Sustainability and Safety for the Natural and built Environment (S2NBE)
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Coordinator
Members: Andrea Gasparella, Giuseppe Roberto Pisaturo, Federica Morandi
Moreover, more than 10 Research Fellows and PhD-students are working in the macro-area Sustainability and Safety for the Natural and built Environment (S2NBE)
The research performed in the macro-area „Sustainability and Safety for the Natural and Built Environment” addresses the challenges of sustainability and safety at both territory and building scale. Regarding the natural environment, we deal with the safety and hydrogeological protection of the natural and built environment and with a sustainable distribution and use of water as a renewable resource. As regards the built environment, we investigate and propose solutions to improve its quality and the wellbeing for its occupants, as well as the energy performance of the building systems and the design of resilient communities and Net Zero Energy Districts.
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The research in the Sustainability and Safety sector focuses on:
- Research on the built environment: we focus on the characterization of the energy efficiency and quality of the indoor environment and its interactions with the external context, ranging from building to urban scale. We aim to improve inclusiveness and independent living for occupants with special needs, including the elderly, as well as to support the ecological transition also in situations of energy poverty. These objectives are pursued by means of a plurality of tools and methods used at different scales of interest. For example, we optimize the performance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, considering not only the energy and economic results of the various configurations but also their effect on the quality of the built environment. By exploiting these results, integrated with analyses of local microclimatic phenomena, such as urban heat islands, and climate change, we define strategies and policies for the development of “Net Zero Energy” districts, aimed at achieving local, national and European decarbonization and sustainability objectives.
- Research on the natural environment: our research focuses on safety and protection from hydrogeological risks of the natural and built environment, as well as on the distribution and sustainable use of water as a renewable resource. This topics are developed in close collaboration with prof. Maurizio Righetti and Michele Larcher of the Faculty of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences.