This is the talk given by Gianpiero Evola at the 19th Conference on "Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems" (SDEWES) on 9 September 2024. The presentation concerns the potential application of the e-SAFE technologies to the public housing stock in Catania (Itay), and the related energy savings.

The main aim of the e-BEMS in the context of e-SAFE is to facilitate comprehensive monitoring, reporting, and control of building energy systems, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency and indoor comfort in the pilot building located in Catania. The e BEMS enables end-users, including residents and technicians, to access real-time information about indoor comfort conditions, energy consumption, environmental and climatic factors. By utilizing suitable devices, sensors, and the OpenHAB open-source framework, the e-BEMS facilitates data collection, storage, and dissemination via web and mobile applications. Overall, the e-BEMS aims to support the e-SAFE project's objectives by quantifying the actual benefits of renovation technologies, such as improved comfort, indoor air quality, and energy savings, in the pilot building in Catania. The tool is available at https://esafe.sampas.com.tr/

e-BEMS has been created in the framework of Work Package 4 in the H2020 "e-SAFE" project. A final updated and refined version will be released at the end of the project. This poster presents the tool with its different functions and interfaces. 

For further information please contact: serdar.yumlu@sampas.com.tr.

e-DSS (e-SAFE Decision Support System) is a simple and intuitive software tool conceived to support professionals during the preliminary co-design process of an e-SAFE building renovation. The users can assess the energy performance of the building in its current state. Then, they are guided in the creation of a renovation project with the e-SAFE solutions (e-PANEL, e-EXOS, e-CLT, e-THERM): the tool facilitates the choice of the most suitable solution in terms of energy and seismic improvement, while also calculating energy savings, environmental benefit, and payback time. The tool is intended for all types of non-historical buildings and is available at https://esafe.eng.it/.

e-DSS has been created in the framework of Work Package 4 in the H2020 "e-SAFE" project. A final updated and refined version will be released at the end of the project. This video wants to show the tool with its different functions, including input data and results. 

For further information please contact: marilena.lazzaro@eng.it.

The production of domestic hot water plays a very important role in the energy consumption of buildings, with a very significant incidence for buildings with low energy consumption. In the case of existing buildings with a centralized DHW production plant, distribution losses can even exceed 50% of the total thermal energy produced in the thermal plant. Hence the need to find new efficient solutions that can also exploit renewable energy sources. This article presents an innovative system, proposed as part of the e-SAFE project funded under the H2020 Programme. The architecture of the system provides a first level of centralized storage, powered by a heat pump managed in such a way as to optimize the use of renewable energy from PV, from which an alternative service distribution line departs for heating and charging of decentralized apartment tanks for DHW production. The energy results, carried out with dynamic simulation code TRNSYS for a building of 10 apartments with different DHW consumption profiles, highlight the possible advantages of the system in terms of primary energy consumption and comfort temperatures during the day.

A possible approach for seismic upgrading of existing reinforced concrete framed buildings consists in the creation of an additional structure connected to the existing one from outside. The installation of steel exoskeletons on the building façade is an application of this approach. This seismic upgrading technique provides several advantages: it can be realized without interrupting the building operativity, it allows a high level of prefabrication, it can be combined with energy efficiency solutions, and also used for the architectural restyling of the building. However, the availability of space around the building is a mandatory requirement for its installation.
In this framework, the paper investigates the potential application of a 3D exoskeleton technology based on the use of customizable three-dimensional steel trusses. The investigation is carried out with reference to a building selected as case study. It specifically involves a technical analysis of the proposed seismic upgrading intervention that is combined with an energy-efficiency solution based on prefabricated panels to be applied to the building façade. The potentialities of architectural integration of the retrofit intervention are also examined in compliance with a multidisciplinary design approach.

The need to renovate the existing building stock in earthquake-prone countries is now widely recognized. In this framework, this paper aims at investigating an innovative technology for the seismic, energy and architectural renovation of RC framed buildings. This technology combines the seismic resistance provided by steel trusses with
the thermal performance of wood-based panels, which are both applied to the outer building envelope.
In this paper, the proposed system is applied to a pilot building located in the city of Bucharest, in Romania, to examine its effectiveness and replicability. The pilot building is a five-storey apartment block located in a suburban neighborhood of the city and representative of many coeval buildings in Bucharest that are energy-intensive and earthquakes-prone since they were built before the enforcement of effective seismic and energy efficiency standards. The proposed retrofit methodology involves designing wood-based prefabricated panels and steel trusses according to criteria of structural strengthening and energy efficiency, standardization in manufacturing process, fast installation, and architectural integration. Furthermore, the parametric modeling in BIM environment of the above-mentioned components enables controlling their size, quantity, manufacturing, cost, and arrangement on the building façade to optimize the construction and installation processes.

In many regions of the world with medium or high seismic hazard the majority of existing buildings does not comply with prescriptions of current seismic codes or were even designed considering gravity loads only. Hence, existing RC buildings are often seismically deficient. In addition, they may present excessive energy consumption. In this framework, this study investigates a new retrofit technique for buildings with RC framed structure. The intervention requires the addition to the building of a vertical external steel exoskeleton. This research aims at sounding the impact of the proposed retrofit solution by nonlinear dynamic analysis in terms of lateral strength and story drift ratio, in order to quantify the expected impact of the proposed retrofit intervention.

Negli ultimi decenni si è assistito, in Italia, a una forte riduzione dell’intervento pubblico diretto in materia di edilizia pubblica e le politiche della casa sono divenute sempre più residuali. A fronte di un aumento della domanda sociale di casa ‘accessibile’ che non trova risposta nel mercato, si registra una diminuzione della fornitura di alloggi per le fasce più deboli, un significativo deterioramento fisico del patrimonio immobiliare ERP e una contrazione dei servizi connessi all’abitare. La risposta suppletiva del ‘privato sociale’ (cooperative, fondazioni, etc.), impegnato in programmi di cosiddetto social/cooperative/alternative housing, non è sufficiente e spesso presenta molte  criticità. Sebbene, oggi, i fondi per la ripresa post pandemia da Covid-SARS 19 accrescano le possibilità di azione pubblica, la poca chiarezza di obiettivi e, spesso, a livello locale, di una visione strategica delle scelte, portano le amministrazioni locale a investire le risorse (quando vi riescono!) in progetti puntuali e poco rispondenti ai bisogni della città. Cosa può fare il mondo della ricerca, nell’immediato, per utilizzare tali finanziamenti in modo integrato e in modo da rispondere ai bisogni abitativi dei cittadini? Questo paper intende contribuire al dibattito, con un focus sulla scala locale guardando alle potenzialità offerte da un approccio alla ricerca action-based. Vengono presentati i primi esiti del lavoro di ricerca-azione in tema di welfare abitativo nell’ambito della città metropolitana di Catania, condotto da ricercatori del DICAr dell’Università degli studi di Catania e supportato dal progetto Horizon 2020 e-SAFE. Il paper intende contribuire al dibattito, esplorando come, in questo specifico caso pilota, la messa a sistema di “nicchie sperimentali” possa permettere di superare la sperimentazione puntuale e spingere verso cambiamenti strutturali in quanto inquadrati
in una strategia condivisa che tenga insieme welfare abitativo e rigenerazione urbana.

As it is known the dimensions of sustainability are multiple and concern several disciplines: architectural, environmental, technological, economic and social. Choosing to give preference to certain aspects would not determine a complete vision of the topic. Therefore, the proposed document describes a choral experience: the e-SAFE project financed by Horizon 2020 funds, based on a codesign process and aimed at architectural, energy and seismic redevelopment of a residential building located in Catania, within an area of considerable social vulnerability. In specific terms, it encourages cooperation and participation actions between all the stakeholders involved (designers, inhabitants, construction companies, associations). This approach refers to two related but several reasons: the first one regards the idea that the design of a construction, a neighbourhood or a city is aimed at human dwelling and consequently the relationships between people; the second one, the participatory actions induce to the dialogue between stakeholders on topics of common interest, stimulate debate and develop mutual learning. The process has shown critical aspects but also the actual implications among the inhabitants who have been able to participate in the design of every aspect of the redevelopment of the building where they themselves live in.

This paper presents some of the first results of the EU-founded Horizon 2020 innovation project called e-SAFE. One of the main goal of the project is the developement of innovative technological solutions for the renovation of reinforced concrete framed buildings with the aim to decrease their seismic vulnerability and primary energy demand. These solutions include the e-PANEL and e-CLT tecnologies, which consist of wood-based panels to be added to the outer walls of the building to encrease its thermal performance and seismic resistance. These panels are studied to be completely prefabricated in order to reduce the onsite activities. They are also applied without the need of scaffolding, resulting in minimal disturbance for the occupants.
The proposed approach is applied to a residential building of the Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari (IACP) in Catania that was selected as pilot building within the project.
The paper shows the outcomes of the technological design of the panels, their prototyping and design application to the case study, which are preparatory to the upcoming renovation works.