Case Study: Villaggio Ecologico

Short Description

The project area is situated far from main roads, in a green land with a canal on one site and threes and plants all around. The architectural design is thought taking into account the local rural architecture and tries to preserve the rural landscape heritage. The local resources directly influence the shapes of the buildings, which want to exploit in the best way natural energy. The urban park planned on the west side guarantees the landscape and the visual comfort. The main facades of the building are orientated to the south, with the windows designed to exploit at the best sun heat and light.

Key Elements

Capacity Building

Relation between the cooperative and building companies: This project has improved the relations with the building companies: the required innovations have had positive impacts inside these companies: interest questions, training, and research of new abilities…but there is no impact for the local craftsmen.

Work with Residents

In the phase of delivery of the dwellings, a simplified manual will be delivered to inhabitants.

Thermal Insulation

Use of high thermal mass walls to avoid overheating during summer (bricks made with wood and concrete).

Windows and Shading

Shape, typology and location of the windows consider the distribution of luminance levels, in order to achieve an adequate Daylight Factor in primary spaces.

Ventilation

No active systems are foreseen for ventilation. The dwellings and the common parts are natural ventilated through the staircase spaces which create a chimney effect. Cross ventilation inside the dwelling is allowed by windows on opposite sides of the building.

A radiant system is provided for summer cooling: an horizontal ground collector is connected directly on the radiant system. When ground cooling power is not enough (in very hot summer days), electric driven air condensed water chiller works automatically to supply refrigerated water.

Average maximum temperature during summer period is 25°C. Energy consumption for cooling is 3,1 kWh/mq/y.

Heating and Hot Water

Use of geothermal heating system and use of building energy management system.

Cooling

Use of natural cooling radiant ceiling system (geothermal system).

Solar Thermal

Solar collectors are integrated on the roof, facing south, with a total surface of 460m2. For each building, the energy supplied by solar collectors is 17% for heating. For domestic hot water preparation they supply 100% of the energy from May to September and 35% from October to April,that means 62% during the whole year. On the whole, solar collectors represent 21% of the energy sources.

Water Saving

Measures at settlement scale:
A wetland system is created for the treatment of the grey water and a small ditch collect the rainwater coming from different surfaces.

Measures at building scale:
Water saving devices will be applied inside the buildings: flux reducers for taps and showers, and double-flush type toilets.
Black and grey water are segregate and grey water is treated by a constructed wetland system with the aim of reusing it for toilet flushing inside the buildings. This sources is integrated by the collection and light treatment of the rainwater caught from roofs, while the rainwater coming from other collecting surfaces is discharged in a small ditch. The surplus amount of gray water and rainwater is utilized for gardening of the green areas of the residential complex. Metering systems for water consumption are provided.

Reduction of water consumption in the scale of 25% comparing with the consumption of a traditional Italian dwelling.

Environmental Design

• Differentiation of the architectural composition in order to improve solar gain;
• Proper arrangement of internal spaces in accordance with orientation
  and enhancement of delighting;
• Re-naturalization of existing watercourse (improved local microclimate and landscape);
• Construction of separate bicycle and pedestrian paths at site level;
• Car access to internal garage separate to pedestrian paths at site level;
• Creation of equipped open spaces (pedestrian squares) and green areas.

Main Results

• Changes in local building regulations have taken place, enabling greater use of sustainable construction methods and technologies: there has been a change to the local building code to allow roof slopes that accommodate solar panel.
• Management of pollutions of the building site for the neighbours.
• Improved presence of green spaces: The SHE project dedicated a large share of the area to green spaces which can be used by the residents. This is partly explained by the underground car park location.
• Relation with the local authorities: an important work has been done with the municipality services. The Construction Code has been modified in order to make possible the installation of solar collectors (thermal or photovoltaic panels) with adapted roof slopes.

Lessons learned

• Integrated design team needed;
• Participation of users needed from the briefing stage;
• Training of users needed in the use phase;
• The awareness raising activities with local authorities and building companies could be extremely challenging and time consuming but were usually successful;
• Team working is vital to overcome technical as well as non-technical resistance to doing things differently.

Additional Information

This project was one of the demonstration projects of the European project “SHE Sustainable Housing in Europe- Moving from the extraordinary to ordinary” (March 2003 – March 2009),  co-ordinated by Federabitazione and co-funded by the European Commission (VFP)

Received awards:

• Sustainable Energy Europe Award 2007;
• Energy globe Award for Italy 2007;
• Eurosolar Award for Italy 2008.

For further information, please contact:

Dott. Giancarlo Tofanelli - Consorzio Nazionale CasaQualità
Email: g.tofanelli@casaqualita.it

Arch. Matteo Pilotto - COIPES
E-mail: m.pilotto@coipes.it