Case Study: POLYCITY Energetic and Urban Regeneration of the Arquata district in the city of Torino
Name of organisation: ATC Torino - Agenzia Territoriale per la Casa, Torino
Stage of development: completed
Year of finalization: 2005
Type of project: refurbishment
Area: urban
Scale: neighbourhood
Type of building: Apartment in a block of five or less stories
Number of units/dwellings: 622
Tenure: social rental
Street: via Arquata
Postcode:
City: Torino
Region/ County: Piemonte
Country: Italy
Last Update: 06.04.2010
Short Description
This district was built at the beginning of the 20th century. It is subject to construction constraints, particularly on the decorative facades. The project deals with the energy refurbishment and urban regeneration of this district both for housing buildings and for ATC office building.
In order to improve the energy efficiency of residential buildings 500 conventional windows have been replaced by low thermal emission glazing and window frames (U = 1,6 W/m2K instead of ~4). Thermal insulation is introduced in the loft in all council buildings. High efficiency lighting with new induction lamps has been installed in the internal courtyards of the district.
The ATC office was built in the 1970s and the structure consists of concrete and wide glazed facades, which had high thermal losses. In order to reduce the thermal losses, conventional windows are being replaced with low thermal emission glazing in the NE and NW facades. (The U-value of windows decreases from 3,8 to ≤1,65 W/m2K). The insulation of walls and balconies has been carried out with panels made from mineralised wood fibres (thickness 25 – 35 mm, U-value 2,5 – 1,8 W/m2K), protected by a bituminous sheath.
Plants project:
A tri-generation system was insrtalled: a natural gas co-generator supplies the district heating network.
An absorption cooling system, operated on the waste heat of the co-generator, provides refrigeration to the ATC offices and conference hall. Photovoltaic plants are installed on the roofs of 12 district buildings. They cover the electricity needs of common spaces. (120 kWp).
Photovoltaic poly-crystalline modules are integrated in the SW and SE facades of the ATC building (total peak power 50 kW). This measure had as consequence a shading effect. In fact the installation of PV panels decreases cooling energy needs by around 15%.
Key Elements
Funding
estimated cost: euro [ 5 million € ]
Financing: euro [ ]
Financing source: ATC funds [2.7 million € ]
Piemonte Region [ ]
State [ ]
EU [1.3 million € ]
Other [ ]
Thermal Insulation
For the dwellings, thermal insulation is introduced in the loft in all council buildings.
In the ATC office building, the insulation of walls and balconies has been carried out with panels constituted by mineralised wood fibres (thickness 25 – 35 mm, U-value 2,5 – 1,8 W/m2K) protected by a bituminous sheath.
Windows and Shading
Heating and Hot Water
Tri-generation system: a co-generator supplies the district heating network
Cooling
Tri-generation system: an absorption cooling system, operated on the waste heat of the co-generator, provides refrigeration to ATC offices and Conference hall
Solar Photovoltaic
For the residential buildings, photovoltaic plants are installed on the roofs of 12 district buildings. They cover the electricity needs of common spaces. (120 kWp).
- Nominal Power: 200 - 215 W
- Type: Polycrystalline
- Efficiency: up to 14.7 %
- Tilt angle:27°
For the ATC office building, photovoltaic poly-crystalline modules are integrated in the SW and SE facades of the building (total peak power 50 kW).
- Nominal Power: 200 - 215 W
- Efficiency: up to 14.7 %
- Tilt angle:35°
Main Results
The energy and environmental impacts are as follows:
Residential buildings:
- Heating Demand: 90 kWh/m2/yr (- 8%)
- El. Energy Demand: 17 kWh/m2/yr
ATC office building:
- Heating Demand: 56,6 kWh/m2/yr (- 25%)
- Cooling Demand: 20 kWh/m2/yr (- 25%)
- El. Energy Demand: 58,4 kWh/m2/yr (- 10%)
Substantial sustainability improvement:
Primary Energy Saving: 7.786 MWh/yr (- 43%)
Reduction of CO2 emissions:1.997 ton CO2/yr (- 52%)
Lessons learned
This project is part of the project named POLICITY that was also implemented in Spain and Germany.
POLYCITY is a project of the CONCERTO initiative co-funded by the EC within the FP6 (2005-2010).
Concerto is a new major European Union initiative which will support local communities in developing concrete initiatives that are both sustainable and highly energy efficient.
Such communities may be new or existing, and seeking to improve their energy performance. Communities supported by Concerto will be striving towards a completely integrated energy policy, harmonising the substantial use of renewable energy sources with innovative technologies and systems to minimise energy consumption and to improve the quality of citizens’ lives.
The project will be funded within the frame of the EU’s Sixth Research Framework Programme (FP6), and will support integrated demonstration and dissemination actions, which are carried out EU-wide and which involve the real-scale application of new, renewable and efficient energy technologies.