Buildings Envelope – Opaque Structure

Residential and service technology

A building is made up of opaque and transparent structures (e.g. walls, roof and windows), closures and energy systems (electrical, water, gas, hot water, air conditioning) which contribute to evaluating its energy performance based on its geographical position. A wide range of traditional, modern and innovative technical solutions (for new buildings and maintenance-restoration work) could be identified for each building element, aiming to meet energy efficiency needs. In this document, the vertical and horizontal opaque structures are analyzed. The European Commission establishes requirements on energy efficiency, durability, safety, sustainability and comfort for the proper functionality of a building. In parallel, there is growing attention to the healthiness of dwellings. Regarding the technical-regulatory aspects, the energy efficiency interventions aim to obtain nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB, nearly zero energy building, EU Directive 2010/31). Both in new constructions and maintenance strategies, it is essential to take into consideration the existing urban settlements defined also based on the climatic characteristics and the local availability of materials. Moreover, the needs of winter heating and summer cooling have to be considered in Italy, wherein the cooling demand is important as the heating one to globally determine energy consumption. It is possible to minimize energy consumption and optimize environmental comfort thanks to a balance between several aspects, such as the shading system, reduction of the thermal inertia of opaque and glasses structures. From an economic and environmental sustainability point of view, the design stage up and the assembling, as well as the durability of the materials, are also relevant. For over a decade, investments in maintenance showed positive growth in the construction sector. It should be notice that over 60% of the existing buildings in Italy are over 40 years old. Since the lifespan of many building components is between 15 and 60 years, an important segment of the buildings requires extraordinary maintenance in terms of energy and seismic improvement interventions. The renovation of existing Italian buildings overcomes the new construction as the 2020 forecast predicted. However, a positive trend is also expected in the new sector for the year 2021, mainly related to the construction of non-residential complexes.

01-07-2022

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