Smart energy dorms: Social and environmental analysis of Studentato San Bartolomeo

Abstract

European energy politics, usually focused on the single building scale, are now broadening their field of interest towards a wider context, defining more adequate intervention strategies aiming at facilitating virtuous relationship between buildings at district, city and region levels. Themes related to human comfort are properly considered as well, both at physical and social level, namely relational comfort between people living in the same built environment. Again, relationship is the key word. In this context, university student residences have been often studied as large buildings hosting several and complex functions, where people with different habits, education, origins and culture live together. Besides, dorms have particular relationships with the city, often acting as places for urban regeneration. The study presented here concerns the analysis of the recent San Bartolomeo student dorm, performed with focus groups with the occupants and questionnaires, on-site monitoring survey and energy modelling in transient state. The purpose is to present a comprehensive study on the constructive and energetic aspects of existing building complexes, in order to define a possible procedure aimed at considering the overall comfort level of the living community and the interaction with the urban surrounding from an operational and social point of view.