ABSTRACT The vast majority of historical buildings are very energy inefficient; as energy costs c... more ABSTRACT The vast majority of historical buildings are very energy inefficient; as energy costs continue to rise, they need smarter energy management strategies, since traditional ways of improving energy efficiency through structural retrofits are very expensive and not always possible in historical buildings. The paper shows the development of a new smart strategy to improve the energy efficiency of historical buildings without significant construction work. The strategy is based on Information Technologies and Wireless Sensor Networks, Building Information Modelling and interoperable energy simulation tools and also requires and stimulates an improvement of human awareness and competence. The paper reports the results of the first phase of the Smart Energy Efficient Middleware for Public Spaces project that addresses reduction in energy usage and the CO2 footprint of existing public buildings and spaces, by an intelligent ICT-based service which monitors and manages the energy consumption. Preliminary results have led to the development of a middleware tool which enables the interoperability of software and Wireless Sensor Networks to monitor energy consumption, controlling environmental parameters such as luminance and temperature to take advantage of natural resources (i.e. daylight and solar energy) in order to ensure the best possible comfort conditions with the most efficient use of energy. The research project is a demonstrator for a theoretical model that can be applied to wide typologies of historical buildings in Europe, especially public buildings.
This paper proposes and validates a daylighting design sequence for sidelit spaces. Since the des... more This paper proposes and validates a daylighting design sequence for sidelit spaces. Since the design sequence uses the daylight factor as a performance metric, it is aimed towards spaces that primarily receive diffuse daylight. It should be complemented by a design analysis that looks at direct sunlight for glare and energy considerations. The sequence interconnects and refines earlier proposed rules of thumb and is intended to be used during the earliest design stages when concepts regarding programming, floor plans, massing and window areas are initially explored. All steps within the sequence were ‘validated’ using Radiance simulations of over 2300 sidelit spaces. During step one of the sequence the effective sky angles are calculated and target daylight factors are defined for all potential daylit zones within a building. In step two a refined version of the ‘daylight feasibility study’ is used to help the design team to identify building zones with high daylighting potential based on a target mean daylight factor criterion. During step three suitable interior room dimensions and surface reflectances are determined using a combination of the Lynes’ limiting depth, ‘no sky line’, and window-head-height rules of thumb. Step four provides a more accurate estimate of the required glazing area for each zone based on the Lynes daylight factor formula which is also validated as part of this work. The effect of external obstructions is considered throughout the process. The paper closes with a discussion of the merits of the design sequence compared to the glazing factor spreadsheet calculation method promoted by LEED-NC 2.2.
This paper explored the potential reuse of coarse glass wastes as insert in a high performance ce... more This paper explored the potential reuse of coarse glass wastes as insert in a high performance cement matrix to produce translucent concrete panels that can be aggregated into partition walls, through a supporting frame. The effects of glass scraps on mechanical and optical-photometric properties of panels were tested. Two different series of panel prototypes were manufactured, with and without steel-reinforcing fibers. Compressive and flexural tests were performed on cement matrices and translucent panels. The annual impact on the amount of daylight in a room with two translucent concrete opposite interior walls and the room energy demand for lighting were estimated using a daylight simulation software for a number of rooms with varying window-to-wall ratio, orientation, site, illuminance over the work plane, lighting power density, type of partition walls (with different percentages of glass cullet inclusions)
Active transparent facades are building envelope systems largely used in new office and public bu... more Active transparent facades are building envelope systems largely used in new office and public buildings, whose optimization (e.g. types and number of glass panes, of shading device, integration with HVAC) is a complex problem with a multidisciplinary perspective. As far as the energy and indoor environmental performance are concerned, thermophysical, optical and acoustic properties need to be taken into account through a synergic approach so that an optimal overall behaviour is achieved. The research activity presented herewith was aimed at supporting the contractor's decision process about the layout of an Active Transparent Facade (Climate Facade typology) for a high-rise office building. An extensive monitoring on a full scale office room mock-up was thus designed to compare two ATF solutions, assessing the most viable trade-off between high performance and costs, taking not only energy efficiency but also thermal, visual and acoustic comfort into account. Two ATF modules with slightly different configurations (type of inner skin) were tested in the mock-up. The energy efficiency analyses showed that, as predictable, the ATF module equipped with the best inner skin was able to significantly increase the thermal resistance, reducing the winter heat loss and the summer heat gain, though this impact was not so relevant when the overall energy balance at building level was considered.The inner skin played, instead, a relevant role when considering thermal comfort, especially during summer peak conditions. From a visual comfort perspective, the two technologies did not perform in a significantly different way in the presence of the screen, but differences were observed in winter (with retracted screen), since the higher luminance values measured for the single skin could cause glare. Considering sound insulation, the facades presented comparable values and no significant differences were measured.
The paper presents the results of an experimental activity concerning different kinds of light pi... more The paper presents the results of an experimental activity concerning different kinds of light pipes, characterized by different section, length and material used as conduction element's coating. Such experimentation was carried out inside a scale model placed under both real sky and a sky scanning simulator. The luminous efficiency of the conduction element was measured for different pipe typologies, as well as the quantity and distribution of sunlight and daylight inside the office. So illuminance levels on working planes were measured using the sky simulator and Daylight Factor values were calculated while digital pictures taken inside the model under real sky condition were used to analyze distribution and dynamic variation of sunlight penetration. Collected data were used to verify if standard requirements were met and to compare performance of different pipes. Characteristics of the scale model, the experimental approach as well as results which were obtained are presented
This paper presents the results from a series of experimental activities and simulations focused ... more This paper presents the results from a series of experimental activities and simulations focused on assessing the luminous environmental quality as well as the energy demand for lighting within healthcare buildings. The study was aimed at evaluating the level of visual performance and comfort as perceived within the various hospital spaces by the different categories of users who operate in them: patients, relatives, doctors, nurses and nursing aids. The research consisted of both a subjective and an objective in-the-field study, which was carried out in four hospitals in Turin and Asti (Piedmont, Italy), different for construction age, types of patients and offered services, daylight access and view out, architectural lay-out. The subjective study was based on a survey through questionnaires submitted to both patients/relatives and to the nursing staff, integrated by photometric measurements within sample rooms of different wards. For each ward, both the bedded area (bedrooms and living rooms), and the staff area (nurses/doctors' offices, rooms where the nursing staff visit and manage patients' medical records and prepare medications) were analyzed. As a first step within a more comprehensive work, the topic of lighting was addressed, due to its relevance for carrying out work tasks in safe conditions (particularly for the nursing staff) and for environmental quality perception and well-being for users. Illuminance levels on beds, work surfaces and VDT displays were measured, luminance maps of the visual scenes as perceived by users were recorded by means of an Image Luminance Measuring Device and users' subjective appraisals were investigated through different questionnaires. Furthermore, the field analysis was integrated with simulations to estimate the associated energy demand for lighting and its reduction due to different lighting and blind control strategies
This work focuses on the assessment of displays legibility within an aircraft cockpit in presence... more This work focuses on the assessment of displays legibility within an aircraft cockpit in presence of typical external lighting condition occurring during flights: these range from clear sky with sun in different critical positions, to cloudy and nightlight sky. Existing procedures to assess the display legibility proposed in literature were analyzed and an operative methodology, based on both objective measurements and subjective evaluations, was proposed. The application of the methodology is intended to be supported by the use of the Sky Light Simulator (SLS), an innovative ambient lighting facility capable to reproduce the sun and the sky dome, hence generating lighting environments closely matching the real ambient lighting conditions, and to host real aircrafts. The paper presents the state-of-the-art relative to existing standardized procedure for assessing display legibility, the operative procedure which is proposed, based on the use of an Imaging Luminance Measurement Device (ILMD), and the results of a first series of the on-going experimental field measurements
L'illuminazione riveste un ruolo di primaria importanza negli ambienti di cura, sia ai fini d... more L'illuminazione riveste un ruolo di primaria importanza negli ambienti di cura, sia ai fini di uno svolgimento dei compiti visivi in condizioni di sicurezza - soprattutto per il personale sanitario - sia per la percezione di qualita ambientale e il benessere degli utenti: sono gia infatti ampiamente riconosciuti gli effetti benefici sulla riduzione dei tempi di ricovero dei pazienti e, d'altra parte, la soddisfazione lavorativa del personale. Inoltre, l'illuminazione rappresenta un importante parametro nella fase di accreditamento di una struttura ospedaliera. Risulta dunque importante, ai fini di un miglioramento della qualita ambientale ospedaliera indagare in maniera specifica questo aspetto, che spesso viene invece considerato solo una parte di una piu generale valutazione dell'ambiente fisico. In quest'ottica, la memoria presenta i risultati di un'indagine condotta sul campo per valutare la rispondenza agli standard normativi dell'ambiente luminoso negli edifici di cura e come la qualita di tale ambiente venga percepita dalle diverse tipologie di utenti che frequentano l'edificio, sia pazienti/accompagnatori sia personale medico-infermieristico. In quattro strutture ospedaliere piemontesi, situate a Torino (tre) e ad Asti (una), si e pertanto proceduto ad effettuare un'analisi integrata, basata su una raccolta di dati oggettivi (grandezze fotometriche) e soggettivi (giudizi degli utenti). Le misure fotometriche sono state raccolte in diversi reparti, per un totale di 70 stanze, sia in area degenza (camere e soggiorno) sia nell'area del personale (uffici di medici e infermieri, ambulatori e stanze di preparazione farmaci): e stato misurato l'illuminamento su letti, tavoli e display di VDT e sono state registrate mappe di luminanza HDR della scena visiva cosi come percepita dall'utente. Lo studio soggettivo si e basato invece su un questionario studiato ad hoc e somministrato in due diverse versioni a pazienti/accompagnatori e personale medico-infermieristico, ai fini di valutare la soddisfazione riguardo alla quantita e qualita dell'illuminazione naturale e artificiale. Nella memoria vengono presentate in particolare le analisi e i risultati relativi alle stanze dell'area degenza. Per quanto riguarda le misure oggettive, si e riscontrato un elevato numero di mancate corrispondenze rispetto agli standard normativi, in relazione ai valori osservati sul letto dei pazienti e sui tavolini, sia di illuminamento in sola luce artificiale, sia di fattore di luce diurna (in sola luce naturale). Tuttavia, questo risultato non si riflette completamente nelle analisi soggettive. In particolare il gruppo di pazienti e visitatori e risultato piuttosto soddisfatto della quantita e qualita di luce presente in stanza, mentre piu critico e apparso il personale medico-infermieristico che e risultato mediamente meno soddisfatto, con giudizi particolarmente bassi espressi dai medici. Sulla base di questi dati sono state proposte alcune strategie per correggere la mancata rispondenza agli standard e per approcciarsi alla progettazione di ambienti luminosi user-centred
The latest European energy policy aimed at reducing the energy demand and CO2 emissions due to th... more The latest European energy policy aimed at reducing the energy demand and CO2 emissions due to the building sector has been pushing researchers, designers, manufacturers and contractors towards the development of novel concepts and technical solutions, with special emphasis on building envelope. Relevant improvements can be achieved by adopting a new approach, conceiving envelope components as "living" membranes, efficiently interacting with indoors and outdoors boundary conditions and with users' needs thus performing an adaptive behaviour. Adaptiveness may be based on different driving factors, may perform at different timescales (from few minutes/ hours to diurnal/seasonal variations) and may take place at different components'/systems' levels (macro or micro scale). This implies that adaptive facades are particularly complex to be comprehensively characterized. The lack of metrics and standardized procedure is one of the major barriers to promote their widespread adoption. In this paper some key aspects from the decennial experience gained by the Authors on dynamic building envelope components are presented. Through long-term experimental campaigns in test cells and field monitoring, energy and lighting performances of Active Transparent Facades, Switchable Glazing and Phase Change Materials integrated into glazing/shading devices have been widely investigated. Some case studies are presented, focusing on metrics adopted, measurements methodologies and post processing procedures, highlighting potentials and criticism.
Come ampiamente documentato, l'abitare rappresenta un'esperienza fondante dell'esiste... more Come ampiamente documentato, l'abitare rappresenta un'esperienza fondante dell'esistenza dell'individuo. Diversi sono i livelli dell'interazione tra l'individuo e la propria abitazione: da un lato ci si rapporta quotidianamente con gli aspetti fisico-materico-costruttivi dell'abitazione (ampiezza dei vani, loro distribuzione, condizioni ambientali quali la disponibilita di luce naturale), dall'altro l'interazione si svolge a livello di percezione della qualita dell'abitare, di emozioni che la casa veicola e di relazioni che in essa si snodano. Dimensioni, volumi, qualita dei materiali sono da sempre materia dei professionisti dell'edilizia, mentre gli aspetti soggettivi sono stati spesso tenuti in scarsa considerazione dai canoni progettuali, che hanno cosi prodotto in passato pratiche edilizie convenzionali che definivano la qualita di un edificio piu in base ai criteri di mercato che al comfort e alla funzionalita esperite dagli occupanti. Piu recentemente, invece, sembra affermarsi una nuova sensibilita anche verso le componenti della qualita abitativa legate agli aspetti percettivo-cognitivi, relazionali e socio-culturali che contribuiscono a rendere la casa il luogo dell'"Essere e del Benessere". Per riuscire a cogliere tali dimensioni e implementarle in soluzioni progettuali che massimizzino il comfort e il benessere dell'abitante risulta molto importante adottare un approccio ergonomico user-centred e disporre di strumenti e metodologie di indagine in grado di far emergere i bisogni abitativi degli individui e cioe quanto l'abitazione in cui si vive riesca a rispondervi e quanto invece la casa limiti o modifichi, con i suoi vincoli strutturali, le attivita e le preferenze di chi vi abita. Per portare un contributo in tal senso, e stata sviluppata una metodologia di indagine che ha visto collaborare architetti e psicologi, finalizzata ad elaborare uno strumento per investigare la relazione tra la qualita dell'abitare e il benessere dell'utente, facendo emergere le specifiche esigenze abitative. Hanno preso parte all'indagine 90 individui (52%maschi e 48% femmine), di eta compresa tra i 16 e gli 80 anni (M=33.76, DS= 16.15) residenti in 3 centri abitativi piemontesi, diversi per dimensioni e livello di urbanizzazione. E stato somministrato un questionario, sviluppato ad hoc, volto ad indagare: 1) prestazioni e funzionalita della casa reale, modalita di utilizzo degli spazi e relazione dell'abitazione con il benessere e la felicita dell'abitante; 2) caratteristiche della casa ideale, attraverso item relativi alle modifiche da apportare a quella reale per rispondere al meglio alle proprie esigenze, ipotetiche modalita di utilizzo dei suoi spazi e sua relazione con il benessere e la felicita. Sono emersi alcuni interessanti risultati, quali il mutare delle esigenze abitative e delle rappresentazioni della casa ideale in relazione all'eta, che vengono illustrati nella memoria. Tali risultati emersi hanno permesso di evidenziare, da un lato, come il modello abitativo tipico della societa borghese della prima meta del secolo -che risulta, nonostante i cambiamenti cui i modelli abitativi sono andati incontro, ancora permeare il "prodotto casa" di cui usufruiamo- non sia piu in grado di rispondere appieno al quadro esigenziale degli utenti del sistema edilizio - definito alla luce degli attuali fenomeni sociali, culturali ed economici- e, dall'altro, di giungere all'elaborazione di una proposta progettuale basata sulle esigenze degli utenti reali
The new HIEQ Lab (Health, well-being and Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory) is presented. I... more The new HIEQ Lab (Health, well-being and Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory) is presented. It is a living lab, primarily intended for research on human performance, comfort, and well-being, integrated with the energy performance in a completely controlled real space. Users are involved as active players in controlling and assessing building components and design strategies for health, well-being and IEQ requirements. Experimental activities will be addressed through a multi-domain approach that combines lighting, acoustic, air quality and thermal issues. For what concerns lighting, the laboratory is conceived to study the performance of daylighting and electric lighting systems and control solutions, focusing on the relationship between lighting conditions and human performance, comfort, and well-being. The paper reports the results of a literature review on existing lighting research facilities, and then describes the features of the new HIEQ Lab and its main research objectives, with a focus on lighting and daylighting research opportunities.
This paper presents the results from a field study to evaluate how the luminous environmental qua... more This paper presents the results from a field study to evaluate how the luminous environmental quality is perceived by health care building occupants (patients and the nursing staff). Both subjective and objective field analyses were carried out in four hospitals in Turin and Asti (Piedmont, Italy). The subjective study was based on a survey through two different questionnaires submitted to patients/visitors and to the nursing staff, while photometric measurements were collected within 70 sample rooms (including both the bedded and the staff area): illuminances on bed and desks were measured, while HDR luminance maps of the visual scenes as perceived by users were recorded. Results and analyses carried out for the patients' room are presented in the paper. From objective measurements, a large number of standard non-compliances (both illuminance and daylight factor values) was found. In spite of this, subjective analyses showed that the group of patients and visitors was quite satisfied with the quality and quantity of lighting conditions within their room, while the nursing staff was generally less satisfied (in particular, the doctors expressed the lowest ratings). From both objective and subjective, some strategies to correct incompliances or to approach the design of user centered health care buildings were highlighted. In particular, some preliminary results of the illuminance levels over the patients' beds or doctors' desks provided by newly conceived OLED luminaires are presented
ABSTRACT The vast majority of historical buildings are very energy inefficient; as energy costs c... more ABSTRACT The vast majority of historical buildings are very energy inefficient; as energy costs continue to rise, they need smarter energy management strategies, since traditional ways of improving energy efficiency through structural retrofits are very expensive and not always possible in historical buildings. The paper shows the development of a new smart strategy to improve the energy efficiency of historical buildings without significant construction work. The strategy is based on Information Technologies and Wireless Sensor Networks, Building Information Modelling and interoperable energy simulation tools and also requires and stimulates an improvement of human awareness and competence. The paper reports the results of the first phase of the Smart Energy Efficient Middleware for Public Spaces project that addresses reduction in energy usage and the CO2 footprint of existing public buildings and spaces, by an intelligent ICT-based service which monitors and manages the energy consumption. Preliminary results have led to the development of a middleware tool which enables the interoperability of software and Wireless Sensor Networks to monitor energy consumption, controlling environmental parameters such as luminance and temperature to take advantage of natural resources (i.e. daylight and solar energy) in order to ensure the best possible comfort conditions with the most efficient use of energy. The research project is a demonstrator for a theoretical model that can be applied to wide typologies of historical buildings in Europe, especially public buildings.
This paper proposes and validates a daylighting design sequence for sidelit spaces. Since the des... more This paper proposes and validates a daylighting design sequence for sidelit spaces. Since the design sequence uses the daylight factor as a performance metric, it is aimed towards spaces that primarily receive diffuse daylight. It should be complemented by a design analysis that looks at direct sunlight for glare and energy considerations. The sequence interconnects and refines earlier proposed rules of thumb and is intended to be used during the earliest design stages when concepts regarding programming, floor plans, massing and window areas are initially explored. All steps within the sequence were ‘validated’ using Radiance simulations of over 2300 sidelit spaces. During step one of the sequence the effective sky angles are calculated and target daylight factors are defined for all potential daylit zones within a building. In step two a refined version of the ‘daylight feasibility study’ is used to help the design team to identify building zones with high daylighting potential based on a target mean daylight factor criterion. During step three suitable interior room dimensions and surface reflectances are determined using a combination of the Lynes’ limiting depth, ‘no sky line’, and window-head-height rules of thumb. Step four provides a more accurate estimate of the required glazing area for each zone based on the Lynes daylight factor formula which is also validated as part of this work. The effect of external obstructions is considered throughout the process. The paper closes with a discussion of the merits of the design sequence compared to the glazing factor spreadsheet calculation method promoted by LEED-NC 2.2.
This paper explored the potential reuse of coarse glass wastes as insert in a high performance ce... more This paper explored the potential reuse of coarse glass wastes as insert in a high performance cement matrix to produce translucent concrete panels that can be aggregated into partition walls, through a supporting frame. The effects of glass scraps on mechanical and optical-photometric properties of panels were tested. Two different series of panel prototypes were manufactured, with and without steel-reinforcing fibers. Compressive and flexural tests were performed on cement matrices and translucent panels. The annual impact on the amount of daylight in a room with two translucent concrete opposite interior walls and the room energy demand for lighting were estimated using a daylight simulation software for a number of rooms with varying window-to-wall ratio, orientation, site, illuminance over the work plane, lighting power density, type of partition walls (with different percentages of glass cullet inclusions)
Active transparent facades are building envelope systems largely used in new office and public bu... more Active transparent facades are building envelope systems largely used in new office and public buildings, whose optimization (e.g. types and number of glass panes, of shading device, integration with HVAC) is a complex problem with a multidisciplinary perspective. As far as the energy and indoor environmental performance are concerned, thermophysical, optical and acoustic properties need to be taken into account through a synergic approach so that an optimal overall behaviour is achieved. The research activity presented herewith was aimed at supporting the contractor's decision process about the layout of an Active Transparent Facade (Climate Facade typology) for a high-rise office building. An extensive monitoring on a full scale office room mock-up was thus designed to compare two ATF solutions, assessing the most viable trade-off between high performance and costs, taking not only energy efficiency but also thermal, visual and acoustic comfort into account. Two ATF modules with slightly different configurations (type of inner skin) were tested in the mock-up. The energy efficiency analyses showed that, as predictable, the ATF module equipped with the best inner skin was able to significantly increase the thermal resistance, reducing the winter heat loss and the summer heat gain, though this impact was not so relevant when the overall energy balance at building level was considered.The inner skin played, instead, a relevant role when considering thermal comfort, especially during summer peak conditions. From a visual comfort perspective, the two technologies did not perform in a significantly different way in the presence of the screen, but differences were observed in winter (with retracted screen), since the higher luminance values measured for the single skin could cause glare. Considering sound insulation, the facades presented comparable values and no significant differences were measured.
The paper presents the results of an experimental activity concerning different kinds of light pi... more The paper presents the results of an experimental activity concerning different kinds of light pipes, characterized by different section, length and material used as conduction element's coating. Such experimentation was carried out inside a scale model placed under both real sky and a sky scanning simulator. The luminous efficiency of the conduction element was measured for different pipe typologies, as well as the quantity and distribution of sunlight and daylight inside the office. So illuminance levels on working planes were measured using the sky simulator and Daylight Factor values were calculated while digital pictures taken inside the model under real sky condition were used to analyze distribution and dynamic variation of sunlight penetration. Collected data were used to verify if standard requirements were met and to compare performance of different pipes. Characteristics of the scale model, the experimental approach as well as results which were obtained are presented
This paper presents the results from a series of experimental activities and simulations focused ... more This paper presents the results from a series of experimental activities and simulations focused on assessing the luminous environmental quality as well as the energy demand for lighting within healthcare buildings. The study was aimed at evaluating the level of visual performance and comfort as perceived within the various hospital spaces by the different categories of users who operate in them: patients, relatives, doctors, nurses and nursing aids. The research consisted of both a subjective and an objective in-the-field study, which was carried out in four hospitals in Turin and Asti (Piedmont, Italy), different for construction age, types of patients and offered services, daylight access and view out, architectural lay-out. The subjective study was based on a survey through questionnaires submitted to both patients/relatives and to the nursing staff, integrated by photometric measurements within sample rooms of different wards. For each ward, both the bedded area (bedrooms and living rooms), and the staff area (nurses/doctors' offices, rooms where the nursing staff visit and manage patients' medical records and prepare medications) were analyzed. As a first step within a more comprehensive work, the topic of lighting was addressed, due to its relevance for carrying out work tasks in safe conditions (particularly for the nursing staff) and for environmental quality perception and well-being for users. Illuminance levels on beds, work surfaces and VDT displays were measured, luminance maps of the visual scenes as perceived by users were recorded by means of an Image Luminance Measuring Device and users' subjective appraisals were investigated through different questionnaires. Furthermore, the field analysis was integrated with simulations to estimate the associated energy demand for lighting and its reduction due to different lighting and blind control strategies
This work focuses on the assessment of displays legibility within an aircraft cockpit in presence... more This work focuses on the assessment of displays legibility within an aircraft cockpit in presence of typical external lighting condition occurring during flights: these range from clear sky with sun in different critical positions, to cloudy and nightlight sky. Existing procedures to assess the display legibility proposed in literature were analyzed and an operative methodology, based on both objective measurements and subjective evaluations, was proposed. The application of the methodology is intended to be supported by the use of the Sky Light Simulator (SLS), an innovative ambient lighting facility capable to reproduce the sun and the sky dome, hence generating lighting environments closely matching the real ambient lighting conditions, and to host real aircrafts. The paper presents the state-of-the-art relative to existing standardized procedure for assessing display legibility, the operative procedure which is proposed, based on the use of an Imaging Luminance Measurement Device (ILMD), and the results of a first series of the on-going experimental field measurements
L'illuminazione riveste un ruolo di primaria importanza negli ambienti di cura, sia ai fini d... more L'illuminazione riveste un ruolo di primaria importanza negli ambienti di cura, sia ai fini di uno svolgimento dei compiti visivi in condizioni di sicurezza - soprattutto per il personale sanitario - sia per la percezione di qualita ambientale e il benessere degli utenti: sono gia infatti ampiamente riconosciuti gli effetti benefici sulla riduzione dei tempi di ricovero dei pazienti e, d'altra parte, la soddisfazione lavorativa del personale. Inoltre, l'illuminazione rappresenta un importante parametro nella fase di accreditamento di una struttura ospedaliera. Risulta dunque importante, ai fini di un miglioramento della qualita ambientale ospedaliera indagare in maniera specifica questo aspetto, che spesso viene invece considerato solo una parte di una piu generale valutazione dell'ambiente fisico. In quest'ottica, la memoria presenta i risultati di un'indagine condotta sul campo per valutare la rispondenza agli standard normativi dell'ambiente luminoso negli edifici di cura e come la qualita di tale ambiente venga percepita dalle diverse tipologie di utenti che frequentano l'edificio, sia pazienti/accompagnatori sia personale medico-infermieristico. In quattro strutture ospedaliere piemontesi, situate a Torino (tre) e ad Asti (una), si e pertanto proceduto ad effettuare un'analisi integrata, basata su una raccolta di dati oggettivi (grandezze fotometriche) e soggettivi (giudizi degli utenti). Le misure fotometriche sono state raccolte in diversi reparti, per un totale di 70 stanze, sia in area degenza (camere e soggiorno) sia nell'area del personale (uffici di medici e infermieri, ambulatori e stanze di preparazione farmaci): e stato misurato l'illuminamento su letti, tavoli e display di VDT e sono state registrate mappe di luminanza HDR della scena visiva cosi come percepita dall'utente. Lo studio soggettivo si e basato invece su un questionario studiato ad hoc e somministrato in due diverse versioni a pazienti/accompagnatori e personale medico-infermieristico, ai fini di valutare la soddisfazione riguardo alla quantita e qualita dell'illuminazione naturale e artificiale. Nella memoria vengono presentate in particolare le analisi e i risultati relativi alle stanze dell'area degenza. Per quanto riguarda le misure oggettive, si e riscontrato un elevato numero di mancate corrispondenze rispetto agli standard normativi, in relazione ai valori osservati sul letto dei pazienti e sui tavolini, sia di illuminamento in sola luce artificiale, sia di fattore di luce diurna (in sola luce naturale). Tuttavia, questo risultato non si riflette completamente nelle analisi soggettive. In particolare il gruppo di pazienti e visitatori e risultato piuttosto soddisfatto della quantita e qualita di luce presente in stanza, mentre piu critico e apparso il personale medico-infermieristico che e risultato mediamente meno soddisfatto, con giudizi particolarmente bassi espressi dai medici. Sulla base di questi dati sono state proposte alcune strategie per correggere la mancata rispondenza agli standard e per approcciarsi alla progettazione di ambienti luminosi user-centred
The latest European energy policy aimed at reducing the energy demand and CO2 emissions due to th... more The latest European energy policy aimed at reducing the energy demand and CO2 emissions due to the building sector has been pushing researchers, designers, manufacturers and contractors towards the development of novel concepts and technical solutions, with special emphasis on building envelope. Relevant improvements can be achieved by adopting a new approach, conceiving envelope components as "living" membranes, efficiently interacting with indoors and outdoors boundary conditions and with users' needs thus performing an adaptive behaviour. Adaptiveness may be based on different driving factors, may perform at different timescales (from few minutes/ hours to diurnal/seasonal variations) and may take place at different components'/systems' levels (macro or micro scale). This implies that adaptive facades are particularly complex to be comprehensively characterized. The lack of metrics and standardized procedure is one of the major barriers to promote their widespread adoption. In this paper some key aspects from the decennial experience gained by the Authors on dynamic building envelope components are presented. Through long-term experimental campaigns in test cells and field monitoring, energy and lighting performances of Active Transparent Facades, Switchable Glazing and Phase Change Materials integrated into glazing/shading devices have been widely investigated. Some case studies are presented, focusing on metrics adopted, measurements methodologies and post processing procedures, highlighting potentials and criticism.
Come ampiamente documentato, l'abitare rappresenta un'esperienza fondante dell'esiste... more Come ampiamente documentato, l'abitare rappresenta un'esperienza fondante dell'esistenza dell'individuo. Diversi sono i livelli dell'interazione tra l'individuo e la propria abitazione: da un lato ci si rapporta quotidianamente con gli aspetti fisico-materico-costruttivi dell'abitazione (ampiezza dei vani, loro distribuzione, condizioni ambientali quali la disponibilita di luce naturale), dall'altro l'interazione si svolge a livello di percezione della qualita dell'abitare, di emozioni che la casa veicola e di relazioni che in essa si snodano. Dimensioni, volumi, qualita dei materiali sono da sempre materia dei professionisti dell'edilizia, mentre gli aspetti soggettivi sono stati spesso tenuti in scarsa considerazione dai canoni progettuali, che hanno cosi prodotto in passato pratiche edilizie convenzionali che definivano la qualita di un edificio piu in base ai criteri di mercato che al comfort e alla funzionalita esperite dagli occupanti. Piu recentemente, invece, sembra affermarsi una nuova sensibilita anche verso le componenti della qualita abitativa legate agli aspetti percettivo-cognitivi, relazionali e socio-culturali che contribuiscono a rendere la casa il luogo dell'"Essere e del Benessere". Per riuscire a cogliere tali dimensioni e implementarle in soluzioni progettuali che massimizzino il comfort e il benessere dell'abitante risulta molto importante adottare un approccio ergonomico user-centred e disporre di strumenti e metodologie di indagine in grado di far emergere i bisogni abitativi degli individui e cioe quanto l'abitazione in cui si vive riesca a rispondervi e quanto invece la casa limiti o modifichi, con i suoi vincoli strutturali, le attivita e le preferenze di chi vi abita. Per portare un contributo in tal senso, e stata sviluppata una metodologia di indagine che ha visto collaborare architetti e psicologi, finalizzata ad elaborare uno strumento per investigare la relazione tra la qualita dell'abitare e il benessere dell'utente, facendo emergere le specifiche esigenze abitative. Hanno preso parte all'indagine 90 individui (52%maschi e 48% femmine), di eta compresa tra i 16 e gli 80 anni (M=33.76, DS= 16.15) residenti in 3 centri abitativi piemontesi, diversi per dimensioni e livello di urbanizzazione. E stato somministrato un questionario, sviluppato ad hoc, volto ad indagare: 1) prestazioni e funzionalita della casa reale, modalita di utilizzo degli spazi e relazione dell'abitazione con il benessere e la felicita dell'abitante; 2) caratteristiche della casa ideale, attraverso item relativi alle modifiche da apportare a quella reale per rispondere al meglio alle proprie esigenze, ipotetiche modalita di utilizzo dei suoi spazi e sua relazione con il benessere e la felicita. Sono emersi alcuni interessanti risultati, quali il mutare delle esigenze abitative e delle rappresentazioni della casa ideale in relazione all'eta, che vengono illustrati nella memoria. Tali risultati emersi hanno permesso di evidenziare, da un lato, come il modello abitativo tipico della societa borghese della prima meta del secolo -che risulta, nonostante i cambiamenti cui i modelli abitativi sono andati incontro, ancora permeare il "prodotto casa" di cui usufruiamo- non sia piu in grado di rispondere appieno al quadro esigenziale degli utenti del sistema edilizio - definito alla luce degli attuali fenomeni sociali, culturali ed economici- e, dall'altro, di giungere all'elaborazione di una proposta progettuale basata sulle esigenze degli utenti reali
The new HIEQ Lab (Health, well-being and Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory) is presented. I... more The new HIEQ Lab (Health, well-being and Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory) is presented. It is a living lab, primarily intended for research on human performance, comfort, and well-being, integrated with the energy performance in a completely controlled real space. Users are involved as active players in controlling and assessing building components and design strategies for health, well-being and IEQ requirements. Experimental activities will be addressed through a multi-domain approach that combines lighting, acoustic, air quality and thermal issues. For what concerns lighting, the laboratory is conceived to study the performance of daylighting and electric lighting systems and control solutions, focusing on the relationship between lighting conditions and human performance, comfort, and well-being. The paper reports the results of a literature review on existing lighting research facilities, and then describes the features of the new HIEQ Lab and its main research objectives, with a focus on lighting and daylighting research opportunities.
This paper presents the results from a field study to evaluate how the luminous environmental qua... more This paper presents the results from a field study to evaluate how the luminous environmental quality is perceived by health care building occupants (patients and the nursing staff). Both subjective and objective field analyses were carried out in four hospitals in Turin and Asti (Piedmont, Italy). The subjective study was based on a survey through two different questionnaires submitted to patients/visitors and to the nursing staff, while photometric measurements were collected within 70 sample rooms (including both the bedded and the staff area): illuminances on bed and desks were measured, while HDR luminance maps of the visual scenes as perceived by users were recorded. Results and analyses carried out for the patients' room are presented in the paper. From objective measurements, a large number of standard non-compliances (both illuminance and daylight factor values) was found. In spite of this, subjective analyses showed that the group of patients and visitors was quite satisfied with the quality and quantity of lighting conditions within their room, while the nursing staff was generally less satisfied (in particular, the doctors expressed the lowest ratings). From both objective and subjective, some strategies to correct incompliances or to approach the design of user centered health care buildings were highlighted. In particular, some preliminary results of the illuminance levels over the patients' beds or doctors' desks provided by newly conceived OLED luminaires are presented
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