in the creation of active
residents able to take care of those spaces after the conclusion of the project as well.
CONTEXT:
o
Existing problems:
Strong conflicts among residents, neglect and decay of common spaces, presence of households with
temporary housing solutions next to year-long stable situations, integration problems among families
with different origins and cultures, insecurity and decay problems.
55
o
Innovative characteristics of the project:
Involvement of the residents since the very beginning of the project, participatory co-design,
involvement of local associations and groups, creation of a group of tenants and accompanying
process towards autonomy in the management of the vegetable garden as a meeting point and a
space where to share experiences.
o
Expected results:
Supporting the creation of good relationships, promoting the value of financial saving thanks to selfproduction of food, psychological welfare resulting from the relationship with earth, creating
aesthetically pleasant spaces where to “stay with the others”, increasing biodiversity and landscape promotion.
TARGET GROUP/ RESIDENTS:
160 families living in the complex which is completely owned by the Municipality of Bologna and used for
Social Housing purposes. Part of these flats (18) are temporary housing solutions for single mothers with
children.
MANAGEMENT:
This project is coordinated by the Housing Services Sector of the Municipality of Bologna, with the
involvement of the University of Bologna (Department of Agriculture) and the Biodivercity association,
supported by the social mediation activities of the CERISS association. Moreover, ASP Irides, Environment
and Energy Sector, Zonarelli Intercultural Center, Villa Ghigi Foundation, In e Out festival for culture in
block, collaborated on this project.
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED:
Association
University of Bologna – department of Agriculture (DIPSA),
Biodivercity Association
Where
Roofs of the blocks in 6, 10 and 12 Via Gandusio
Activities
Design and creation of hydroponic vegetable gardens on the roofs of public
residential buildings with the participation of the tenants
Target
Residents of the block in 6, 8, 10 and 12 Via Gandusio
56
Association
CERISS Emilia Romagna Association
Where
In the flats in 6, 8, 10 and 12 Via Gandusio
Social mediation activity: project communication, support for tenants in the
Activities
vegetable gardens design and creation phase, participation in social activities.
Target
Residents of the block in 6, 8, 10, 12 via Gandusio
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Mutual help mechanisms at a neighbourhood
level;
1. Weak participation of families (only 5 or 6
families per staircase participated actively);
Revitalization of neglected areas;
2. Difficulty in accessing the vegetable garden
for elderly inhabitants;
Conflict resolution;
3. Differences in time and efforts availability of
participants can create relationship problems
as time goes by.
Environmental and sustainable lifestyles
education;
Project within a network in the local area
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
1. Possibility to repeat the project in other
blocks, both public and private;
Low impact on the difficult financial condition
of families
2. Creation of a network with other citizens’ committees dealing with urban vegetable
gardens;
3. Diffusion of a positive model from the
ecologic and environmental point of view
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Best practice at block/neighbourhood level
Ecosol – inclusive cohousing in Fidenza
REFERENCES:
http://www.ecosol-fidenza.it/
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The “Ecosol” project was launched in 2006 with the objective of favoring the development of an elective and inclusive neighborhood experience through the construction of a cohousing residential building with
multiple dwellings, with shared property right, in the new Europa neighborhood in Fidenza. It is aimed at
households and people interested in characterizing their housing experience as a crossroads of
relationships, inclusion, participation and at the same time as a source of welfare for them and the local
area. The project gives special attention to social, environmental and financial sustainability:
environmental sustainability through low-environmental impact architecture and low energy
consumption; social sustainability through participatory, shared design and mutual help; financial
sustainability through an equitable and guaranteed investment, transparency in cost formulation and
control over the managing and maintenance costs of the houses. The cohousing building, whose
construction started in 2011 and ended in 2013, is made up of 13 flats owned by the cohousers, an office
and a flat owned by the Di Vittorio Cooperative which is aimed at hosting disadvantaged families; the
latter is managed by the residents through an association, in collaboration with social services.
CONTEXT:
o
Innovative characteristics of the project
Once the common objectives upon which the project is based have been defined, after several
meetings and a questionnaire to explore everyone’s needs, the future cohousers estimated a maximum expenditure limit in the light of the objectives and implemented partnerships with other
subjects in order to elaborate a welcoming project entailing the use of social housing, monitoring the
58
design of plants and managing the meetings as well as the decision-making process. The whole
architectural design phase was coordinated and managed by a member of the cohousers group, since
he is an architect. The architectural project, defined through participatory design and the
management of the whole participatory process, was developed only by the cohousers groups. Some
areas, such as the common hall, were built by the cohousers themselves who made their manpower
available, when possible, to complete the works.
o
Type of building and common spaces
The building is made of two parallelepiped-shaped volumes and by three stories. The envisaged
common spaces are a multipurpose hall with a kitchen area, sideboard and toilet, an area for
technical works, laundry room and a roofed area for drying clothes, gallery and a green area which is
partially used as vegetable garden; the envisaged common services are car-sharing, nursery and
collective buying groups. Low-environmental impact materials were used, such as bales of straw and
clay plaster for the wall plug in the common hall, the use of alternative energy sources thanks to the
installation of solar panels on the roof and on the southern façade of the building and the presence of
energy management characteristics able to eliminate Co2 emissions in the atmosphere. The cost of
each flat, common spaces included, is about 2,150 Euro/m², about 10% more than the market price in
the area.
TARGET GROUP/RESIDENTS:
The residents promoting the project are an informal group of 13 families/singles made up of people of
different age groups (3-78 years), united by the will to create a housing space which better meets their and
the elective neighbors’ needs. All the cohousers had experiences in the equitable and environmental fields,
in cooperation and social promotion projects.
MANAGEMENT:
The cohousers own the flats they live in; the Di Vittorio Cooperative owns the social housing unit, whereas
the residents united in the Ecosol association in collaboration with social services are in charge of the
management. Moreover, the residents deal with organizing maintenance works and common spaces
management.
59
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED:
Ecosol Association
Participatory design and management of the participatory process
Provision of the questionnaire to the group of cohousers to define common
needs
Selection of businesses for construction works, plants and finishing
Self-building of some areas for common spaces
Management of the lease for the social housing unit, which is aimed at
hosting families in situation of guided autonomy
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Since it is a grassroots initiative, the
recipients can participate in the design
without any intermediary, reducing total
costs
Double social value: on the one hand, shared
spaces and common services, on the other
hand, the presence of a social housing unit
provides support for disadvantaged
households and solidarity among neighbors
The presence of the social housing unit
fosters openness towards the local
community needs
Time-consuming training of a stable group of
cohousers and in the participatory design
phase (from 2006 to 2011)
Exclusion of disadvantaged households unable
to purchase a house at market price or higher
New construction, with subsequent soil
consumption
Special attention to environmental issues
Ecosol Association for the management of
this experience and the promotion and
support of other similar experiences
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Possibility to replicate the project in other
areas
Creation of an association of inhabitants
which is active in the local community
Promotion of social inclusion
Strong elective component: previous
experiences of cohousers in the social,
environmental and equitable fields represent a
risk of exclusion for potentially interested
subjects that have not had the same
experience in the past
60
Best practice at block/neighborhood level
Pedestrian stop areas– via Centotrecento, Bologna
REFERENCES:
http://www.centotrecento.it/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mow7roqT
wqo
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The pedestrian stop areas (Luoghi di Sosta Pedonale – LSP) project was launched in 2010 to meet the
citizens’ need to live public spaces as if they were integral part of their living environment. The project entails the development of a democratic and participatory method leading to the creation of a permanent
micro-squares system in the streets of Bologna. The LSP project was integrated in the policies of the
Municipality of Bologna within the new town center pedestrianization plan.
Centotrecento is a non-profit social promotion association based in Bologna, aiming at developing useful
social and cultural activities and operating in the design and the promotion of participatory culture. The
main objective is making public and private shared spaces better places to live, by promoting their use,
improving accessibility and encouraging the relationships among their inhabitants, being them not only
the residents but also the regular attenders of that place.
CONTEXT:
o
Problems emerged at the beginning of the project
Lack of a public space culture and little attitude towards space sharing; little mutual knowledge
among neighbors and little integration between citizens by birth or by adoption; insecurity problems
related to traffic and urban decay, perception of the street as a place of transition and non-suitable for
stopping.
o
Innovative characters of the project
Proximity to home makes the development of the project more accessible and directly participatory;
experimental, temporary and playful aspects make the project more involving and open towards new
61
proposals; across-the-interests and multi-area project; the social network created as the project is
developed generates security for people; the progressive withdrawal of the promoter increases the
results and guarantees continuity thanks to a local community empowerment process.
o
Expected results
Encouraging processes of street identity and sense of belonging to a community, easing the
conditions for controls over spaces; favoring individual and group activities; promoting collective life
and mutual help among inhabitants.
TARGET GROUP/RESIDENTS:
All the citizens and inhabitants of Bologna, university students, tourists; scientific research sectors dealing
with policies, urban planning, participatory design, social economy and welfare; entities and associations.
The reference target includes a wide range of ages as well as social, political and cultural origins.
MANAGEMENT:
Centotrecento association developed the LSP project as a local community empowerment practice, aiming
at encouraging inhabitants to develop project autonomously, starting from common needs. Raising
inhabitants’ awareness makes it possible for the promoter to withdraw progressively. The via Centrotrecento Committee created during the project and including more than 40 active participants, aims
at improving the quality of life in via Centrotrecento in terms of solidarity and sharing culture.
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED:
Centotrecento Association
Association
http://www.centotrecento.it/
Where
Via Centotrecento, via Mascarella, via del Borgo di San Pietro, via Azzo Gardino
Activities
Design and assembling of pedestrian stop areas, Christmas-related activities,
meetings about shared spaces issues and practices, shared activities such as
lunches or snacks as opportunities to meet and get to know people
Recipients
All the inhabitants, being them the regular attenders of the place where the
project is developed
Via Centrotrecento Committee
Association
http://www.centotrecento.it/senza-categoria/comitato-di-via-centotrecento/
62
Where
Via Centotrecento
Activities
Supporting activities for the Centotrecento Association aimed at creating a
permanent micro-square, increasing the perception of green areas and
accessibility to pedestrian stop areas, cultural activities, creating a collective
buying group, launching a support service for new mothers living in that street
Recipients
Regular attenders of via Centotrecento
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Mutual help mechanisms at a neighborhood
level
Little involvement of young inhabitants
between 18-30 years
Home proximity, generating direct daily
participation and sense of belonging
Community empowerment
Creation and promotion of social cohesion in
the neighborhood
LSP as active citizenship driver
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Possibility to repeat the project in other areas
Risk of increase in urban decay in case of an
incorrect public space management
Creation of a network of inhabitants
Creation of a reference space generating
security
Grassroots initiatives for the management of
public spaces
63
Best practice at block/neighborhood level
ALLA CORTE DEL tRE - Bologna
REFERENCES:
http://www.comune.bologna.it/media/files/pieghevol
e_3_1.pdf
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The project is a part of a public residential housing complex called CORTE 3, located among via Bolognese,
Dall’Arca, Colonna and Tibaldi, which was built thanks to a specific fund granted by Fondazione del Monte.
The project entails the involvement of Orcheidee and Universo Associations, within a network of On the
Move, Harambe and Seminaria Associations, winners of a public competition in the Navile neighborhood
with a project titled Alla Corte del tRe.
It is a community program for residents aimed at creating a network of social actions, housing counselling,
active citizenship and parenthood support, with the objective of improving social cohesion and promoting
welfare and community participatory projects in a public residential housing complex. For this purpose,
Acer Bologna granted an area inside the Corte complex for free for three years to the Navile neighborhood
to host the project activities.
An operational coordination unit was created, led by the Navile neighborhood, including the
Neighborhood Educational Service, the Housing Services Sector, Acer Bologna, the local Social Services
and the associations designing this project. Its duty is to create a shared project management space, in
order to support a complementary use of space and the creation of a local network which is active not only
within the project itself. For this reason, the Navile neighborhood involved two of its social-educational
groups aimed at children and young adolescents living in the Corte complex, run by professional childcare
workers from the Csapsadue social cooperative carrying out after-school activities.
64
CONTEXT:
o
Existing problems:
The Corte Tre context is typical of suburbs with a high presence of elderly people and foreign families,
where, in the past, youth deviance and generational conflicts phenomena occurred.
o
Innovative characteristics of the project:
The project is innovative from several different perspectives. It is run with the involvement of local
associations and institutions through the creation of an operational unit including social and
educational services of the neighborhood.
Moreover the project establishes a relationship of proximity with the residents who can make direct
suggestions and give indications in order to meet collective needs. In particular it aims at making
available the necessary resources to meet their needs, by directly using the competences of the
inhabitants themselves.
o
Expected results:
Improvement of the relationships among the inhabitants, with a special focus on different age groups
and origins, increase in the residents’ active participation, creation of a network of associations and local services to better meet the emerging needs of the population, improvement in the dialogue and
relationship with the managing body (Acer), improvement of integration and social cohesion.
TARGET GROUP/ RESIDENTS:
All the residents of the complex and the inhabitants of the local area
MANAGEMENT:
The project is led by the Housing Services Sector of the Municipality of Bologna which gave the Navile
neighborhood the coordination role for the project. The institutional board is formed by the
representatives of different institutions including the managing body, Acer Bologna.
ACTIVITES COMPLETED:
Association
OrcheIdee , Universo , On The Move, Harambe.
Where
Area granted by Acer, internal yard of the complex
65
The completed activities are part of two main project guidelines: active
citizenship and parenthood support. To provide some examples, here are some
of the launched initiatives:
- mothers’ center;
- Italian course for immigrant women
- information desk and job counselling
- workshops for adolescents (hip-hop, audiovisual production…)
- intercultural mediation workshop
- creation of a vegetable garden of the block
- art workshops
- after-school activities
- parties
Activities
Target
Residents of the Corte 3 complex and people living in the neighbourhood
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Co-design of activities by a wide range of
associations for a broader and integrated use
of space
4. Limited participation of elderly people and
families living outside the complex
5. Difficulty for associations in finding the
necessary funds to complete activities after
the financing (limited financial autonomy)
Participation of inhabitants and their
empowerment
Strong relationship with the local area
Improvement of neighbourhood relationships
6. Administrative difficulty in implementing
several initiatives (authorization process and
strict obligations)
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
4. Possibility to repeat the project in other
public blocks
5. Reduction of youth deviance and early school
leaving phenomena in town
6. Increased trust in the institutions actually
committing to the revitalizat ion processes
7. Involvement of associations and social
cooperatives with increase in working
opportunities for young people
No threats
66
Best practice at block/neighbourhood area level
GARIBALDI DUE - Calderara di Reno (BO)
REFERENCES:
http://www.bolognadue.it/frame1.htm
http://rinascitag2.blogspot.it/
http://www.comune.calderaradireno.bo.it/
spsoc_pas.php
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The construction of a residential solution for hotel and home use dates back to 1976 by the “CasaInsieme” Cooperative on agricultural land once dedicated to road services, about 1 km away from the center of
Calderara but with few connections and basic services. Despite the agreement on a convention between
the Cooperative, the first co-owners and the Municipality of Calderara for the right use of the area, the
single management is not achieved and the progressive fragmentation of the property cannot guarantee
the original proper use. Between the Eighties and the Nineties, urban decay, lack of basic services due to
the unforeseen building burden and illegal activities spread out.
In 1997 the Municipality commissioned a feasibility study for the urban and environmental recovery of the
building complex. Between 1998 and 2000, the Urban Recovery Plan (Piano di Recupero Urbano - PRU) for
the revitalization of the building complex and the implementation of a Pilot Project for Security was
approved in order to reduce the conditions of risk and the situation of insecurity for the residents, with the
relocation of the Municipal Police headquarter on the ground floor of the building. In the same period, in
1998, the association of residents “Per la rinascita di via Garibaldi due – For the rebirth of via Garibaldi two” was created in order to raise awareness among public administrations and the press about the situation of
the building complex.
In 2002, an amendment to the Urban Recovery Plan (PRU) was approved in order to redefine the types of
actions and divide the building complex (hotel excluded) into six small blocks, two of them public (with
public residential housing) and four of them private. In 2003, the Program Agreement between the
Municipality of Calderara, the Region, the Civil Government and the Province was signed. The
67
Accompanying Social Measures (Pas), agreed in 2006, include a series of social activities aimed not only at
residents but also at all the residents in Calderara.
CONTEXT:
o
Type of building
Building complex made up of three six-story-buildings, the first one used as a hotel (Hotel Meeting),
the other two, divided into six blocks and originally used for housing purposes, have a mixed
distribution, with a central corridor for the first two floors and a gallery for the other four.
o
Common spaces
There are no common spaces such as a common hall. On the ground floor there are the Municipal
Police headquarters, as well as municipal offices for the management of the revitalization operations
for this building complex and for social accompanying.
o
Housing area/external spaces
The housing units, initially amounting to 194, are now 169, of which: 132 studio apartments ranging
from 36 to 52 m², equipped with kitchen area, bathroom, terrace and fixed furniture to separate living
area and sleeping area; 37 new public residential housing flats (in block 1 and 2 out of the 6 in total),
obtained from 62 studio apartments. The adjunct external areas were redeveloped in order to provide
safe accessibility and to recover the identity of the place. A cycling lane connects the building complex
to the town center. The adjunct green area on the back of the building is neglected and unguarded.
TARGET GROUP/RESIDENTS:
About 400 people, large families (mainly single-income households) 50% of which are immigrants.
MANAGEMENT:
There isn’t a single management, the building complex is characterized by property fragmentation. Two blocks out of six are public and addressed to public residential housing.
68
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED:
ReMida Bologna Terre d’Acqua Association
http://www.remidabologna.it/
Where
Common spaces – ground floor
Activities
Educational activities for creative recycling of industrial scraps in collaboration
with schools and families, training, workshops…
Recipients
All the citizens, in particular nurseries, kindergartens, primary and secondary
schools, universities and academies; subjects and public and private entities
dealing with education; citizens involved in social and cultural projects
Pas helpdesk (Accompanying Social Measures)
Association
http://www.comune.calderaradireno.bo.it/spsoc_pas.php
Where
Ground floor
Activities
Welcoming, dialogue, information; service guidance, resources of the local
area and access to the labour market; linguistic and cultural mediation; social
secretary; intercultural promotion initiatives
Recipients
Residents and owners of the flats in via Garibaldi 2
Street Architects
Association
http://www.architettidistrada.it/1/5/i-nostri-progetti/garibaldi2blocco-3calderara-di-reno
Where
Common green areas (Block 3)
Activities
Common green areas care by inhabitants; open workshops for the citizens;
Open Days and Calderara Week (in collaboration with the Naufraghi
Association); creation of a counselling point for all the partners involved in the
revitalization process of the building complex
Recipients
All the citizens, in particular the families living in the building complex
69
SWOT ANALYSIS:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Mutual help mechanisms at a landing level
Type mix and social mix
Proximity of the helpdesk for social
accompanying
Reduction in dwelling density
More control and increased sense of safety
thanks to the reduction of the number of flats
per staircase
Long and fragmented building recovery
process due to per-block actions
No single management
Necessary public expenditure for this action
Limited functional mix
Lack of common spaces to avoid decay and
squatting
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Increase in public residential housing units
Creation of a network of inhabitants
Implementation of a public-private
partnership
Building decay strongly linked to social decay
Interruption of virtuous actions in case of
absence of the social mediator
Temporary houses
70
2.4. Possible solutions and recommendations
The observed projects have some noteworthy common features, since they guarantee their effectiveness
and their reproducibility in other contexts, too.
active involvement of the inhabitants not aimed at creating consensus but at raising their
awareness and autonomy. In order to do this, the recipients of these actions must be involved
since the very beginning for the needs and in the analysis of resources / threats of the housing
context, in defining the specific goals and in the choice of the actions to achieve them. Sometimes,
the Administration may set a new project basing on an already known framework supported by
statistic data, experiences by social and educational operators working in a given context;
however, it is always advisable to envisage an “assessment” phase through individual and / or collective debates with the recipients of the projects. The factual implementation phase cannot
neglect the direct involvement of the beneficiaries, who can suggest actions and corrections. The
duty of social mediators is to promote direct participation and the empowerment of knowledge
and resources coming from the first part of the analysis of the context. In order to trigger a positive
empowerment process, responsibility among beneficiaries has to be raised, through the
acknowledgement of their role in the project (ranging from communications, relations,
management, etc.). This allows for a continuation of the project even at the end of the start-up
phase and when there is no more initial funding.
a clear definition of the goals: it is necessary, since the very beginning, to provide clear and
accurate information on what can be achieved (technical-economic feasibility) and time needed,
guaranteeing a monitoring activity and the respect of the undertaken commitments. A lack of
clarity or attention can lead to a confidence drop and a subsequent lack of interest in the process
by the residents.
use of “non-formal” communication techniques such as Word Cafè, Open Space Technology (OST)
etc. to promote democratic debate and decision-making process.
organization of socialising events and activities, such as dinners, parties, workshops, etc.: these are
all chances to break the initial diffidence, promoting direct knowledge and confidence among
residents, encouraging them towards active participation. The relationship component goes
through all project phases and it should never be underestimated.
71
constant presence of operators (social mediators or facilitators) establishing a relation of
confidence and listening with the residents and acting as a bridge to the Administration and other
potentially interested institutions. This is very important to give account of a constant interest and
to handle potential diffidence and contrasts that may especially arise in the initial phases of the
project, until a cohesive group of citizens capable to handle activities autonomously is created.
finding natural representatives and leaders to act as partners with policy makers and public
institutions, to intercept the needs and to express them, promoting a continuous dialogue.
All these elements should contribute to the improvement of the local social capital, meaning the
improvement of limited-in-space collective dimension which does not match the mathematical sum of the
individual social capital. For this reason, for example, even the participation of a relatively small number of
inhabitants is not a limitation because, in some conditions, it could lead to an added value in the local and
collective social capital which cannot be expressed with the sole number of inhabitants involved in
participatory processes.
2.5. Conclusions
The participation of citizens is a very complex topic, demanding time and economic resources, which
might slow the decision process down, either for an urban regeneration project or an apparently simpler
project, however directly or indirectly affecting people’s lives. In the past, participation was used as a
“consensus machine”, with the only consequence of increasing the communication gap between the Municipal Administration and the citizens, generating disappointment and lack of confidence.
Now more than ever, in this economic and social crisis, the issue of the dialogue between citizens and
administration and participatory democracy cannot be neglected anymore. There are also some threats
given by the difficulty in guaranteeing effectiveness in fulfilling the expectations and, most of all, in
matching different expectations, all legitimate, but often contrasting among themselves, arisen during the
participatory process. However, mutual exchange can generate innovation, leading to unforeseen
solutions to complex problems and, most of all, generating a sense of confidence, key condition for
building an active citizenship process and, in a larger sense, building a collective identity able to overcome
personal interests for the search of common good.
In this process, Public Administrations play an important role of facilitators and start-uppers, providing
trained staff, spaces and, most of all, time to listen, to analyse resources and needs, to share goals and
72
implement actions in a mutual cooperation spirit. The “Regolamento sulla collaborazione tra cittadini e
amministrazione per la cura e la rigenerazione dei beni comuni urbani” (Regulations on the cooperation
between citizens and administration for the care and regeneration of urban common goods), recently
approved by the Municipality of Bologna, represents a possible answer to the growing and urgent need for
a shared administration through the signature of cooperation Pacts aimed at shared management of a
public space, shared management of publicly-used private spaces, urban regeneration actions and shared
management of buildings.
73
Chapter 3
Building Innovation Issues
3.1
Introduction
Local context
The Italian housing assets have been characterised by some severe pathologies concerning its redundant
size, its low average level due to its ageing, its high contribution to energy consumption, its scattering and
fragmentation leading to an excessive land consumption hampering potential sustainable mobility
systems. These are all effects of a return-oriented real estate regime.
These pathologies can be tackled with direct effective actions aimed at reducing land consumption,
discouraging further town expansions and shifting attention, resources and investments towards urban
renewal and the regeneration of old construction assets. Hence, at a local and national level, a
reorganization process of the construction sector is needed, especially in residential social housing, in
order to face seriously the issues of energy efficiency of the housing assets and the reduction of energy
consumption in the whole civil sector. This applies to the whole national context, but, in Emilia Romagna,
especially after the damages brought by the 2012 earthquake, there is also an issue regarding the
structural adaptation and safety of the housing assets after the seismic reclassification of the regional
area.
General principles of the research
The working group focused on a critical mapping of the best practices which can guarantee both
ambitious environmental goals and good standards in the constructions of buildings and in the actions in
general. This research has been carried out following two main principles:
-the social residential sector, in particular, doing research on urban regeneration and renewal projects
-planning and projects regarding new buildings and neighborhoods, highlighting technically repeatable
solutions.
While the first main topic represents an undisputed emergency both for the local and the national context,
in order to give an integrated overview of the (factually achievable) transformation scenarios and the
techniques to be employed, it is necessary to bear in mind those cases in which, due to a lack of excessively
limiting restrictions, new processes and technologies have been successfully applied.
Moreover, together with an analysis of the innovative technologies and methodologies employed, we
decided to provide a financial assessment, in particular from the perspective of the management of
buildings and facilities, which is a key aspect in assessing the financial feasibility and the sustainability of
social housing initiatives.
75
Methodology used
Starting from this framework, the research of best practices favoured those characteristics related to
innovation and green technologies.
Innovation has been intended both as the functional improvement of traditional solutions or technical
elements and as the improvement of methodologies and decision making process over the life cycle; the
green component, related to energy efficiency, has been intended both as the environmental impact over
the life cycle and as a responsible use of natural resources (efficient use of the sun, water management
inside buildings and soil permeability, land consumption), of energy sources (efficiency of technological
systems in the building and in its equipment) and also as structural safety, a very important topic at a
regional level, especially since the 2012 earthquake.
This work involved several partners from the ‘green building’ field and focused on finding innovative
construction technologies and methodologies, together wit new ITC processes and instruments and quick
methodologies to provide a continuous update and input to local policymakers.
We made a clear choice: we found effective, common and repeatable practices, rather than “cutting edge” ones that are difficult to employ due to their cost, operators know-how and their poor repeatability.
The innovations presented herein are, most of all, incremental innovations, developed at a regional and
national level, but, in this case, documented and assessed in terms of efficiency and effectiveness in giving
an answer to a problem and quantified in a cost/benefit analysis: this has been done with the ultimate goal
of promoting the adoption and the employment of these technologies.
3.2
3.2.1
Current situation
Introduction to first-level fact-sheets
The first stage of the best practices analysis consisted in giving a national framework of useful and
repeatable examples; in order to make comparisons, it was necessary to define a synthetic descriptive
template and a grid allowing for the collection and the comparison of heterogeneous data.
The adopted template is a matrix interconnecting some of the main actions and goals set forth by the EU
(Horizon 2020 societal challenge section) with innovation dynamics and performance levels, aiming at
finding best practices at a local/national level. Another important feature was to analyse cost/effectiveness
parameters of these practices, taking into account the management phase as well, in order to allow for an
immediate assessment of the effective implementation of the described process and technologies in
comparison with traditional technologies and processes, leading to a synthetic assessment of their
financial feasibility.
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All the examples herein represent applicable (and already applied) innovative technologies for the
residential social housing sector, assessed according to the data gathered in their specific applications,
even though they are repeatable and comparable.
From the perspective of the already planned/implemented actions, the best practices found have been
sorted as follows:
Fact-sheets containing implemented or ongoing projects
Fact-sheets dealing with methodologies and decision making processes related to social housing
regeneration
Fact-sheets describing integrating technologies
3.2.2
Project Sheets (see Annex 1)
The project sheets gathered during the first level analysis are 14:
1.
Le Albere neighborhood, Trento
2.
ACER Via Beroaldo – Public housing, Bologna
3.
ACER Via Fioravanti – Public housing, Bologna
4.
IPES CasaNova Neighborhood – Public housing, Bolzano
5.
IPES Via Dalmazia – Public housing, Bolzano
6.
ACER Compagnoni-Fenulli Neighborhood (parts n. 2-3-4) – Public housing, Reggio Emilia
7.
ACER Compagnoni-Fenulli Neighborhood (parts n. 5-6) – Public housing, Reggio Emilia
8.
Social housing complex Via Cenni, Milan
9.
Social housing complex, Lugo di Romagna (RA)
10. Social housing complex Villa Fastiggi, Pesaro
11. New Kerakoll GreenLab research center, Sassuolo (MO)
12. Arterìa: art, music, entertainment, bar, tavern, Bologna
13. Conciliation Chapel, Berlin (Germania)
14. LeCASEFranche, San Martino in Villafranca (FC)
3.2.3
Technology/methodology Sheets (see Annex 2)
The technology/methodology sheets gathered during first level analysis are 11:
1.
BIM: Building Information Modelling
2.
Quick methods for the assessment of seismic vulnerability of buildings
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3.
Exterior insulating finishing system
4.
Unfired clay
5.
Green roofs
6.
Low water consumption devices
7.
Controlled Mechanical Ventilation
8.
Micro-cogeneration
9.
Hydronic systems with radiant panels
10. Millngreen - hybrid micro-wind-turbine thermal and photovoltaic system for electricity and thermal
production
11. Electric heating films
3.3
Selection and discussion of best practices
3.3.1
BIM Technology
Introduction
In Italy, AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Consulting) related industry has been characterized by fairly low
performances, originating frequent delays and costs exceeding the ones stated in the contracts. This
problem has been partly caused by the organizational structures of the roles and the professionals
involved and by the traditional management and the information exchange approach on the project, the
building and its construction up to its LCM (Life Cycle Management). At the same time, the growing
complexity and multidisciplinary nature of the architectural project and its implementation presents many
challenges in management and control for several aspects and competences. For their characteristics and
the level of technology achieved, BIM technologies allow for the highest level of interaction among the
different aspects of the project, representing an environment that can be used by different players within
the project and on which it is possible to apply controls for a wide range of aspects: from structural control
simulation and energy-environmental control, to a better control over aspects such as accounting,
quantity estimates and time predictions.
Definition
BIM is the acronym for Building Information Modelling: the creation and management process of the
information model through the whole lifespan of a building, from the project phase to its use and
maintenance, going through the implementation stage. This acronym is also used to describe the Building
Information Model (that is to say, the model itself), which can contain the main information regarding the
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building or parts of it. Generally speaking, BIM is a “digital representation of the building process
facilitating the exchange and the interoperability of information on a digital format” . In short, it is the
virtual construction of a building containing intelligent objects in a single source file, which can be shared
among the players involved, allowing a higher level of information exchange and cooperation among the
professionals involved.
BIM has already become a prominent and reliable technology (a set of software techniques and
information modelling knowledge) starting to pay off in the design and construction industries all over the
world. While BIM technology is being continuously implemented, there is a growing need to define new
processes which can help it work in the best possible way.
Although these tools have not spread in the professional practice yet, the use of BIM is justified by the
possibility to manage multidisciplinarity in the project and to provide a considerably implemented service
in terms of right configuration and prediction of time, cost and multidisciplinary control of the project,
with a perspective of reduced cost and time if compared to growing costs associated to the use of
conventional tools. The development of project control and assessment methods capable to implement
professional and business knowledge and to responsibly manage new construction or renovation costs,
optimizing processes and creating a business network characterized by a high technological innovation,
represents an important part in the transformation of the construction sector.
Potential applications
• Effective communication among all the partners involved. BIM is a multidisciplinary platform, allowing
professionals working on the same construction project to work on the same file without mutual
interferences and, most of all, without any loss of information or delay in a coordinate way, reducing
design errors.
• Project management by designers and companies. In those mature markets, where BIM has been used
for a long time, its main function is model checker (an application automatically checking interferences
among sub-systems), allowing for a reduction of design errors originating from a lack of integration
among the different parties and leading to a significant reduction in construction times.
• BIM is also a powerful tool for Green Building design/construction, able to include construction
components and calculation codes from various disciplines in the software generating the model.
• A 3D BIM is a tool for the analysis of what is being built which includes multi-temporal features,
allowing the collection of information on design and construction phases together with historical
information on the building. It also allows a monitoring of the design evolution during the works (in
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case of Consolidated Contracts, Construction permits, etc.) and the detection of interferences among
components (usually between construction and equipment parts) and/or critical issues in implementing
what has been made on “paper” (model).
• use the 3D geometric model along one or more temporal programs (Bim 4D) and see in advance the
temporal development of the construction site, with the possibility to analyse interferences or critical
issues in the programmed sequences.
• implementation of reliable Bill of quantities in order to see in real time whether the design choice is
economically sustainable according to the profit margin established and to determine the total cost of
the works, including direct and indirect components (Bim 5D)
• quick management of variants and “what if” scenarios.
INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO:
In 2003, in the United States the General Services Administration (GSA), a federal contracting entity,
launched the 3D-4D-BIM National Program through its Public Buildings Service. Since then, the
Administration has required BIM as a compulsory requirement to participate in procurement. USA is often
requesting BIM in public procurement and it is creating regulations in this matter.
From 2015 in Singapore, BIM will become compulsory for public procurement, while many other countries
are working for the definition of standards: Qatar (where many of the most important contracts of the
near future are located), China, Korea, Australia and some of the BRICS countries.
UK will employ BIM in public procurement in 2016. This will happen according to the COBIE protocol
(http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-uk-2012/).
The recent European Union Public Procurement Directive (EUPPD, 15/01/2014) introduces BIM model. The
adoption of the directive entails the possibility for the 28 Member States to encourage, specify or impose
the use of BIM for those construction projects financed by EU public funds since 2016. UK, Netherlands,
Denmark, Finland and Norway already require the use of BIM for publicly-financed projects.
NATIONAL SCENARIO:
There is a lack of structured actions from the Public Administration, even though there are some pilot
cases. The last short-term report by CRESME (Centro di Ricerche Economiche Sociali di Mercato per l'Edilizia
e il territorio - Centre for Market Social and Economic Research in the Construction sector), considered
Building Information Modelling as one of the main driving forces for innovation. The document “La
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rivoluzione BIM” (The BIM revolution) presents this tool as the solution to reduce costs in the construction
line up to an estimated 30%.
REGIONAL SCENARIO:
Unstructured scenario. Presence of knowledge both in terms of trained personnel, universities and
companies, but there is also a need for integration and awareness.
SWOT Analysis:
S (Strengths) Well-known and measurable advantages where the BIM is used
W (Weaknesses) It requires a cultural challenge for the players involved in the building process, from
contractors to professionals
O (Opportunities) Possibility to improve the quality of the market, professionalism and results for all the
players involved; improvement in transparency and procurement management
T (Threats) Italy, lacking a serious industrial policy in the Construction sector, does not have a progressive
road-map, and BIM may become a regulation to elude as there are many in this sector, without
understanding the real innovation potential
3.3.2
Quick methods for the assessment of seismic vulnerability of buildings
Introduction
Given the well-known seismic hazard in the Italian territory, a modern approach in the management of
what is being built needs to consider the vulnerability of the existing construction assets. In the Public
Construction field, the Law states that the entities managing large estate assets (Provinces, Municipalities,
Local Healthcare Authorities, etc.) have to perform seismic assessments on their strategic buildings. In the
private construction sector, there is a similar need by banks and insurance companies asking for tools
assessing the value of the estate assets (and their related insurance premium) with safety-based
parameters, going beyond the current energy efficiency criteria.
However, it is not always possible to carry out in-depth assessments as they require large economic
resources, which are often unsustainable for the managing partners, due to the high costs of experimental
researches and numerical analyses.
In order to try to satisfy those needs, many simplified methods have been suggested for a large-scale
study of seismic vulnerability. These procedures aim at setting action priorities for the following phase,
involving complete vulnerability studies or seismic improvement/retrofitting actions.
The existing methods can be divided into two main categories:
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-
Procedures based on the knowledge of a few empirical data and on quality-oriented assessments
(filling GNDT II-level vulnerability files and assessing a vulnerability index as a final outcome);
-
Procedures based on mechanical principles (definition of a simplified analytical model of the
building to determine its resistance capacity).
In the case-study described in the following paragraph, we describe the application of a quick method
called RE.SIS.TO®, developed and patented by CIRI Edilizia e Costruzioni, University of Bologna, and
applied to a vast sample of strategic buildings owned by the Province of Bologna.
Case-study: Seismic classification of the strategic buildings owned by the Province of Bologna
The procedure has been applied to 107 buildings owned by the Province of Bologna, mostly schools but
also historical-monumental buildings were included. The survey/evaluation and quick analysis phases were
carried out by teams composed by University and Province of Bologna staff together with external
engineers hired by the Province itself. The participants were trained on the application of the method. In
particular, much attention has been focused on checking that the partners involved were assessing similar
situations in different structures in a homogeneous way. Moreover, the use of synthetic files allowed a
quick and effective consistency check and the elimination of rough errors.
Starting from this information, all the buildings studied were ranked into 5 homogeneous categories
according to their vulnerability level (RE.SIS.TO® classes). As a matter of fact, the approximation level
should lead to avoid considering specific figures but to take into account their order of magnitude.
The tool employed allowed the managing entity (the Province of Bologna, in this case) of the studied
assets to get to a set of conclusions on the potential critical issues and to make decision based on
parameters going beyond technical figures, taking into account their social, economic and political value
as well.
Methodologies: RE.SIS.TO® quick method
This procedure, inspired by other methods in large scale risk assessment literature, is made of a set of
simplified numerical assessments together with a quality-oriented analysis of the building situation,
allowing the detection of the most vulnerable elements not included in the calculation phase. Thus, a
simplified classification called RE.SIS.TO® (acronym for Resistenza Sismica Totale - Total Seismic
Resistance) is introduced, sorting the analysed building into five homogeneous categories according to
their vulnerability level and providing clear and comprehensible criteria for the communication, even to
non-experts, of the assessment outcomes.
From an operational perspective, there are three consecutive phases:
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1) Acknowledgment of the current state of the building. Every document to retrace the structural history
of the analysed building is gathered and a survey is carried out:
-General and photographic survey;
-Sample measurements of structural elements;
-for reinforced concrete structures: Cover meter surveys, sclerometer surveys and demolition samples
(reinforced concrete);
- for masonry structures: Small holes are created to verify toothings and type of masonry.
2)Estimating the resistance capacity. The conventional resistance of the building is determined in terms of
spectral acceleration, with the hypothesis of a soft storey mechanism. This acceleration value is adjusted
to the real conditions of the building through a corrective coefficient (Crid), obtained as an outcome of the
data contained in the GNDT II-level vulnerability files.
3) RE.SIS.TO® ranking: every building is given a seismic resistance class according to:
-capacity/demand ratio (PGAc/PGAd);
-local vulnerabilities found during surveys.
3.3.3
CasaNova Neighborhood – Public housing, Bolzano
The CasaNova Neighboorhood is located in the Western periphery of Bolzano, north of the Isarco river: it is
a residential expansion project run by the Municipality aiming at meeting the social housing need by
looking for an excellent housing model, capable to guarantee a high quality of life and to carry out an
integrated regeneration strategy, including the morphological and functional features of its peripheral
context. The housing principle set forth by the Implementing Plan is based on “castles”, that is to say, residential units made of buildings surrounding a small green area, representing the “town-countryside
relationship” issue.
The Istituto per l’Edilizia Sociale (IPES - Social Housing Institute) of the autonomous Province of Bolzano
was in charge of the design, construction and management of the parts of the neighbourhood dedicated
to social housing, following architectural, performance and quality goals, together with energy saving,
reduction and planning of construction and maintenance costs.
The IPES, owner of the four plots involved in this action, promoted an international design public
procurement, requiring, among the specific goals, the diversification in size of the housing units, ranging in
strictly predetermined percentages from 38-50 sq. m. to more than 110 sq. m. The envisaged costs could
not exceed the limits set for social housing: 1,250 € / sq. m.
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During the design phase, IPES technical regulations were followed, giving an accurate description of the
construction techniques and the material characteristics of the technical elements through wellestablished descriptions and graphical indications. During the call for tenders, the participating companies
were asked to provide factual samples for significant portions of technical elements in the facade and in
the loggia: this innovative method allowed the Province to verify and study in depth the technical
suggestions, controlling their precision in the implementation.
The four blocks involved in the public procurement are a response to the social housing demand in Bolzano
for the near future and they are located in a high urban, architectural and construction quality context.
Here, we describe the last of the eight “castles”: EA8, made of 3 blocks containing 92 units for a total
volume of 27.,840 cu. m. In compliance with the limitations and the goals established in the urban
development plan and by the Province, the project for the EA8 block aims at the construction of a place
socially working as a small community, guaranteeing high housing standards, favouring the relationships
between people and nature and at building environmentally and energetically sustainable buildings.
Technological Features
The structural frame is made of pillars and bases filled with reinforced concrete. Stairwells structures are
100% reinforced concrete with thermal and acoustic insulation and internal wall linings. External windows
are double-glazed with high thermal insulation fixtures.
Internal and external loggias, made of bases in reinforced concrete with a high insulation level, are
protected from introspection and summer sun by wooden membranes.
Roofings were made with the intensive green roof technology at ground level and with the inclined
extensive type on the roof, insulated with wood fibre.
The intensive green roofs covering parking lots have been designed as hanging gardens, with lawns and
small trees, bringing nature inside the housing units: they have different thicknesses, 50 cm for the central
part and 25 cm for the parts designed as private gardens. They will become spaces where to meet, play,
hang out with friends and family or simply relaxing. The extensive green roofs covering all buildings (about
15 cm thickness) will allow for the recovery of poriferous surfaces originally lost with the construction of
the buildings. They will contribute to control the rainwater flow, thermal and acoustic insulation, the
improvement of the quality of the air and of the water evaporation cycle. The unabsorbed rainwater will be
collected in special tanks located in the second basement floor and then moved to two dry wells returning
water to the aquifer, respecting a correct water cycle.
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Thanks to the construction of green roofs and hanging gardens on the ground floor, the permeability
index, calculated through the Reduction of Construction Impact procedure by the Municipality of Bolzano
is 4.09 times higher than the minimum required parameter for new buildings.
The block is also provided with a rainwater recovery system, collected in tanks and used to irrigate green
roofs. The water in excess is returned to the aquifer through dry wells, avoiding an overload of the
sewerage system.
Energy features
The buildings have been designed with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability according to the
environmental balance carried out during the implementation.
The buildings have the characteristics to be ranked in “class A” (according to the heated volumes) in compliance with the criteria introduced by Urban Planning. The energy efficiency parameters have been
achieved exclusively working on the external envelope without implementing a controlled ventilation
system.
The high insulation coefficient of the walls and the roofs, together with suitable windows, lead to very
reduced thermal dispersion ranging from 45 kWh/sq. m in the smallest building to 32 kWh/sq. m in the
biggest one without using a controlled ventilation system. The external perimeter is made of a 25 cm
rectified porous brick wall and an 18 cm exterior insulation finishing system (stone wool panels with
different density), for a total thickness of 46 cm and U =0.149 W/m2K.
Stairwells will be provided with a system allowing a reduction of temperatures during the summer
transferring the accumulated heat upside through the chimney effect, that is to say, the expansion of gas
volumes moving hot air upwards.
A photovoltaic system producing a total power of 17 kWp will be installed and it will be connected to the
energy grid and to solar panels with vacuum tubes for a total net absorbing surface of 85.96 sq. m. The
thermal solar system type works with forced circulation and an heat exchanger for heat transmission. The
energy produced is stored in three tanks containing 3000 litres each.
The heating system is made of low-temperature under-floor radiating panels connected to the district
heating grid, powered by renewable sources.
As far as the production and the distribution of thermal energy is concerned, a district heating system for
the whole neighbourhood has been created, leading to a 31% yearly reduction in the energy need if
compared to traditional boiler systems for each housing unit, while, for the production of hot domestic
water, a centralized solar cells system has been created and used by the majority of buildings along the
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railroad crossing the CasaNova neighbourhood, leading to a 36% reduction of the energy need if compared
to traditional energy sources.
The ongoing energy consumption monitoring phase is a further tangible action within the partnership
established with the Ministry of the Environment, in the framework of the SEE (Sustainable Energy
Europe) implementation campaign in Italy. This action will allow the use of data and actions experimented
in the Casanova project for future projects in Italy and Europe.
3.3.4
IPES Building via Dalmazia – Public housing, Bolzano
The residential building in via Dalmazia dates back to the early Fifties and contains 70 units permanently
assigned to households. This neighbourhood is in a situation of severe decay. This action, aimed at
providing high energy and performance efficiency, had to be compatible with the presence of the families
inside the building during the works. At the end of this two-year operation the building obtained the
CasaClima B class for the first time in rehabilitation history. This action was performed by IPES in
cooperation with Studio tecnico Vettori in Bolzano. The works started in 2006 and ended in 2007 for a total
amount of 3.5 million euros, about 500 €/sq. m per unit.
It is an eight-floor compact linear frame building with an external landing distribution leading to the
internal building stairwell. The structural frame in reinforced concrete, covered just by 1.5 cm thick hollow
flat bricks, was completed by wall enclosures with cavities, with perforated clay blocks on the outside and
hollow bricks in the inside.
It was necessary to carry out a static assessment of the balconies and landings system, showing fissures
and other problems. Moreover, there were particular situations of decay in the enveloping system,
showing detachment of materials and low efficiency of transparent components.
The situation of the equipment, a mix of autonomous devices with independent generators (stoves or
boilers), was very critical and hard to adapt to regulations and performance standards. The thermal
demand was very high, with huge management costs and disappointing conditions for the users.
The analysis of this scenario went along with an accurate thermographic inspection in order to assess the
extent of heat loss: the most critical elements were detected in material discontinuity, plaster detachment,
connections between walls and fixtures and in the structural frames.
After having highlighted the priorities, an operative strategy was set up, leading to two years of works
organized bearing in mind the permanence of the inhabitants. After having verified and strengthened
balconies and landings, the action focused on the rehabilitation of the enveloping elements and the
renewal of the equipment system.
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Energy/equipment features
The old autonomous boilers were replaced by new independent central systems for the heating and the
production of hot domestic water through an underground hot water production central.
Since there were no technical vertical cavities for the installation of the equipment inside the building, it
was necessary to place them outside, in front of the landings and covering them in the following insulation
coating action. The final solution provides an improved thermal yield with less polluting emissions, higher
safety and easier maintenance. The conversion to electric cooking stoves, at first criticized by the
inhabitants, avoided the creation of ventilation openings which have an extremely negative effect on the
energy balance of the houses.
Compared to a previous thermal demand of 170 kWh/sq. m, during the 2007-2008 winter the average gas
consumption per unit was 384 cu. m, equivalent to a primary demand of 40 kWh/sq. m, less than one
quarter than the previous years.
The average expenditure for heating a housing unit amounted to just 237 €, fairly below the 1000 € of the previous years.
From an energy standpoint, this is the first rehabilitation action ranked CasaClima B, furthermore, with an
energy demand fairly below its upper limit (50 kWh/sq. m).
Technological features
Landings and balconies were reinforced and renovated with new steel parapets and polycarbonate
platform roofs and equipped with adjustable external curtains to limit summer sun exposure on
transparent fixtures. The external walls have been covered with plastered exterior insulation finishing
system made of 10 cm cork panels. All the external fixtures, doors and windows, were replaced after a very
differentiated initial situation. The introduction of the new wood-steel and insulated glazing fixtures has
been done in continuity with the insulating layer without interrupting the thermal envelope: this led to a
partial elimination of perimetral wall supports to allow the introduction of frames with the external
insulating materials to cover the fixed parts of fixtures. The separation from the unheated attic and
basement areas is achieved through insulation using stone wool rolls and calcium silicate boards.
Energy saving is not the only result achieved, there is also a higher housing performance quality in which
the complete renewal of the enveloping system, both in its opaque and transparent parts, led to more
efficient solutions with more comfortable temperatures on the internal surfaces of perimetral elements,
leading to more balanced micro-environmental conditions.
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3.3.5
Social housing and X-Lam construction technology, via Cenni, Milano
The project
This construction project for the residential social housing sector is called “Cenni di cambiamento” (signs of
change), carried out in via Cenni, Milan, by Fabrizio Rossi Prodi, an architect from Florence. This project is
made of 4 towers with 9 floors each with an height of 27 m and a total area of 17,000 sq. m. The 123
energy class A (CENED) housing units have different size and characteristics, ranging from 50 sq. m wide
studio apartments (5 of these are located on the ground floor for self-sufficient disabled people), 75 sq. m
two-room apartments to about 100 sq. m three/four-room apartments. The units are assigned for
subsidized lease - agreed and reduced lease (40%), social lease (10%), 8-year rent-to-buy formula (40%) or
given to third sector partners or reassigned (10%).
This action was completed in 2013 by Polaris Real Estate SGR SpA in cooperation with the Fondazione
Housing Sociale (FHS - Social Housing Foundation), among the projects of the Fondo Immobiliare di
Lombardia (Lombardy Real Estate Fund) promoted by Fondazione Cariplo and the Lombardy Region,
partnering with the Municipality of Milan which granted the construction rights on the areas involved.
Total cost of the operation amounts to 21.7 million euros. The works were completed in just 18 months
since the creation the SPV composed by Carron SpA and Service Legno srl.
The service-dedicated spaces, covering 450 sq. m, are organized in three so-called Service-Systems made
of multiple interrelated functions: the first Service-System (Foyer) is mostly dedicated to young people;
the second (Living Room) is a multifunctional area for meetings and spare time, mostly dedicated to
mothers and children; the third Service-System (Do It Yourself) integrates housing functions and it is
related to the implementation of a set of cooperative services promoting meetings among the residents
through shared work and the maintenance of common spaces. These services have to be implemented
with the coordination of the Social Management, in this case DAR=casa, a commonly-owned housing
cooperative in Milan.
Technological features: X-Lam construction technology
The X-Lam construction system with hardwood panels glued to crossed layers has been chosen for its high
resistance, its structural simplicity, the reduction in costs and environmental impact and for its technical
potential allowing the construction of multifloor buildings with high structural safety and living comfort
standards. Moreover, it provides many other advantages: reduced construction times, few scrap materials,
high thermal insulation and great project versatility.
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The X-Lam construction system guarantees dimensional stability, resistance and stiffness. Cross-layered
panels have a reduced weight compared to other construction materials such as steel or concrete, thus
allowing a reduction of masses and a consequent reduction in the stress produced by vertical loads and
seismic activities, also reducing foundations costs and, at the same time, leading to an optimal and
homogeneous distribution of loads.
Since these panels are prefabricated, construction times are strongly reduced, guaranteeing efficiency and
reasonable costs.
Another advantage in employing this technology is the high prefabrication of the system, which is just
assembled in the construction site. Prefabrication guarantees the quality of the works, reducing errors and
construction times significantly.
Another important factor is wood itself, the only renewable and naturally growing construction material.
The countless X-Lam advantages, the considerable sizes of the building and the high number of floors (9),
led to the choice of this innovative construction type, allowing the implementation of an envelope made
by wooden walls and ceilings.
The walls of the building are disposed on seven axes and form common structural elements on the whole
height of the building, adapting to the project architecture and allowing the placement of big windows and
fixtures. The seismic behaviour of an X-Lam panel building is that of a box structure with floor and wall
membranes, mechanically connected with steel elements. In this case, walls have the duty to absorb
vertical and horizontal shocks (vertical loads, earthquake and wind). More specifically, the thickness of the
panels is progressively reduced climbing the building: walls - 5 layers - go from 20 cm to 12 cm while the
floor gradually go from 23 cm to 20 cm - going from 7 to 5 crossed layers.
Particular attention has been given to connections, which must ensure the structural continuity of every XLam panel in the box structure. An inverted T beam is anchored to the ceiling with the use of self-drilling
screws - penetrating in the wood without compressing it - and hosts the vertical wooden partition.
Subsequently, a wall lining made of a double calcium silicate panel (with R60 resistance to fire) is applied
to the partition for a total width of about 2.5 cm. After a 0.5 cm cavity for air circulation, a 5 centimetre
think stone wool layer is placed. Finally a 1.5 cm plasterboard is positioned, with a special high density
panel in plaster allowing a higher mechanical resistance. On the outside, a traditional insulation finishing
system is applied.
Energy Features: environmental sustainability and energy efficiency
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All buildings have been designed with the goal of achieving Class A according to the CENED procedure,
that is to say, an energy demand below 24 Kwh/sq. m per year for winter heating, a figure 75% below the
Italian buildings average.
Winter heating and summer cooling are provided through under floor radiating panels powered by a
centralised thermal system using the geothermal source of the aquifer through heat pumps.
Air quality control is carried out through a centralised air treatment system with controlled mechanical
ventilation, moisture control and a heat recovery system, reducing heat loss as much as possible and
guaranteeing a high degree of housing welfare inside every unit.
The central system with heat pumps provides hot water to the whole building both for domestic use and
for the heating and cooling systems, reducing energy costs as much as possible and making the building
independent from the urban utility grid.
The consumptions for each apartment are calculated individually with the possibility to set different
temperatures and heating working cycles for every apartment.
Traditional gas cooking stoves have been replaced by induction stoves in every apartment. All fixtures
have thermal and acoustic performances complying with the certification goals. Internal doors are in white
veneered honeycomb wood and entrance doors are armoured.
The characteristics of the wood used (European spruce, silver fir and scots pine) coming from certified
forests ensure the hygrometric control, essential to guarantee environmental comfort. Finally, the glues
employed in structural wooden panels are totally formaldehyde free.
3.3.6
Exterior insulation finishing systems
Introduction
In the residential sector, energy losses in a non-insulated building are to be found 40% in the roof, 30% in
the wall, 20% in the fixtures and 10% in the ground level floor. Bearing this in mind, exterior insulation
finishing system is a valid option both for new buildings and those actions of energy requalification of
existing assets, a strategic sector of the real estate market. Its reasonable costs and installing simplicity
determined a huge success all over Europe. For example, in 2011 42.5 sq. m of insulation finishing systems
were deployed in Germany, 35 millions in Poland, 17 millions in Italy and 10 million in Austria1.
The insulation finishing system, when sized and applied correctly, can contribute to a significant reduction
of the energy demand of the building and, for this reason, represents one of the solutions on the envelope
with the best costs/benefits ratio together with a reduced time for returns on investments. Moreover, the
1
st
Source: Il Sole24Ore Casa24 Plus, 1 November 2012
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economic incentives for the energy requalification of existing buildings in many EU countries pushed the
insulation finishing systems market, leading to the introduction of a set of different materials and solutions
which can be chosen by the designers according to the envisaged action.
The thermal insulation finishing systems have been used for almost twenty years, in which they showed
limits and problems that had been overcome
and solved: nowadays, this is a well-developed
technology and this is why it became part of the
ordinary construction routines. The insulation
coating or lining can be done both in the
external facade and the internal part of the
walls.
Internal insulation finishing system
A system employed only in those situation where the external application is not viable. This type of
solution, used for example for the energy requalification of historical buildings with restricted facades or
facades in béton brut or visible bricks, has several disadvantages, such as the reduction of the net floor
area, but also many advantages compared to an external insulation finishing system: reduced costs, an
easier installation and, most of all, the possibility to apply it to a single housing unit. However, the
installation of an internal insulation finishing system implies a detailed analysis of the hygrometric
performance of the wall: thick insulation panels or the use of non-transpiring insulation materials (with
high μ vapour permeability indexes) can generate interstitial condensation in those points of material
discontinuity in the envelope (the so-called thermal bridges). In order to achieve a correct application of
the internal insulation finishing system, the following indications must be taken into account:
always carry out a detailed thermal and hygrometric assessment of the envelope and use low μ valued
materials such as autoclaved aerated concrete, wood fibre, stone wool, etc. If the assessment leads to
condensation, insert a vapour barrier between the insulating material and the internal finishing layer
(plaster, plasterboard, etc.). Whenever possible, keep the insulating materials as far as possible from
the existing support, avoiding contacts between the two parts.
do not apply extremely thick insulating material layers, do not go beyond a thickness of 5-6cm.
Considering this, we are now able to summarize the main advantages/disadvantages of the internal
insulation finishing system::
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ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
- Time needed for installation
- reduction of the net flooring area
- impossibility to reach low thermal transmission
values in the envelope due to the use of thin
insulating panels.
- possibility to work on a single housing unit or even - potential onset of condensation and moulds in
a single room
thermal bridges
- Low costs (no external scaffoldings needed)
External insulation finishing system
Thanks to its easy application, insulation through an external finishing system has been used in the
majority of new buildings and in almost all the renovations of buildings without facade-related restrictions,
since it allows the works without forcing the residents to leave. The application of the insulating material
from the outside allows the total coverage of thermal bridges, making the envelope almost interstitial
condensation and mould - proof. This technique entails the application of insulating panels to the walls
with specific fixing systems (adhesive mortars and wall plugs) which are subsequently covered with precoloured adhesive mortars. Panels can be provided with a plaster net for traditional mortar finishing. The
possibility to perform this action without creating problems for the residents gave a great push to its
distribution, leading to a reduction in prices for this technology and, most of all, a great incentive for the
research of the insulating materials to be employed.
Insulation finishing systems, made of an external layer of plaster on an insulating layer, are suitable both
for new and already existing building, greatly improving their energy efficiency. The components of this
system are: adhesive/glue, insulating material, mechanical wall plugs, smoothing (base coat plasters),
armour (glass wool yarns fabric), coating (with the possible support preparation), accessories (e.g. corner
net, junctions, expansion joints, wainscots, tapes).
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An external insulating system usually implies the following phases:
choosing the insulating panel: there are essentially four types of insulating materials on the
market: vegetable (such as wood fibre, mineralized wood fibre, cellulose fibre, kenaf fibre, hemp fibre, flax
fibre, corn fibre, cocoa fibre, jute fibre, giant cane, cork, etc,), animal (such as sheep wool, etc.), synthetic
(such as sintered expanded polystyrene,
extruded expanded polystyrene, expanded
polyurethane,
expanded
polyethylene,
polyester fibre, etc.), mineral (such as stone
wool, glass fibre, natural pumice, expanded
clay, expanded perlite, expanded vermiculite,
expanded granular glass, autoclaved aerated
concrete, aerated glass, etc.).
fixing the insulating panel: panel fixing
is usually carried out using a mineral or
synthetic dispersion adhesive. In some
particular cases, supplementary mechanical fastenings are installed using wall plugs. Plugging is a
process of its own and depends on the insulating material, the support, sizes and the height and
orientation of the building.
applying the reinforced plaster, made of the reinforced smoothing (base plaster with a fiberglass
reinforcement), the possible primer and the surface smoothing or coating.
Considering these indications, we are able to summarize the main advantages/disadvantages of an
external insulation finishing system:
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
- installation quickness
- costs (external scaffoldings are required for the
application)
- possibility to achieve low thermal transmission
values in the envelope thanks to thick insulation
panels.
- impossibility to work on a single housing unit or a
single room
- total coverage of thermal bridges
- the application can be carried out without forcing
the residents to leave the building.
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3.3.7
Efficient water management inside and outside the building
Water is a basic resource and any misuse leads to unease, severe health problems and huge environmental
damages. This is why it is necessary to protect this resource and raise awareness among the users with
management best practices, to achieve not just local but global advantages. Hence, we think it is
important to include the sustainable management of water in the sustainable social housing plan. It has to
be considered both inside the buildings and in the external premises, in order to obtain a unity capable to
respond to the residents’ demands and pursuing sustainability in the water cycle of its environmental context.
TECHNIQUES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER INSIDE THE BUILDING
Working on the efficiency of technologies consuming water inside the building leads to a direct advantage
in terms of saving water due to a lower fresh water consumption and to indirect advantages in terms of a
reduced energy consumption related to a reduced consumption of water and a consequent reduced
consumption of energy to purify, transport and heat it. Many construction environmental certifications
(LEED, CasaClima, BREEAM, ITACA, etc.) award extra points for those who demonstrate the use of low
water consumption technologies and a reduced consumption compared to traditional technologies. The
investment costs depend on the finishings and the quality of the technologies employed, however, they
are not too far from traditional technologies. Moreover, in renovation projects, it is also possible to
improve already existing solutions by installing flow regulators. Here we provide a list of categories,
related benefits and costs (a possible price range) per device.
Solutions for water taps
On the market there is a wide range of water taps and adaptable devices reducing water
consumption. The most significant products are flow regulators and low-consumption
showers.
The devices are not all the same: there are many types on the market with different performances in
reducing consumptions. If a conventional water tap dispenses 12 litres/minute, low-consumption water tap
can dispense from 10 to under 5 litres/minute.
Cost: 20 – 200 €.
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Toilet Solutions
The most modern toilets are provided with fairly improved flushing and hydrodynamics
mechanism as compared to the past, allowing efficient flushing with 4-6 litres of water
instead of the 10 employed in traditional technologies. However, it is very important to follow
the installation process to make sure the correct flushing parameters are employed.
- Toilet tanks with flushing interruption
Toilet tanks with a single button connected to a mechanism stopping water flushing if pressed twice or
when the user stops holding it. This system is available in almost every known brand. Since the tank is not
fully emptied, refilling takes less time and the amount of water used is reduced. A brief flushing can use
half of the tank (3 to 6 litres), while a long flushing empties it (7 to 12 litres according to the tank).
- Double button toilet tanks
Toilet tanks with a double button allowing two flushing quantities: a long flush completely emptying the
tank and a short one, using part of its capacity. Flushing quantities can be regulated (from 3 to 9 litres).
Cost: 30 – 200 €
Household appliances solutions
Modern washing machines and dishwashers can achieve a huge reduction in water consumption per cycle
without affecting washing quality. Users should choose class “A” appliances, able to use 60 litres, instead of the 100 used by traditional washing machines. New generation dishwashers use 14 litres of water
instead of the 30-40 employed by the traditional ones.
Cost: 100 – 500 €
TECHNIQUES FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT OUTSIDE THE BUILDING
The great urbanization and construction process led to a reduction of the soil permeability and the
troublesome permanence of water on the ground surface.
A solution to tackle problems related to excessive water insulation and urban floods are the alternative
drain management techniques, known as SUDS, “Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems”, or BMPs, “best management practices”, aiming at recovering the natural hydrologic functions of the soil, reducing
alterations in the water cycle caused by human insulation. These water management practices in external
areas can also be a chance to reduce the fresh water demand of the neighbourhood: for example, rain
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water, purified with natural vegetable filtration systems, can be collected and used for irrigation and
biological cooling (e.g.: Kerakoll Group Research Centre “Kerakoll GreenLab” in Sassuolo, Italy: about 1000
cu m/year recovered).
These practices do not usually require huge investments, unlike what applies to basins, although they
need an accurate and frequent maintenance to avoid losses of effectiveness and functionality.
The secondary benefits are the creation of green areas to be used as meeting and social interaction areas,
as well as places to reduce heat, leading to money saving especially regarding summer cooling.
Tab.1. The most employed BMPs are divided into categories.
1.INFILTRATION
Filtration channels
Dry wells
Filtration pavements
Infiltration basins
Infiltration extended areas
SYSTEMS
2. FILTRATION SYSTEMS
Sand filters
3. VEGETABLE SYSTEMS
Filter belts
Buffer areas
Grass channels
4. WETLANDS
Free Water Surface (FWS) Systems
Submerged horizontal Flow Systems
(SFS-h)
Submerged vertical Flow Systems
(SFS-v)
5. GREEN ROOFS
Extensive Green Roofs
Intensive Green Roofs
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GREEN ROOFS
An example of BMP are green roofs.
Green roofs belong to the strategies for an optimal water management favouring the natural control of
rainwater, giving a key contribution for the protection against urban floods. Moreover, they convey
thermal and natural benefits to the built environment and do not require additional space. In the case of
intensive green roofs, they can become an important social interaction location as well as carrying out an
environmental mitigation function.
Complying with the UNI 11235 regulation, the designer can access the specification and the calculation
criteria regarding the composition of all the elements of primary layers (structural frame, holding,
protection from roots, draining, water collection, substrate and vegetation layers, etc.) and secondary
layers (vapour barrier layer, insulating layer, layers for slope, protection, stabilizing mass, anti erosion,
irrigation devices, etc.). The choice of the draining and substrate layers thickness, as well as the vegetation
type, are related to the specific climate in which the green roof is located.
Cost: 50 – 100 €/m2 (insulation excluded).
Example: Casanova Neighbourhood in Bolzano, Italy.
3.3.8
Integrating technologies: Unfired clay and Electric heating films
Unfired clay
Even nowadays, 40% of people lives in totally or partially unfired clay built houses which have resisted for
centuries preserving their aesthetic, functional and technological features.
As a matter of fact, unfired clay is one of the oldest construction materials and can be placed at the top of
the list of eco-friendly material, since the earth is, in a certain sense, the mother of every human being…
Material characteristics
An ancient and still unmatched technology: it has thermal inertia capacity, allowing to avoid a quick
passage from cold to hot temperatures, as well as high insulating properties. It transpires and absorbs
sound waves, thus regulating environmental moisture creating healthy and pleasant microclimates for the
human body. These characteristics, in the long run, lead to huge energy saving in climate management
and healthiness. Moreover, unfired clay is 100% recyclable. Thus, a virtuous circle. This also represents a
sort of primary construction “ethics” that is spreading everywhere regardless of the cultural resistance of a
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country that has only recently abandoned mass agriculture. We still associate earth with dirt, while, on the
other hand, there is an invisible and really dangerous chemical dirt.
- Low economic and environmental costs: clay is the most common and cheap construction material. It
can be easily found on site. Energy consumption during the extraction, processing and construction
phases are very low (it is dug on site, recovering the dug earth for the construction of foundations,
basements, water tanks); it does not require long and costly transportation. Environmental costs are
extremely lower than any other “traditional building”.
- Eco-compatibility and recyclability: clay can be entirely recovered, reprocessed and used again,
originating new bricks and plaster at the end of the building life cycle. This material can be recovered
endless times.
- Vapour transmission: generally speaking, a very porous material is also very transpiring. The more
transpiring, the less likely the formation of condensation and moulds would be.
- Hygrothermal regulator: unfired clay has the capacity to set the level of internal moisture in the
environments, absorbing excessive moisture to return, when needed, to the environment, leading to a
healthy living environment.
- Heat accumulator: unfired clay, during the hottest hours of the day, accumulates heat, releasing it
when internal temperatures go down. It can be used in those projects where, through the use of solar
heat collection systems (e.g. solar greenhouses), there is a need of elements collecting heat and
gradually releasing it when they are not reached by the sun anymore.
- Thermal insulation: although clay does not have a great insulation capacity by itself, it is achieved
through the high wall thickness and the limited number of windows. In general, the porous
microstructure of the construction phase hinders heat propagation through conduction. Thermal
conductivity of dry unfired clay ranges between 0.8 and 0.9 W/m °C (it is worsened by the presence of
humidity and improved by the presence of insulating material in the mix). We can compare it with the
concrete plaster conductivity, ranging between 0.7 and 0.9 W/ m °C. Bricks mixed with wood fibre or
straw can achieve a great improvement in thermal insulation.
- Summer cooling: clay has an interesting capacity of keeping a fresh temperature inside the rooms, with
no significant variations during the summer. This is the result of the characteristics described above.
- Acoustic absorber: in order to achieve the same performance with cooked pierced bricks, twice as much
thickness is needed (e. g. 10 cm unfired clay = 20 cm pierced bricks).
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Applications
As far as applications are concerned, unfired clay has an exceptional versatility. It can be used to create
bricks, monolithic wall with the same resistance characteristics as concrete but also to build floors, domes,
vaults, insulating coatings and paints.
The formation of clay mixes tends to balance the needed elements, according to the different cases, as in a
natural alchemy. This is the ideal material for self-construction. The residents participating also in the
research for the type and the colour of the most suitable clay live an adventure leading them to the
discovery and the awareness of the surrounding area. The goal is to harmonize the construction with the
surrounding area, to bring inside what is located outside.
Main construction techniques
Every technique needs a different type of clay, differentiating for its particle consistency and malleability.
As a matter of facts, each place developed a different technique according to the characteristics of the
local material.
- Adobe: adobe is produced with a mixture of clay and straw or other vegetable fibres, shaped with
wooden moulds and dried in a dry place, not fully exposed to the sun in order to avoid excessive crinkles
or shrinking. Some natural stabilizers may be used, e.g. casein, linseed and cotton oils. The production
can be either manual or mechanical. The word Adobe might come from the Egyptian word thobe or the
Arabic word al-tub, which means “brick” and could have been corrupted by the Spanish language, thus becoming adobe.
- Bauge (Cob): traditional European variant, especially used in France and the United Kingdom (COB). A
mixture of clay and vegetal fibres, generally straw (25 kg/cu m), is prepared. The clay-straw mixture is
fairly hard, it is shaped by hand without the use of formworks and then stacked to build walls. After
having completed a number of layers, the imperfections on the surface are removed using a scraper. It
has a load-bearing function and, therefore, it needs to be very thick.
- Torchies: combination of a wooden load-bearing structure and claw-straw claddings covering a grid in
wood, bamboo, willow or hazel branches, anchored to the structural frame. This solution uses clay as a
simple cover or cladding. The load-bearing function is carried out by the wooden structure.
- Pisè or crushed clay: this process consists in preparing a mixture of clay and little water to be put in
mobile wooden formworks, as large as the wall thickness. The mixture will then be crushed with
wooden clubs and pestles. Wooden panels may range between 100 to 200 cm long with an height of 5090 cm. Clay is used in a state between dry and moist and is spilt in layers of about 20-30 cm at a time.
Once crushed, clay blends and becomes compact, forming a homogenous mass able to reach different
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heights. The type of cohesion, made artificially using the pestle, produces a natural effect, such as the
formation of stones. The evolution of this technique led to the invention of vibratory compactors,
improving the quality of the material. This kind of clay can also be mixed with straw, sand and stones.
Finally, we remind you that earth is also the first deity recognized by the human kind. The word “matter” comes from the Latin “mater”, mother. This conveys the idea of the house as a shelter and as the entrails
and the womb of that living organism, our planet, we are living in.
Electric heating films
The ongoing tendency in both public and private residential construction to meet the demand of heating
during winter is to install boiler systems producing hot water which is used to heat the units. These
solutions are characterised by a high inertia originated by the preheating of water which, in turn, provides
heat through convection, generally in isolated areas.
If properly designed and used, the electric heating films radiating technology could optimize heating by
reducing the time employed to reach a suitable temperature for the residents.
Features
There are several electric heating film types according to the brands producing them. Generally speaking,
these are the common features:
Modularity: In general, rolls or wickers 50-70 cm wide and 4-5 m wide are produced. They are easy
to adapt to the different rooms.
Reduced thickness: Thickness ranges from 1 to 3 mm, making the under-floor installation very easy
both for floating wood floorings and other finishing materials.
Variable power: Usually, there are printed circuit boards or shielded coaxial cables providing
different powers according to the specific needs. Values range from 50 W/m2 to 200 W/m2.
Input: 230V, 50Hz.
Operating temperature: 28-30 °C is an optimal temperature for the characteristics of finishing
materials, especially wood, able to generate a comfort zone up to 2-3 metres high.
Settings: Settings are checked using a floor probe connected to a thermostat. On/Off cycles are
managed by an on-off switch. By installing electronic control units, it is also possible to have a
breakdown of the elements for the optimization of energy absorption, guaranteeing comfort
temperatures at the same time.
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Applications
The installation of heating films is very useful in those renovations of existing buildings (e.g. historical
buildings) in which the implementation of a hydronic system is very unlikely. The installation, directly
under the floor, reduces demolition and replacement works.
They can also be used in new buildings as primary or supplementary heating source, especially when used
in a new construction perspective related to innovation:
-
No use of fossil fuel
-
Energy self-production through photovoltaic panels
-
Internally insulated envelopes with thermo-reflective materials
-
A correct residents’ education to the use of a low-inertia system
Even if this is recommended for the residential and tertiary sector constructions (with a non-continuous
occupation of the environment), it should be discarded as far as healthcare constructions (which have a
constant occupation of the environment) are concerned because inertia is not a key factor.
Main advantages
Reduced installation and management costs: It allows a dry, quick, reversible, non-invasive and
reasonably priced installation if compared to traditional water and air solutions. Possible damages
do not affect the operation of this equipment and the damaged part is easy to find and replace
without any inconvenience caused by water leaks. Used in combination with a photovoltaic
system, it reduces management costs on the long run.
Comfort and safety guaranteed: Optimal heat distribution and a perfect control of environmental
condition creating a comfortable and safe environment compared to traditional water heating
systems. It does not heat the air and does not reduce the humidity rate, which remains in the
optimal ranges for the residents’ comfort. This system does not heat only perimetral areas or
ceilings, but just the space used. Total absence of electromagnetic radiations or fields. With a
lower air temperature, the humidity rate stays in an optimal range. This system is silent, safe,
ecologically compatible with no polluting emissions.
Elimination of transitions: The heating wire is jut a few mm thick. Therefore, it instantly becomes
hot and immediately sends heat to the surface, especially when, before the installation, an
insulating mat covering the lower part of the floor is deployed, forcing heat to go on surface. This
low inertia allows the operation of the system only when the environment is occupied, optimizing
consumptions.
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Autonomous management of every room: Even when the equipment is operating, it is possible to
optimize its functioning, which can be independently set for any room, managing floor
temperature and the inside temperature of the room itself. This leads to energy savings because
only the areas of interest are heated and the consumptions are monitored in real time.
3.4
Possible solutions and recommendations
In the light of the research carried out so far, sorting information in files and in-depth analyses shows
technologies and applications which are different for their scope, type of action, needs and context.
However, it is possible to overcome this initial lack of uniformity with a further analysis, drafting an
integrated set of possible solutions and recommendations for integrated social housing renovation
actions: a set of case study-based processes and technologies to be included in a knowledge system able
to support decision makers and Public Administrations.
First of all, a general vision means a process-based approach related to the topic of social housing
renovation focusing on some particular features and supported by technologic solutions according to the
specific cases and applied in real situations. They also have to be easy to repeat and apply to different
contexts.
Starting from rethinking the process means that decision makers, Public Administrations and public clients
are aware of the implications and the knowledge needed to manage an action throughout its whole life
cycle, from the project to the management of the transformation (construction-implementation phase) to
the maintenance. However, an LCA-based approach regarding social housing assets, both existing and to
be built, stresses the problem of handling the available information on the building (currently nonaggregated information, but which could be merged in a single information model) and on the possibility
of making quick assessments of different scenarios.
The use of BIM, from the perspective of public procurement or publicly-owned buildings, is justified by the
possibility of handling project multidisciplinarity, providing a notably integrated service in terms of correct
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pre-setting and prevision of geometrical, physical, energy characteristics of the building in its different
time frames, also assessing times and costs of each scenario and a multidisciplinary control of the project.
The development of control and assessment methods of the virtual model can improve professional and
management skills of Public Administration decision makers, who can handle action costs and times in
new buildings or renovations in full awareness, optimizing processes and starting an innovative and more
competitive business network.
This aspect (management of building assets and the information system used to organize decisions) is
undoubtedly related to the use of quick methods for the synthetic assessment of seismic vulnerability: in
particular, we analysed the simplified classification called RE.SIS.TO® (acronym of Resistenza Sismica
Totale - Total Seismic Resistance), which classifies the analysed buildings in five vulnerability ranges,
providing an easy and clear way to communicate the outcomes of the assessment even to non-experts.
This process is made of a set of simplified numerical assessments combined with a qualitative analysis of
the building status, allowing the detection of the main vulnerabilities which were not included in the
calculation phase and, when applied to large real estate assets, establishes action priorities for the
following phases (complete vulnerability surveys or seismic improvement or retrofitting actions).
The examples provided are mostly related to residential expansion projects run by Public Administrations
(at a Municipal level) aiming at responding to the social housing demand and at pursuing models housing
excellency, that is to say, aimed at guaranteeing a high quality of life and at implementing an integrated
regeneration strategy, including morphological and functional features of peripheral contexts. We chose
three main case studies for their initial situations, particularly common in Europe, and the repeatable
applied technologies.
In the first case, the initial case is the need for improving energy efficiency of a whole neighbourhood
according to a municipal plan; this action managed to bring the buildings into “class A” parameters by working only on the external envelope without using mechanical ventilation systems, thus reducing costs.
In the second case, the energy efficiency issue went along with a general situation of decay of the
neighbourhood. This action aimed at providing high performance and energy efficiency level, and it had to
be compatible with the residents’ stay, who were not evacuated during the works. This action focused on
the renovation of the envelope and the building equipment. At the end of the works the building achieved,
for the very first time in renovations history, the CasaClima B class. In the third case, a project run by the
Municipality and private investors (PPP Public-private partnership) consisted in developing a social
housing action which, together with energy efficiency and low environmental impact requirements, also
needed to put times and costs under control. The technical solution which guaranteed the achievement of
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this result was the choice of X-Lam panels, thick wooden panels with crossed layers: resistant, economical,
easy to assemble. This project also employed high efficiency utility equipment (centralized thermal unit
using the geothermal aquifer source through heat pumps). The result was an action allowing the reduction
of completion time, limiting scrap material and providing high performances in thermal insulation and
energy efficiency (all buildings have been ranked Class A).
Among the many technical solutions to improve energy efficiency of buildings, we especially analysed two
aspects related to thermal insulation and water management.
Given the importance of the building envelope in the analysis of energy losses (about 40% from the
horizontal envelope and about 20% of the total from the vertical envelope), the technological solution of
applying an insulation finishing system represents a reliable (it has been used for more than twenty years)
and economical solution which has been included in the new construction routine. Insulation finishing
systems can be installed both on the external and the internal side of the wall according to specific cases: it
is generally used on the inside in case of valuable external finishing or to insulate single housing units. It is
placed outside in the majority of new constructions and in almost every renovated building without
particular limitations on the facade.
Moreover, many water saving strategies, such as, for example, the installation of low consumption
devices, can lead to important savings for the community because they reduce energy costs for the
transportation, heating and distribution of water, reducing, on the whole, the investments needed for
water supply, wastewater treatment centres and the management of damages and breakages. In order to
decide the most effective strategy according to the case, it is recommended to analyse the water saving
options available for the project (toilets, showers, taps, washing machines, rainwater collection, irrigation,
etc.), understand where the highest water consumption comes from (calculating it or monitoring existing
water consumptions) and find potential alternative water saving technologies with a reasonable return on
investments. This approach should also be applied to outdoor areas with the goal of protecting the natural
water cycle reducing waterproof floorings, installing green roofs, planting green belts, collecting rainwater
for irrigation and non potable uses, designing infiltration and retarding basins and compacting urban areas
in order to reduce paved surfaces such as roads and walkways (LEED®Nuove Costruzioni e Ristrutturazioni LEED® New constructions and renovations).
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3.5
Conclusions
The very harsh economic crisis, especially affecting the construction sector, and the concurrent climate
crisis, together with the cultural transformation of the cities, impose a totally new approach for the
regeneration of urban centres. Regenerating cities means changing the way to conceive, project and carry
out action on them. A set of different reasons, which are of current importance (reducing land
consumption and polluting emissions, improving energy saving, the management of public works and the
buildings’ seismic resistant structure), extend the issue of urban regeneration from the disused and
obsolete buildings to the whole old construction assets, that is to say, the currently used assets: there is
the need of a shift from policies aimed at solving particular situations to more general policies involving
the local governance. From the point of view of the economic development in general, urban regeneration
represents a policy to support the construction sector, converting it to work in favour of environmental and
local sustainability with improved quality standards, times and costs, to achieve quality, respecting the
identity of urban centres and responding to the challenges posed by social and economic changes, climate
change and the urgent energy issues.
This work of critical analysis of best practices in the national and regional context is ultimately aimed at
stressing some fundamental points to support the adoption of best practices and solutions in the Green
Building sector:
• Organizing governance tools throughout the building life cycle, extending them to maintenance,
improving decision-making processes, supporting them with integrated tools to assess and preview the
possible solutions
• Construction of energetically sustainable buildings, capable to raise awareness on the market about the
quality and the comfort of new buildings
• Standardising the use of new process and construction/renovation techniques and technologies
regarding energy parameters in social residential buildings
• Supporting technological innovation in using materials and technical solutions with a high energy
performance index
• Achieving an environmentally compatible energy mix in the social residential sector (limiting the use of
fossil sources and increasing the use of renewable sources)
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109
ANNEX 1
Project sheets
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Le Albere neighborhood (houses, a museum and a multi-purpose center)
Location: Trento (Italy)
Contractor: Fondo Castello SGR S.p.a.
Promoter: Istituto di Sviluppo Altoatesino (Isa) and Itas insurance
Designer: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
General contractor of the whole intervention: Colombo Costruzioni
in a SPV with Pac, Sandrini Costruzioni, Consorzio Finedil, Gadotti F.lli
Year of construction: 2008 - 2013
Type of action: urban recovery, demolition and reconstruction
Type of procurement: public-private partnership
Cost: 330 million Euro
Awards/ certifications: CasaClima Awards 2013, Leed Gold for MUSE.
CasaClima B energy class: thermal index 30,68 kWh/m² for offices, 44,22 kWh/m² for houses
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Energy modelling
Integration of comfort sensors
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
Established quality
parameters modelling and
automatic control
Seismic safety
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Integrated design
(architecture-structuresplants)
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Building process efficiency
Smart City
Pre-estimate of perfective
options
Consistent data
integration (“green BIM”)
Home automation
Safety control in the
construction site
Home automation for
comfort parameters
Integrated energy modelling
Integrated design (architecturestructures-plants)
Efficient resources
management (with
modelling)
Open access
multidisciplinary modelling
Optical fiber provision
Better management of
public procurement
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Le Albere neighborhood is one of the largest urban regenerations in Italy affecting a 116,000
m² area. Renzo Piano’s project functional mix, in addition to the 45% of surface addressed to
residential units, includes 26,800 m² for offices (30%), 9,000 m² for the shopping area (10%)
and 4,600 m² for hotels. Moreover, 75,000 m² out of the total 116,000 became public
property again (including Muse, the new 19,000 m² Museum of Science). The strong greenoriented vocation of the whole complex resulted in energy efficient design features through
a system of solar panels, insulating materials and a trigeneration system providing electric
power, heating and cooling, with autonomous management of consumptions. The use of
BIM allowed for such a high level of reliability on timing and costs prediction that, even in
such a complex project, unexpected elements and mistakes were reduced to minimum.
Partial rain water Wood, steel,
recovery
glass,
Multidisciplinary and
Interoperable BIM
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Well-known and measurable advantages
where the BIM is used
WEAKNESSES
It requires a cultural challenge for the players
involved in the building process, from
contractors to professionals
OPPORTUNITIES
Possibility to improve the quality of the
market, professionalism and results for all
the players involved; improvement in
transparency and procurement management
THREATS
In case of lack of a progressive road-map, the
BIM may become a regulation to elude as
there are many in this sector, without
understanding the real innovation potential
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Public Residential Housing Complex (ERP)
Location: Via Beroaldo / Via Ungarelli, Bologna (Italy)
Contractor: Municipality of Bologna
Promoter: Ministry of Public Works / Emilia Romagna Region
Designer: Studio TECO and Partners + ACER Bologna
General contractor: Edil Borghi Srl
Year of construction: work in progress
Type of action: new construction after demolition
Type of procurement: public work call for tenders
Cost: 9,800,000 Euro (approx.)
Awards/certifications: Nomination for the National competition
“Sustainable Energy in cities” section B – Urbanpromo 2009.
Energy Class: A (Casaclima Certification)
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
A Class
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Thermal inertia, Thermalhygrometric control, solar
contribution
Radiant floor heating, controlled
mechanical ventilation system
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Annual requirement: 23 kWh/m²
(estimated)
Solar panels for domestic hot water
production
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Green roof
Water recovery
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
SWOT ANALYSIS
The project entails the demolition and reconstruction of 6 buildings owned by the
municipality, built between 1950 and 1960, and currently in severe decay, in order to
create 74 Public Residential Housing Units, to give the complex a different aspect, to
recreate space functionality and to build underground garages. From the construction
point of view, there will be an exterior insulation finishing system and an external cellular
brick wall plug. From the plants perspective, the building is equipped with radiant floor
heating, modern high-performance condensing boilers, a series of solar panels to
produce domestic hot water and controlled mechanical ventilation system with highefficiency regenerators (>90%) and specific filters for internal air purification. Heat
production is centralized but it can identify individual consumptions.
STRENGTHS
High energy quality and consumption saving
for disadvantaged users, high environmental
comfort
WEAKNESSES
Long public intervention implementation
procedure.
High cost (no-repeatable intervention).
OPPORTUNITIES
Strong experimental content able to
encourage innovation.
THREATS
Improper user’s behavior may affect the
efficiency of the technologies adopted
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Public Residential Housing Complex (ERP)
Location: Via Fioravanti / Via Bolognese, Bologna (Italy)
Contractor: Municipality of Bologna
Promoter: Ministry of Public Works / Emilia Romagna Region
Designer: Studio TECO and Partners + Studio Anelli
General contractor: n.d.
Year of construction: work in progress
Type of action: new construction after demolition
Type of procurement: public work call for tenders
Cost: 2,600,000 euro (approx.)
Awards/Certifications: B1 Energy Class (Casaclima)
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
B Class
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Thermal inertia, optimized
solar contribution, building
envelope insulation
Radiant floor heating, double-flow
mechanical ventilation
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Annual requirement: 23
kWh/m² a (estimated)
Solar panels for domestic hot
water production (min. 50%)
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
SWOT ANALYSIS
The intervention aims at creating 22 Public Residential Housing Units characterized by
high energy efficiency and environmental quality, starting from the demolition of a Public
Residential Housing Building dating back to the mid ‘20s and ‘40s. The building will be
characterized by the compliance with the important urban fabric of the area, its typical
features and its façade characteristics. The objective is reducing energy dispersal to the
minimum level: from the structural point of view, through an insulated building envelope
and external cellular brick wall plug; from the plant perspective, thanks to a radiant panel
heating system with a centralized heat production that can identify individual energy
consumption. Solar panels can guarantee to provide for at least 50% of domestic hot
water requirement.
STRENGTHS
High energy quality and consumption saving
for disadvantaged users, high environmental
comfort
WEAKNESSES
Long public intervention implementation
procedure.
OPPORTUNITIES
Strong experimental content able to
encourage innovation.
THREATS
Improper user’s behavior may affect the
efficiency of the technologies adopted.
PROJECT SHEET Name: Casanova Neighborhood Location: Bolzano (Italy) Contractor: Social Housing Institution of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (IPES) Promoter: IPES Designer: LABORATORIO DI ARCHITETTURA-­‐ARCHITETTI ASSOCIATI General contractor: IPES Year of construction: 2006-­‐2012 Type of action: new construction Type of procurement: international prize Cost: 1,250 €/m² Awards/Certifications: parametered CasaClima A Seismic safety Energy efficiency Systems evolution -­‐ Building Automation Efficient water management Type of materials Building process efficiency Smart City Climate actions Solar panels to produce domestic hot water and electricity Rain water recovery for the irrigation of green roofs Green roof, calcium silicate external insulation finishing, wood fiber cover insulation Compact and regular shape, minimized dispersion surface Health, demographic changes, wellbeing Green roofs, calcium silicate reversed roof Radiant floor heating and controlled natural ventilation Secure, clean and efficient energy Remote heating and cooling system Geothermal heat pump Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies Future inhabitants’ participation Integration of the action in the transport system SHORT DESCRIPTION SWOT ANALYSIS It aims at designing a “model neighborhood” complying with innovation and quality criteria, with high performance houses characterized by low use of energy resources, limited costs and easy maintenance. Special attention was given to urban composition as a whole, aiming at encouraging visual and use permeability and supporting social interaction among the different components, entailing the construction of eight building “castles” made up of 3-­‐4 buildings around a common green area. The height of the buildings varies according to their position, thus limiting the shadowing effect. In this way a 65% reduction of consumption is achieved, if compared to a traditional neighborhood. Energy consumption monitoring is also in progress as a further concrete action within the partnership with the Ministry of Environment, in the SEE (Sustainable Energy Europe) campaign implementation framework. STRENGTHS Experimentation of virtuous and sustainable housing models. The remote heating system allows for 31% annual energy saving if compared to autonomous boiler system WEAKNESSES Delay in the provision of some collective services and equipment OPPORTUNITIES The Monitoring Plan will allow for the use of data and experimented experiences in the Casanova Project for future projects as well THREATS Sense of isolation for the residents PROJECT SHEET
Name: IPES Building via Dalmazia
Location: Bolzano (Italy)
Contractor: Social Housing Institute of the Autonomous Province of
Bolzano (IPES)
Promoter: IPES
Designer: IPES with Studio Tecnico Vettori, Bolzano
General contractor: IPES
Year of construction: 2006-2007
Type of action: energy requalification
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: 3,5 milioni Euro, approx. 500 €/m² per flat
Awards/Certifications: CasaClima B Energy Class
Seismic
safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process efficiency
Smart City
Cork insulation
finishing system
Climate actions
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Increase in comfort and safety of the flats
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
New centralized heating system with
underground thermal power station
Asbestos chimneys
removal
Energy retrofitting during
supplementary maintenance
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The rehabilitation of the building represented and opportunity to improve its energy
efficiency through: 10 cm -cork insulation finishing system, fixtures replacement with
high-thermal-insulation windows and doors and with direct access from the galleries,
replacement of all the doors and floors of the cellars where pipes and cables are present
(heating, hot water and electricity). The existing doors and windows replacement allowed
the demolition of perimetral wall sides guaranteeing the continuity of the thermal
envelope and eliminating heat channels. A reduction up to 5 l of gas oil per m² per year
was achieved, with a subsequent 1,200 Euro saving per 100 m² of residential space.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Existing building rehabilitation
Complete asbestos removal
Heat channels elimination
Presence of residents during works
OPPORTUNITIES
Energy consumption reduction in existing
social housing unit
WEAKNESSES
Partial interference due to the presence of
residents during works
THREATS
Improper user’s behavior may affect the
efficiency of the technologies adopted.
PROJECT SHEET
nd
rd
th
Name: Compagnoni-Fenulli Neighborhood (2 -3 -4 part)
Location: Reggio Emilia
Contractor: Municipality of Reggio Emilia, ACER
Promoter: Municipality of Reggio Emilia, ACER
Designer: ACER Reggio Emilia
General contractor:
Year of construction: 2011-in progress (expected end of work 2015)
Type of action: demolition-reconstruction
Type of procurement: public contract
Cost: 17,614,219 Euro
Awards/Certifications: Passive House Standard of the Mediterranean
Seismic
safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
50% of the surface with
North/South orientation
Home automation systems
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
Double-opening houses for
cross ventilation, flat types
reconfiguration
Controlled mechanical
ventilation. Radiant floor
heating
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Remote heating and cooling
system
Urban remote heating
network connection
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
Efficient water
management
Anti-splash jet-nozzle
systems and lowconsumption toilet
cistern
Type of materials
The area involved in the intervention is part of the Urban Rehabilitation n.6 “Quartiere
Compagnoni-Fenulli” framework. The neighborhood has a surface of 42,619 m² and it is in
the South-West part of the town. It is an example of “sustainable urban and building
rehabilitation”. The 2°-3°-4° part of the Compagnoni neighborhood not only entail the
intervention on the building complex for residential use, but also the recovery of the
urban aspect of the whole area, including the road and infrastructural network
rehabilitation and the creation of useful services at a social and community level. This
second part of the project aims at transforming the neighborhood into an actual “piece of
the town” , with public and private green areas, primary and secondary roads, attraction
points designed for residents but open to the rest of the community as well, transforming
an area meant to be used as dormitory-neighborhood into an area based on the
functional mix concept.
Smart City
Recycled or reused external
floor
Transpiring materials. Heat
channels reduction thanks to
exterior insulation finishing
system
Green areas irrigation
thanks to rainwater
tanks
Internal cyclingpedestrian mobility
optimization
Technologies for disabled
people
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Building process
efficiency
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Participatory processes activation, functional mix
and security perception increase, development and
management of the intervention by a public player
OPPORTUNITIES
PRU (Urban Regeneration Plan) as a tool to
increase internal knowledge and technical skills of
the public sector
WEAKNESSES
The PRU (Urban Regeneration Plan)
did not create other rehabilitation
processes in the neighboring areas
THREATS
none
PROJECT SHEET
th
th
Name: Compagnoni-Fenulli Neighborhood (5 -6 part)
Location: Reggio Emilia
Contractor: Municipality of Reggio Emilia, ACER, privati
Promoter: Municipality of Reggio Emilia, ACER
Designer: ACER Reggio Emilia
General contractor: n.d.
Year of construction: 2013- estimated end of work 2015)
Type of action: energy requalification of 11 buildings
Type of procurement: public contract
Cost: 4,038,178.96 Euro
Awards/Certifications: Achievement of 2/3 superior energy classes
(minimum standard C class).
Seismic
safety
Energy efficiency
Climate actions
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Self-locking tile
flooring for car park
Exterior insulation finishing system with
closed cell EPS panels
Exterior insulation
finishing system.
Fixtures replacement
Building
process
efficiency
Smart City
New floor covering for the pedestrian
routes with architectural non-slip
concrete
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Safety systems for pedestrian and
cycling routes to promote the
usability of external common
spaces
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
SWOT ANALYSIS
The project involves 11 buildings with 122 public-owned and 24 private-owned flats and it
aims at eliminating decay in the building and urban fabric of these areas generating
housing problems and sense of insecurity during time. The interventions are not only
aimed at the architectural recovery of the buildings, but also at energy improvement to
be achieved through an insulation finishing system so that energy consumption is
substantially reduced and internal comfort quality is increased. In some buildings, thanks
to the interventions approved in the tenants’ assembly, the remake of roof coverings,
tinsmithery replacement, reinforced concrete and balconies recovery, external doors and
windows replacement, electrical equipment adaptation and common parts painting will
be done, as well as the installation of two solar panels.
STRENGTHS
Residents’ support in all phases.
Systematic participation of the Municipality in all
the regional financing tenders
WEAKNESSES
Intervention on inhabited buildings with
major inconvenience for the residents
OPPORTUNITIES
Experimentation in the management of
interventions by a mixed (private and public)
contractor
THREATS
Difficulties in managing interventions
due to the mixed public-private
ownership of the flats
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Social housign building complex in X-lam
Location: via Cenni (MI), Italy
Contractor: Municipality of Milan
Promoter: Lombardy Real Estate Fund (Polaris Investment Italia Sgr)
Designer: Rossiprodi Associati, Tekne, Borlini & Zanini, D&D
General contractor: Ati Carron - Service Legno
Year of construction: 2012-2013
Type of action: new construction
Type of procurement: invitation to tender
Cost: final cost of 1000 Euro m² of commercial area
Awards/Certifications: Cened A Class Certificate
Seismic safety
Climate actions
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Wood from certified
forests
A Energy Class
Patented building
solutions
Type of materials
Wooden walls
hygrometric control
Forced mechanical ventilation
and humidity control
Natural
Average annual
consumption < 300 €
per 100 m² (estimated)
Integrated photovoltaic panels,
cogeneration system
Renewable (wood can
be regenerated in 4
years)
More safety in the
construction site (fewer
works)
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The social residential housing complex in via Cenni, Milan, is made up of four nine-floortowers, for a total intervention area of 17,000 m². There are 124 flats of different type and
surface, both with subsidized lease and rent-to-buy formula, common services,
recreational cultural spaces and services addressed to young people. The chosen social
manager is the DAR=casa Cooperative. The building and structural system is made of
hardwood panels glued to crossed layers (X-lam). X-lam walls and flooring tiles form a
box structure which is highly rigid and robust from a structural point of view, without the
use of any pillar. The buildings are Class A designed thanks to the building characteristics
of hardwood walls and cutting-edge plants adopted.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Quick execution thanks to in-house
production.
Height of the buildings
WEAKNESSES
Need for specialized workforce for the
installation of panels
OPPORTUNITIES
Controllable and reliable construction site
management
THREATS
Building system non-applicable to
interventions on existing structures
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Social Housing building complex, Cogefrin S.p.A. - Easy Building
System (EBS)
Location: Lugo di Romagna (RA), Italy
Contractor and promoter: Parco dei Mulini
Designer: Studio Conti e Galegati, Designo s.r.l.
General contractor: Cogefrin S.p.A.
Year of construction: 2012
Type of action: new construction
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: n.d.
Awards/Certifications: Green Building Council - Silver GBC Home
Seismic safety
Systems evolution Building Automation
Hot domestic water
production
Climate actions
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Energy efficiency
Patented building
method
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Reduction in domestic
water consumption
Natural (certified wood)
Silver GBC Home
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Natural (certified wood)
Minimum energy
performance
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The social residential housing complex in Lugo di Romagna is made up of six buildings
with three floors for a total surface of 1,500 m² divided into eleven units. All the buildings
were designed and built adopting the Easy Building System (EBS) method, patented by
Cogefrin S.p.A., consisting of wood and frame concrete buildings, without the use of
loadbearing walls, with dry building technology allowing for a quicker construction phase
if compared to traditional building methods, together with the use of sustainable and
recyclable materials without modifying its durability and conservation features. It was
the first complex being awarded the GBC (Green Building Council) Italia Certification in
2013 in compliance with the new 'GBC Home' protocol for residential housing.
Integrated design
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Dry technology
Reduced construction costs
WEAKNESSES
none
OPPORTUNITIES
Flexibility thanks to the possibility to
reconfigure the plan configuration
THREATS
Building system non-applicable to
interventions on existing buildings
PROJECT SHEET
Name: New Villa Fastiggi social housing neighborhood
Location: Pesaro
Contractor: Municipality of Pesaro
Promoter: Municipality of Pesaro
Designer: Group of designers coordinated by engineer.Angelo Mingozzi
General contractor: n.d.
Year of construction: 2005-2010
Type of action: new construction
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: n.d.
Awards/Certifications: Sustainable Energy Europe Award 2007; Energy
globe Award for Italy 2007; Eurosolar Award for Italy 2008.
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process efficiency
Rainwater recovery
and treatment
Exterior insulation
finishing system and
Poroton blocks
Site analysis for a correct
positioning of the buildings
Climate actions
Solar profit maximization
in winter
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
Electromagnetic fields
control in the design
phase
Radiant floor heating
Use of low-SOVlevel materials
Installation on the sidewalk of
the LOGES system for blind
people
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Photovoltaic and solar
thermal systems
Centralized systems with single
consumptions accounting
system
Use of sustainable
materials
Use of inertial material to
reduce summer cooling need
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
Buildings designed in
compliance with DM
14/09/2005 and DM
14/01/2008
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The Villa Fastiggi building complex was one the first “eco-neighborhoods” built in Italy.
Both at an urban and building level, the project is characterized by a deep knowledge of
the area, acquired through an analysis of environmental factors (air, surface and
underground waters, soil and subsoil, natural environment and ecosystems, landscape,
historic and type aspects) and climate factors (thermo-hygrometric climate, sun-air
impact, natural light availability, acoustic climate, electromagnetic fields). For this
intervention, the “Bio-architecture Regulation” of the Municipality of Pesaro was drafted
and experimented for the first time. The urban settlement choices were made through
participatory design. Some buildings became “pilot cases” for the European SHE
(Sustainable Housing in Europe) project.
Smart City
Flow reducers in the
taps
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Participatory design.
Provision of user’s and building
maintenance manuals for each inhabitant.
Prevalence of cycling-pedestrian routes in
the neighborhood.
OPPORTUNITIES
The (discretionary) use of the “Bioarchitecture Regulation” allows for a
building area bonus.
WEAKNESSES
The “Bio-architecture Regulation” use is not
compulsory yet. Hence, it is more difficult to
repeat the project elsewhere, especially at
urban scale.
THREATS
Difficulties in managing interventions in the
common parts of the buildings.
PROJECT SHEET
Name: New Kerakoll GreenLab research center
Location: Sassuolo (MO)
Contractor and promoter: Gruppo Kerakoll
Designer: StudioBios, IRIDRA s.r.l.
General contractor: Gruppo Kerakoll
Year of construction: 2012
Type of action: new construction
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: 14 million Euro
Awards/Certifications: awarded by Legambiente for the “Sustainable
Living” category (2010)
Reference: http://www.kerakoll.com/it/greenlab/greenlab-project
Seismic
safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Climate actions
Envelope integrated by
air conditioning
Intelligent remote control
over electrical and mechanical
equipment
Greywater recovery with SBR and toilet
3
supply (approx. 700 m /year recovered)
Low environmental
impact
Bioclimatology and
natural lighting
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Radiant ceiling system:
internal comfort
Metal micro-filtered radiant
panels
Rainwater recovery from roofs and
irrigation system supply (approx. 1000
3
m /year recovered)
Lower VOC emissions:
transpiring and healthy
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Integrated photovoltaic
system: 14 kWp
Sensors for brightness control
Exterior: rainwater in the rain garden for
bioclimatic cooling
Lower CO2 emissions
and high energy
efficiency
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
High energy efficiency
thermoblocks
Presence sensors
Vegetated flood retention area: natural
purification and retention systems
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The “Kerakoll GreenLab” in Sassuolo is the new futuristic research Center of the Kerakoll
Group and it represents the first building for the tertiary sector in Italy which was entirely built
with eco-friendly solutions. The building contains 9 advanced laboratories for Green
Technology development and it creates the right context to encourage research and best
diffusion of practices for sustainability. Every material used in the construction and finishing
of the GreenLab was chosen among the ones with the lowest environmental impact, the
lowest VOC and CO2 emissions and the highest energy efficiency. The management of the
building is via intelligent remote control of electrical and mechanical equipment; the
photovoltaic system produces electricity from renewable sources. Rainwater, which is
purified with natural filtering systems, is collected and used for irrigation and bioclimatic
cooling, whereas greywater from the washbasins is purified and then used.
Double glass
photovoltaic panels
integrated in the
South facade
Smart City
Building
automation
system
Green
Technology
development
sustainable
building
materials
Recycled materials
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Designed and built with low environmental
impact and constructed only with natural
materials
WEAKNESSES
Very costly new construction project
OPPORTUNITIES
Conceived to become a model of virtuous
building with innovative solutions to build
with low environmental impact.
THREATS
Cutting-edge and innovative solutions are
not always applicable to projects with a
limited budget.
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Arterìa: art, music, entertainment,bar, tavern
Location: Bologna
Contractor and promoter: Zoe snc
Designer: Architect Andrea Facchi, Architect Roberto Maci
General contractor: n.d.
Year of construction: 2006
Type of action: Existing renovation
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: n.d.
Awards/Certifications: n.d.
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Reduction in CO2
emissions
Excellent thermal
conservation
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Unfired clay plasters
Hygroscopicity; selfconstruction
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Easy conservation
Low energy
consumption
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process efficiency
Limited plant design
Unfired clay
Easy-to-find and low cost
material
Basic installations
Non-toxicity
Simple and abundant
material
Smart City
Resource saving for future
generations
Easy to process and
apply
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
It is a renovation intervention of an historic building in the town center of Bologna.
During the renovation works, the basis of a fourteenth century tower with selenite walls
was found and properly protected and restored. The main material used for plasters and
furniture is unfired clay, with undeniable environmental welfare results even with the
presence of a large public: the building hosts up to 500 people every evening. The
intervention, which is unique in its kind in Italy, demonstrates that unfired clay does not
only have an undeniable aesthetic value, but that it can also be considered a high-energyefficiency building technology, guaranteeing excellent energy efficiency, thermal inertia,
wind resistance, transpiration, fire resistance, etc, as well as extremely reduced costs.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGHTS
The cycle from extraction to re-use was
transparent and with low environmental
impact
WEAKNESSES
Non-impermeability at natural status
OPPORTUNITIES
Financially advantageous and local
THREATS
none
PROJECT SHEET
Name: Conciliation Chapel
Location: Berlin (Germany)
Contractor and promoter: Conciliation Community
Designer: Sassenroth & Reitermann with Martin Rauch
General contractor: n.d.
Year of construction: 2000
Type of action: new construction
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: 971,454 Euro
Awards/Certifications: n.d.
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Reduction in CO2
emissions
Excellent thermal
conservation
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Compressed clay
loadbearing walls
Self-construction;
high environmental
value
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Easy conservation
Low energy
consumption
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Limited plant design
Unfired clay , dealwood
Easy-to-find and low
cost material
Basic installations
Non-toxicity; detrital
material recovery in the
concrete mix
Simple and abundant
material
Smart City
Resource saving for
future generations
Easy to process and
apply
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The Reconciliation Chapel in Berlin, completed in 2000, is the first public building in hard
court of the last 150 years in Germany. It is located in the so-called “no man’s land” area,
on the boundary between East and West Berlin. The plan of the building is oval and the
perimetral walls were built with the pisé technique in compressed hard court, with 60 cm
thickness, built in self-construction. An abundant wood cover ending with thin vertical fir
sheet protects the ground walls from direct rain, avoiding wash-outs. The initial fully
achieved objective was constructing a building that was fit for its time and in an
environmental perspective as well: saving resources for future generations. It is a small
intervention that indicates new routes for the future of architecture and ecology.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
The cycle from extraction to re-use was
transparent and with low environmental
impact; high resistance in time
WEAKNESSES
Non-impermeability. This problem was
solved with the abundant wood cover
OPPORTUNITIES
Financially advantageous and local
THREATS
none
PROJECT SHEET
Name: LeCASEfranche
Location: San Martino in Villafranca, Forlì
Contractor: “Casa Futura” Cooperative
Promoter: CLUSTERIZE!
Designer: CLUSTERIZE!
General contractor: “Casa Futura” Cooperative
Year of construction: 2010 – in progress
Type of action: co-housing and self-building
Type of procurement: n.d.
Cost: n.d.
Awards/Certifications: n.d.
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Rainwater collection
and re-use
Climate actions
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Geothermal boiler
Photovoltaic panels
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
According to the “LeCASEfranche” collective private initiative plan presented by the
CLUSTERIZE! Office for a new neighborhood in Villafranca, Forlì (under the patronage of
the Municipality of Forlì), the “LeCaseFranche” co-housing project entails 18 subsidized
private housing units and a co-house (common building), built by the cooperative
constituted by the purchasers/inhabitants on the basis of environmental, social and
financial responsibility: use of dry building techniques, geothermal boiler for heating and
cooling, photovoltaic panels and a rainwater collection and use system. The green spaces
surrounding the houses include a shared vegetable garden, a park/vegetable garden for
public use which is managed by the inhabitants.
Self-building and
co-housing
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Co-housing
Self-building
OPPORTUNITIES
Creation of social housing units thanks to
private initiative plans
WEAKNESSES
Further soil consumption
Long construction time
THREATS
Difficulties in forming a cooperative of
inhabitants
ANNEX 2
Technology/methodology sheets
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: Building Information Modelling (BIM)
Main benefit: efficient data management and information on a project during its entire lifecycle
Secondary benefits: reduction in design errors and inefficiencies, efficient interdisciplinary integration, more
accurate (and reduced) prediction of time, cost and construction management
Applications: building and construction sector
National regulations: International Standardization Organization ISO 16739.
In 2014, the Italian version drafted by UNI is yet to be released.
Cost: n.d.
Possible certifications: n.d.
Example of application: - BIM for design: SETIN
- BIM for execution: “Le Albere” complex, Trento
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Energy modelling
Integration with comfort
sensors
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
Automated modelling and
control of defined quality
parameters
Seismic safety
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Integrated design
(architecture-structuresinstallations)
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
Integrated energy
modelling
Efficient water
management
Integrated design (architecturestructures-installations)
Open access
multidisciplinary modelling
SHORT DESCRIPTION
For their characteristics and the level of technology achieved, BIM technologies allow for the
highest level of interaction among the different aspects of the project, representing an
environment which can be used by different players within the project and on which it is
possible to apply controls for a wide range of aspects: from structural control simulation and
energy-environmental control, to an improved control over aspects such as accounting,
quantity estimations and time predictions. Although these tools are not widespread in the
professional practice yet, the use of BIM is justified by the possibility to manage
multidisciplinarity in the project and to provide a considerably implemented service in terms
of right configuration and prediction of time, cost and multidisciplinary control of the project,
with a perspective of reduced cost and time if compared to growing costs associated to the
use of conventional tools.
Type of
materials
Building process efficiency
Smart City
Pre-estimate of perfective
options
Integration of consistent
data (“green BIM”)
Safety control in the
construction site
Preliminary assessment
of comfort parameters
Efficient resources
management (with modelling)
Advanced and accessible
in-cloud database
Better management of public
procurement
Multidisciplinary and
Interoperable BIM
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Well-known and measurable advantages
where the BIM is used
OPPORTUNITIES
Possibility to improve the quality of the
market, professionalism and results for all
the players involved; improvement in
transparency and procurement management
WEAKNESSES
It requires a cultural challenge for the players
involved in the building process, from
contractors to professionals
THREATS
In case of lack of a progressive road-map, the
BIM may become a regulation to elude as
there are many in this sector, without
understanding the real innovation potential
METHODOLOGY SHEET
Name: Quick methods for the assessment of seismic vulnerability of masonry buildings
Main benefit: quick information on the status of a construction asset with reduced costs
Secondary benefits: possible financial resources planning based on a hierarchy of rehabilitation interventions to be
performed for more vulnerable buildings
Applications: Rehabilitation of existing buildings
National regulations: Technical Regulation for Construction DM 2008
Cost: n.d.
Possible certification: n.d.
Example of application: Schools of the Province of Bologna
Contractor: Province of Bologna
Research center: CIRI Edilizia e Costruzioni – University of Bologna
Year of construction: 2011-2012
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Building process efficiency
Smart City
Climate actions
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Information on the
vulnerability of existing
buildings
Better management of large
real estate assets
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
SWOT ANALYSIS
The methodology is based on a comparative study on the current status of the problems
of the buildings within private and public large properties, allowing for the definition of
action priorities. The procedure is inspired by some methods which have already been
developed in the literature, leading to the definition of ground acceleration of the
building collapse, through the assessment of its resistant part. This is determined thanks
to simplified mechanical considerations and with the use of expert judgment to consider
the real conditions of the building. The buildings are divided into five seismic-resistance
classes indicating the level of vulnerability.
STRENGTHS
Request for limited resources and time for
the application of the procedure; capacity to
combine quantitative aspects with
qualitative assessment.
WEAKNESSES
Since it is quick, the method presents some
problems and approximations associated to
the modelling considered and the type of
survey required.
OPPORTUNITIES
Possibility to make strategic choices which
are necessary to define a priority of
intervention.
THREATS
none
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: Exterior insulation finishing system for opaque building envelopes
Main benefits: consolidated and low-cost technology; possibility to use different and even sustainable materials; it
guarantees energy saving both in winter and summer.
Secondary benefits: possibility to be used both in the renovation of existing buildings and in new constructions; if
applied properly, it guarantees the complete elimination of heat channels.
Applications: applicable both outside and inside the opaque envelope (with special systems to avoid the formation
of interstitial condensation).
National regulations: n.d.
2
Cost: 40-80 €/m depending on the insulating material used.
Possible certifications: n.d.
Example of application: possibility to be installed in every type of building except those with an exposed envelope
or with facades under architectural restrictions (in this case an interior insulation finishing system is possible)
Seismic
safety
Energy efficiency
Climate actions
Reduction in energy needed
inside the buildings in winter
and summer
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
It avoids molds and superficial
condensations at the heat
channel level
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Almost entirely dry
(except for the plaster
layer)
Type of materials
Building process efficiency
Possibility to use natural and
sustainable materials as well
Technological solution that
is adaptable for any latitude
If the thickness is considerable, it is
advisable to provide the building with a
mechanical ventilation system
It can be built even where
the tenants are inside the
property
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Smart City
Low-cost technology with
quick ROI time
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The insulation finishing system, entailing the laying of the insulating material outside the
wall plug, consists of insulating vertical opaque surfaces of the buildings. This technique can
be used both for new constructions and as an intervention aimed at increasing energy
efficiency of existing buildings thanks to the reduction of thermal dispersion. The main
advantages are insulation continuity, more comfort in winter and summer and correction of
heat channels, which are points where the insulating layer is interrupted or where there is
material or geometrical discontinuity among the components of the building envelope. The
insulation finishing system is a widespread and consolidated technology, as well as being
low-cost especially if applied during current maintenance and painting of the building
envelope. However, the laying phase and the correct choice of insulating material is crucial.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Reduction in energy needed, application on
existing and new constructions, wide range
of materials to meet different needs
OPPORTUNITIES
Possibility to be built with a low cost during
current maintenance works and painting of
the building envelope, reducing costs
considerably.
WEAKNESSES
Polymer-based materials are more
performing in terms of energy efficiency and
less expensive: thus, they are often chosen
instead of natural materials
THREATS
On the one hand, high thermal insulation
thickness guarantees low energy levels
needed, on the other hand it determines a
condition of internal tightness.
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: unfired clay
Main benefit: housing comfort, local availability, easy to process, recyclable
Secondary benefits: thermal insulation, non-toxicity, high resistance in time, easy to recover and conserve, low cost,
self-building
Applications: Plasters, finishings, load-bearing walls
National regulations: L. 24.12.2003 n°378, Bill n°1349, Legislative Proposal Schirru n°2358, Legislative Proposal
“Modifiche alla L. 2 febbraio 1974 n° 64 recante provvedimenti per le costruzioni con particolari prescrizioni per le zone
sismiche”
Cost: plasters approx. 15-30 €/m2
Possible certifications: LEED, CasaClima, etc.
Examples of application: Plasters and furniture in Arterìa, vicolo Broglio 1, Bologna
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Reduction in CO2
emissions
Excellent thermal
conservation
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Housing comfort
Self-building; high
environmental value
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Easy conservation
Low energy consumption
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Limited plant design
Use of natural inerts in the concrete
mix according to the performance
required
Easy-to-find and
low cost material
Basic installations
Non-toxicity
Simple and
abundant material
Smart City
Resource saving for
future generations
Easy to process and apply
Acoustic insulation
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Unfired clay, thanks to its low-environmental impact and internal microclimate
improvement qualities, is a good material for contemporary architecture. Almost 50% of
the world population lives in unfired clay houses, an ancient material which is still
widespread in Europe. The majority of the existing buildings are unknown as well as the
different building technologies allowing to build loadbearing walls in different heights
and the German five-story palaces, the Sardinian and the Piedmontese 2-3-storybuildings. The Italian law does not fully recognize it as construction material, except for
some applications and if combined with other binders.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Urban drainage management and
environmental benefits.
WEAKNESSES
It depends on climate and external factors
and requires periodic maintenance.
OPPORTUNITIES
Widespread technology that does not
require any additional space in town.
THREATS
Financial initial investment in order to enjoy
subsequent benefits.
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: green roofs
Main benefit: sustainable urban rainwater drainage and hydraulic protection of the sewerage system and
collectors
Secondary benefits: heat island effect mitigation, improvement of urban biodiversity, reduction of acoustic
pollution, thermal insulation, waterproof membrane protection, pollutants absorption
Applications: Building roofs in existing urban areas and new constructions
National regulations: UNI 11235
Cost: approx. 30-70 €/m2 (waterproofing excluded)
Possible certifications: LEED, CasaClima, BREEAM, ITACA, etc.
Examples of application: Green roofs on the laboratories of the Engineering and Architecture School of the
University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water management
Type of materials
Climate actions
Interventions
liable and nonliable for seismic
assessment
Thermal insulation
Irrigation with humidity
sensor
Reduction of runoff peak during rain
events
Possibility to use
recycled materials
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
L.R. n°19/2008 and
subs. D.G.R.
Hygrothermal comfort and
microclimate
Sewerage system hydraulic
protection from hydraulic deficit
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Reduced summer cooling
needed
Collectors protection from excessive
and potentially polluting flows
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
Acoustic insulation
Urban floods protection
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Green roofs are part of optimum water management strategies since they favor natural
control of rainwater giving a crucial contribution to the protection from urban floods.
Moreover, they provide thermal and natural benefits for the built environment. In
compliance with UNI regulation 11235, the designer can access specifications and calculation
criteria for the composition of all the elements or primary layers (bearing, coating, protection
from roots, draining, filtering, water accumulation, cultivation and vegetation layer, etc.) and
secondary layers (steam barrier layer, thermal insulating layer, inclination, protection and
ballasting layer, anti-erosion layer, irrigation systems, etc.). The type of thickness of the
draining and cultivation layer, as well as the type of vegetation, is associated to the specific
climate in which the green roof is inserted.
Building
process
efficiency
Smart City
Urban floods
mitigation
Heat island effect
mitigation
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Urban drainage management and
environmental benefits.
WEAKNESSES
It depends on climate and external factors
and requires periodic maintenance.
OPPORTUNITIES
Widespread technology that does not
require any additional space in town.
THREATS
Financial initial investment in order to enjoy
subsequent benefits.
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: low water-consumption devices
Main benefit: water saving associated to the reduction of drinking water consumption .
Secondary benefits: energy saving thanks to reduced water consumption and consequently less energy needed
to purify, transport and heat it
Applications: water fixtures, toilets, electrical appliances
National regulations: art. 2 of the D.P.R 236/1988
Cost: approx. 1-200 € (depending on the technology)
Possible certifications: LEED, CasaClima, BREEAM, ITACA, etc.
Examples of application: Cà Selvatica swimming pool – Via Cá Selvatica 11 , Bologna, Emilia Romagna.
Reference: AQUASAVE project, WATACLIC ( LIFE08 INF/IT/308) project
Seismic
safety
Climate actions
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water management
Reduced energy consumption to
purify, transport and heat water
Automated water fixtures
Water fixtures consuming 50% less drinking water
Type of
materials
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
FIXTURES: 5-6 l/min instead of 12 l/min
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Toilet: 3-9 l/flush instead of 10 l/flush + double button
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES: Washing machines (60 l
instead of the traditional 100 l). Dishwashers (15 l
instead of 40 l)
SHORT DESCRIPTION
FIXTURES: the flow regulation and limitation devices are inserted in the taps and they
reduce the volume of output water, the comfort being equal, by limiting the maximum
passage of water; more modern tap models incorporated the reducer inside the cartridge.
The head is a device mixing air and water.
TOILETS: thanks to a double-button system, they allow for two flush quantities: a long flush
producing the complete emptying of the tank (6-9 liters) and a short one producing a partial
emptying (3-4 liters). In general, flush flows are adjustable. They are available both for
recessed and external toilet tanks.
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES: modern washing machines and dishwashers can provide
considerable water saving for each cycle without affecting the washing quality.
Building
process
efficiency
Smart City
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Easy-to-install and low-cost technologies
WEAKNESSES
Installation and use is not always correct
OPPORTUNITIES
Halved consumption if compared to
traditional technologies
THREATS
Improper user’s behavior can affect the
efficacy of the technology
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: Controlled Mechanical Ventilation with heat recovery device
Main benefit: guaranteeing the right internal ventilation for air quality control. Thermal energy recovery from
output air and reduction of thermal energy needed in the building
Secondary benefits: reduction of internal humidity and condensation risk
Applications: installation on existing residential buildings and new constructions. Powered by electricity
produced by renewable sources (photovoltaic panels).
National regulations: n.d.
2
Cost: approx.. 40-50 €/m
Possible certifications: n.d.
Example of application: Autonomous or centralized installation in residential blocks.
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Reduction of thermal energy
needed
Remote control and optimum
functioning management
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Improved internal air quality
Seismic safety
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Optimum operating management of
the room occupancy rate
Increased users awareness
about installation management
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Mechanical ventilation systems can guarantee a correct internal ventilation in a continuous
way. High-efficiency ventilation fans allow for reduced consumption of electricity. There
are more energy advantages when combined with electricity production from photovoltaic
panels.
The presence of a (sensible energy or enthalpy) heat recovery device allows for thermal
energy recovery through energy exchange between external outdoor air flow and output
air, with thermal exchange efficiency up to 90%.
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Continuous internal air renewal control –
Heat recovery and subsequent energy
consumption reduction.
WEAKNESSES
Difficult to install in rooms with limited
heigths. It requires users’ proper information
about how to use it
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Risk of improper maintenance (periodical
filters replacement)
Technological system suitable for new
constructions and adaptable for existing buildings
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: Micro-cogeneration
Main benefit: combined electricity and thermal energy production with high exploitation of input energy with
fuel. Natural gas and biomass (for bigger sizes) powered.
Secondary benefits: integration with existing thermal systems even with mid-high temperatures, possible use of
the system as an UPS group
Applications: Installation on existing urban residential buildings and new constructions.
National regulations: n.d.
Cost: approx.. 3-4 €/We,peak
Possible certifications: n.d.
Examples of application: installation in a residential block in Rubiera (RE); Shopping center in Scandiano (RE);
Agricultural holding in Borzano di Albinea (RE), Hotel in Cervia (RA), Clinic in Rho (MI), Municipal swimming pool
in Fabriano (AN), several plants installed in Northern Italy.
Seismic
safety
Climate actions
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient production of electricity
and thermal energy
Remote control and optimal
functioning management
Efficient water
management
Type of materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Decentralized electricity
and thermal energy
micro-generation
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Energy from renewable sources
(micro-cogeneration from
biomass)
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The micro-generation systems simultaneously produce electricity and thermal energy for
the users with a potential primary energy saving if compared to separate production (highperformance micro-cogeneration). Energy and financial advantage is associated to the
extent and trend of the user energy profile; little-varying energy needs during time and
simultaneous electrical and thermal absorption increase the benefits. The system can be
perfectly integrated with the existing electrical and thermal systems, even if it generally
needs thermal storage in order to make the machine functioning more regular. The highperformance micro-cogeneration is granted a set of incentives: tax exemption for the fuel
used; access to in loco exchange and achievement of “white” or “green certifications” (for
micro-cogeneration from biomass).
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Energy costs reduction, integration in
existing and new constructions, no
aesthetical impact
WEAKNESSES
Energy production depends on the user
energy profile
OPPORTUNITIES
Distributed technology
THREATS
Initial financial investment needed to have
subsequent benefits
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: hydronic systems with radiant panels
Main benefits: product flexibility of use; they can be used as emission systems both for winter heating and summer
cooling.
Secondary benefits: energy saving; integration with existing thermal systems through the use of mixing valves;
high thermal comfort level inside the heated/cooled environments
Applications: it can be used both in renovations and new constructions
National regulations: n.d.
2
Cost: 50-70 €/m2 for radiant floor; 60-80 €/m for radiant wall; 80-100 €/m2 for radiant ceiling.
Possible certifications: n.d.
Examples of application: possibility to be installed both in residential and commercial buildings. According to the
different needs, choosing among floor, wall or ceiling systems will be possible.
Seismic safety
Climate actions
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Energy consumption reduction thanks If connected to a heat pump, they
to low operational temperatures
can also provide cooling
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Thermal exchange is via radiation
without creating convective air
movement
Secure, clean and efficient
energy
Possibility to be used for summer
cooling as well
Inclusive, innovative and
reflective societies
No maintenance required
They can be integrated with all
the most advanced home robotics
control solutions.
SHORT DESCRIPTION
The radiant panel systems are low-temperature (25-40°) heating systems that have been
widely spread all over Europe, since they represent the most advanced solution for winter
heating and they can combine high comfort levels with considerable energy saving, and
they are perfectly compatible with gas condensing boilers, geothermal pumps, thermal
solar panels, etc. In low-temperature heating, the radiant elements, constituted by
polypropylene pipes, are inserted – according to the different needs – under the floor, in the
wall, in the baseboard or in the ceiling, so that they cover the entire surface (and, in case of
floors, it is possible to walk with slippers). Heat transmission is mainly via radiation,
releasing heat evenly in the whole room.
Building process efficiency
Smart City
Possibility of dry installation
of the elements (for the
radiant ceiling)
High level of thermal
comfort thanks to thermal
exchanges via radiation
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Energy cost reduction, integration in existing
and new buildings, flexibility of use, wide
range of solutions to be chosen according to
the real needs, no aesthetical impact
WEAKNESSES
High installation costs if compared to
traditional systems (radiators, thermal
convectors, fan coils, etc.), slow response to
strain
OPPORTUNITIES
Possibility to be used as emission systems
both for winter heating and summer cooling
THREATS
Initial financial investment needed to have
subsequent benefits
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Technology name: Millngreen – hybrid micro-wind-turbine thermal and photovoltaic system for electricity and thermal
production
Main benefit: electricity and thermal production from renewable source, minimum amount of space needed, considerable
reduction of energy costs
Secondary benefits: electricity and thermal production thanks to the combined action of sun and wind, integration with
existing electrical and thermal systems, possible use of the system as a UPS group
Applications: installation on existing urban buildings and new constructions
National regulations: n.d.
Cost: approx.. 3-7 €/Wp
Possible certifications: n.d.
Example of application: private installation in Monterenzio (BO); installation on a penthouse in Barcelona (Spain); installation
on the restaurant Salutemar ,Chioggia, which is independent from the public network and located on a floating platform ;
several systems installed in Italy, Europe, America and Asia. Sole distributor for Europe: HG Energy spa – Milano / Medicina
(BO)Energy spa – Milano / Medicina (BO)
Seismic safety
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Efficient water
management
Type of
materials
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Climate actions
Production of clean
electricity and thermal
energy
Decentralized production
of electricity and thermal
energy
Health,
demographic
changes, wellbeing
It can be used to power solar
cooling systems
Energy power of welfare
areas
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Energy from renewable
sources
Creation of charging
stations for electric
vehicles
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective
societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
SWOT ANALYSIS
Millngreen electric and thermal generation systems allow for the use of solar and wind
sources with an excellent use of the spaces available in urban areas. The systems are easy to
install and they can be perfectly integrated with existing electric and thermal systems. The
combined action of sun and wind guarantees an evenly-distributed production of
electricity; the combined thermal-photovoltaic action of the solar panel avoids the
photovoltaic panel yield reduction when temperatures are above 25° C. The system is
equipped with an electric storage battery system and a thermal boiler. An inverter
transforms 48V direct current into 220V alternating current for domestic use, with an
automated commutation system that shifts the energy provision back to the public
network in case the electric storage system reaches the maximum depth of discharge.
STRENGTHS
Clean energy, energy cost reduction, limited
space required, integration in existing and
new constructions
WEAKNESSES
Energy production depends on
environmental conditions, storage system
OPPORTUNITIES
Distributed technology that does not require
any additional space in town.
THREATS
Initial financial investment needed to have
subsequent benefits
TECHNOLOGY SHEET
Name: Electric heating films
Main benefit: Improved housing comfort, cost reduction on the entire lifecycle, use of sustainable energy
Secondary benefit: easy and modular installation, safety, reliability and durability, self-building.
Applications: Building recovery, new construction, installation integration
National regulations: n.d.
2
Cost: 70-100 €/m without photovoltaic system
2
200-250 €/m with photovoltaic system
Possible certifications: Low Voltage Directive 73/23/CE and EMC 89/336/CE
Examples of applications:
INTEGRO floor prototype developed by CIRI Edilizia e Costruzioni – University of Bologna
Energy efficiency
Systems evolution Building Automation
Climate actions
Reduction of transient
cost, consumption
reduction
Environmental control with
thermostats and control units
Health, demographic
changes, wellbeing
Self-building
Reduction of “void” heating
time
Constant
thermohygrometric
comfort
Secure, clean and
efficient energy
Use of clean energy
Cost reduction during the
lifecycle
Durable materials, low
maintenance costs
Seismic safety
Efficient water
management
Inclusive, innovative
and reflective societies
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Heating films for electric floor heating with dry laying are constituted by rolls of different
width and length according to the producer and the output power. In general, they can be
2
2
50-60 cm wide and up to 4-5 m long. Power can range from 80 W/m to 150 W/m .they can
be an excellent installation integration in existing buildings where it is not possible to apply
hydronic systems nor cover the entire requirement for the heating of new constructions
with massive building envelope and equipped with internal heat-reflecting coating. Easy
installation and replacement, that are completely dry, make it suitable for self-building
experiences in order to reduce installation costs. The ideal combination is with a small
photovoltaic system to reduce electricity supply costs.
Type of materials
Dry technology, easy to
replace
Building process
efficiency
Smart City
Change in users’
behavior
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Easy to install, immediate performance
improvement
WEAKNESSES
The use of electricity is still expensive if
non-self-produced with a photovoltaic
system
OPPORTUNITIES
Creation of virtuous heating use exploiting
the low system inertia to heat only
whenever and wherever necessary
THREATS
Improper use and difficulties in raising
awareness among the residents. Coupling
with massive building envelopes that are
not internally insulated.