Learning objectives
The course aims at reviewing deeply the potentiality of urban renewal by using low carbon materials and decarbonising strategies. It addresses the needs to analyse and intervene in historic districts renewal and in other consolidated public spaces, whose requirements represent one of the greatest sustainability challenge today, in order to overcome the lack of appropriate assessment tools with which to accomplish that assignment.
The class aims at at verifying the general knowledge with regards to building needs and technology and building envelope issues, with the proper goal to get a factual integration between architectural and technological requirements and other design needs (Ist descriptor).
The course goal is to stimulate in each student learning and operative skills, that aims at testing students’ ability in using actively what they have learned during the lessons. The class provides students with a chance to test their own technological proficiency regards to building envelope and environmental and building material features and related issues. ( IInd and II rd descriptor).
Final evaluation will represent the most valuable way to reinforce and evaluate students’ understand of the course contents and to appraise the general proficiencies levels of the class. (Vth and Vth descriptor).
Course unit content
Realising urban transformation towards sustainability and low carbon future can be easily pursued in new cities and new urban development, nonetheless the historical and established high density cities and the ancient built environment will require a substantial different types of intervention, in order to achieve reductions in GHG, to mitigate UHI effects and, consequently, to provide outdoor comfort for people.
Amidst different strategies to overcome barriers to decarbonizing cities, an effective strategy can be played by bioclimatic design and passive systems to be applied for spaces between buildings and at a precinct scale for creating low carbon, resilient cities.
Structural elements, finishing materials and green design play a significant role in improving outdoor comfort for people and in reducing urban environment carbon footprint as a whole in historical settlements.
The course aims at addressing the needs to analyze and intervene in historic districts renewal and in other consolidated public spaces, whose requirements represent one of the greatest sustainability challenge today, in order to overcome the lack of appropriate assessment tools with which to accomplish that assignment.
Bibliography
ARUP and C40 (eds.) 2015, Climate Action in Megacities 3.0. Networking works, there is no global solution without local action, the City Leadership Initiative at University College London.
Emmanuel R.M. 2005, An Urban Approach to Climate-Sensitive Design. Strategies for the tropics, Spoon Press.
Gaitani N., G. Mihalakakou and M. Santamouris (eds.) 2007, On the use of bioclimatic architecture principles in order to improve thermal comfort conditions in outdoor spaces, Building and Environment, 42 (2007), pp. 317–324.
Gartland L. 2008, Heat Islands, Understanding and Mitigating Heat in Urban Areas, Earthscan Ltd.
Givoni B. 1998, Climate Considerations in Building and Urban Design, Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Kropp, J.P. and D. Reckien 2009, Cities and climate change: Which option do we have for a safe and sustainable future, Cities and Climate Change: Responding to an Urgent Agenda, Urban Research Symposium 2009 Marseille.
Lenzholzer S. 2012, Research and design for thermal comfort in Dutch urban squares, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 64 (2012), pp. 39–48.
Milošovičová J. 2010, Climate-Sensitive Urban Design in Moderate Climate Zone: Responding to Future Heat Waves, Doctoral thesis, TU Berlin.
Pahl-Weber E., S. Seelig, H. Ohlenburg and N. Kuhla von Bergmann (eds.) 2013, Urban Challenges and Urban Design Approaches for Resource-Efficient and Climate-Sensitive Urban Design in the MENA Region, Technische Universität Berlin and Road, Housing & Urban Development Research Center, Tehran.
Pizarro R. 2009, Urban Form and Climate Change, in Davoudi, S., J. Crawford and A. Mehmood (eds.), Planning for climate change: Strategies for mitigation and adaptation, Earthscan Ltd.
Rauland V. 2013, Decarbonising Cities: Certifying Carbon Reduction in Urban Development, Doctoral thesis, Curtin University.
Teaching methods
The course will be held trough classroom lectures and workshop in order to evaluate the general proficiency level also with regard to specific project assignments.
Assessment methods and criteria
The course will be concluded with a oral exam, along with those of the other course focused on the class main subjects and themes.
