Italian research on eco-efficient housing modules

Abstract

The theme of eco-efficient houses is now highly topical in Italy. Universities and companies specialized in sustainable construction are developing projects of experimental buildings that may constitute a typological and constructive reference and may offer the opportunity to monitor their physical and technical performance in order to check the expected theoretical results, environmental quality and energy efficiency. To focus on which are the main fields of research in Italy and assess their progress, it may be useful to carry out a survey and a comparison between the main development experiences related to the topic of experimental modules and prototypes. The paper analyses and highlights the common features of the last and more significant Italian examples. It also describes technological solutions, materials and energy strategies used in the analyzed experimental buildings, and finally focuses on the main future developments that are involved in Italian research and experimentations on eco-efficient housing units. © 2014 WIT Press.