A Systemic Approach for Preliminary Proposals of Sustainable Retrofit in Historic Settlements - The Case Study of Villages Hit by Earthquake

Abstract

A proper and innovative restoration and regeneration programme of historic settlements affected by earthquakes can be an opportunity for their most effective use and a more attractive new function. The paper presents the results of two studies that Architettura>Energia Research Centre of the Department of Architecture of Ferrara accomplished for Public Administrations as instrument for sustainable reconstructive interventions in areas with very complex environmental, social, economic and historic aspects. The two locations considered are Caporciano, a small town within the area around L’Aquila struck by the earthquake in 2009 and now only partially inhabited; and Apice Vecchia, near Benevento, damaged by two earthquakes in 1962 and 1980, which forced the population to settle a new town in the vicinity. The proposed procedure is structured into two phases. The first consists of a preliminary on-site survey aimed at simplifying the acquisition of a large amount of data, which will facilitate a subsequent in depth survey focused on the energy and environmental characteristics of the towns. Data are analysed after the survey to establish dimensional parameters useful for energy simulation and for setting-up a database of building technologies and materials, used to calculate the energy performance index of the envelope for the current winter heating and summer cooling of the towns. During the second phase of the study, intervention strategies are developed to improve energy and environmental conditions of the urban system, depending on residual performance of technical elements, building’s function, historic value and earthquake damage. The proposed intervention scenarios are contextualized through the application of the strategies to specific buildings used as case studies, which are useful to validate the procedures for retrofitting the building and the hypothesis of restoring historic settlements.