Building a Passive House: The Architect’s Logbook

1st Edition Stefano Piraccini pdf download

Order directly from textbookfull.com

( 4.5/5.0 ★ | 464 downloads )

https://textbookfull.com/product/building-a-passive-house-the-
architects-logbook-1st-edition-stefano-piraccini/
 Building a Passive House: The Architect’s Logbook 1st
Edition Stefano Piraccini

TEXTBOOK

Available Formats

■ PDF eBook Study Guide Ebook

EXCLUSIVE 2025 ACADEMIC EDITION – LIMITED RELEASE

Available Instantly Access Library

More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

An Introduction to Passive House 1st Edition Justin

Bere

https://textbookfull.com/product/an-introduction-to-passive-
house-1st-edition-justin-bere/

Building ERP Solutions with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 1st

Edition Stefano Demiliani

https://textbookfull.com/product/building-erp-solutions-with-
microsoft-dynamics-nav-1st-edition-stefano-demiliani/

The EcoNest Home Designing Building a Light Straw Clay

House 1st Edition Paula Baker-Laporte

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-econest-home-designing-
building-a-light-straw-clay-house-1st-edition-paula-baker-
laporte/

Tiny House Designing, Building, & Living 1st Edition

Andrew Morrison

https://textbookfull.com/product/tiny-house-designing-building-
living-1st-edition-andrew-morrison/
The Paris Architect 1st Edition Charles Belfoure

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-paris-architect-1st-edition-
charles-belfoure/

The Fallen Architect 1st Edition Charles Belfoure

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-fallen-architect-1st-
edition-charles-belfoure/

The Georgian London Town House: Building, Collecting

and Display Kate Retford

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-georgian-london-town-house-
building-collecting-and-display-kate-retford/

The ShortTube 80 Telescope A User s Guide Neil T.

English

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-shorttube-80-telescope-a-
user-s-guide-neil-t-english/

The Lehman Trilogy 1st Edition Stefano Massini

https://textbookfull.com/product/the-lehman-trilogy-1st-edition-
stefano-massini/
Green Energy and Technology

Stefano Piraccini
Kristian Fabbri

Building
a Passive
House
The Architect's Logbook
Green Energy and Technology
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8059
Stefano Piraccini Kristian Fabbri
•

Building a Passive House

The Architect’s Logbook

123
Stefano Piraccini Kristian Fabbri
Cesena Cesena
Italy Italy

ISSN 1865-3529 ISSN 1865-3537 (electronic)

Green Energy and Technology
ISBN 978-3-319-69937-0 ISBN 978-3-319-69938-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69938-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017957204

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature

The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Fiorita Passive House
Via Ludovico Ariosto, no. 246–250, Cesena (FC) Italy

Work Commissioned by
Andrea Zoffoli, Davide Zoffoli, Loris Zoffoli, Marco Zoffoli

Design and Project Coordinator

Studio Piraccini/Architettura sostenibile a consumo zero: Arch.
Stefano Piraccini (coordinator), Arch. Margherita Potente

Passive House Consultant

Studio Piraccini/Architettura sostenibile a consumo zero: Arch.
Margherita Potente
Contractor
Zero Energy s.r.l.

Passive House Certification

ZEPHIR s.r.l.: Dr. Francesco Nesi

Monitoring
Arch. Kristian Fabbri
Awards and Recognitions
The Fiorita Passive House project has obtained the following
recognitions: Pilot building for the European Projects: Passreg
(Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Union)
and SEEDpass (South East Europe strategic partnership vocational
education and training in Passive House Design for nearly zero
energy buildings development); Sustainability special award, XI
edition of the prize IQU-Innovazione e Qualità Urbana (2016).

Contributing to the Realisation of this Book were

Centro InfissiDue srl, CNA Forlì-Cesena, Mitsubishi Electric
Europe B.V, Studio Piraccini/Architettura sostenibile a consumo
zero, Zero Energy srl.
To Margherita,
without whom this would have been much
more difficult (or even impossible),
and to my daughter who she is carrying.

Stefano Piraccini
Citation

It is possible this Book may fall into the Hands of some Masters of Ships, and
honest Mariners, who frequently, by contrary Winds or Tempest, or other Accidents
incident to long Voyages, find themselves reduced to great Dissestress, either thro’
Scarcity of Provision, or Want of Stores. I say, it may be a Direction to such as
those, what Lengths they may venture to go, without violating the Law of Nations,
in Case they should meet other Ships at Sea, or be cast on some inhospitable Shore,
which should refuse to trade with them for such Things as are absolutely necessary
for the Preservation of their Lives, or the Safety of the Ship and Cargo.
Daniel Defoe (1972) A general story of Pyrates, J.M. Dent & Sons, London, UK

ix
Premise

This book is the first person account of the vicissitudes, as well as the design and
technical solutions, involved in the construction of the Fiorita Passive House: the
first Passive House certified multi-residence in wood in the Mediterranean area.
The style, simple and intuitive, describes the problems—and the solutions—
which may be encountered in various moments of the construction process of
Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB).
In the literature consulted during the planning stage, we found books that give
step-by-step explanations of what architectural details to include and how to design
them, what problems may arise in the construction site and how to resolve them,
which products are more suitable or more economical, which expedients to adopt
during construction to ensure the quality of laying, etc. The problems one could
encounter are many and varied, but during the process, the authors of this book
came to realise that what is lacking is a book that explains what the actual process is
comprised of, … what actually can happen, …. in other words, to make a nautical
analogy—which is present throughout the book—while you can find books that
explain how to navigate, the characteristics that a boat must have or the charac-
teristics of the various ports of call, it is more difficult to find books that explain
how to tackle the journey, and so, this book is the tale of a journey, the journey that
has led to the construction of a Passive House, and to the discovery—for all the
actors involved, designers, construction company, tradesmen—of new territories, of
a new way of dealing with the architectural project.
The objective is to reveal to the reader just how exciting this voyage is, and just
how marvellous the new territories to explore can be.
In a more prosaic way, the project of the Fiorita Passive House has undergone a
building process that is different from ordinary buildings: in the final construction
design, in the role of the designers and collaborators, and other experts in the field,
in the training of the tradesmen, in the organisation of the phases of the construction
site and in the construction costs.
***

xi
xii Premise

Designing a Passive House means establishing a new dialogue—together with

travel, “dialogue” is the other key word of the book—between composition,
technology of the architecture and building physics, different from traditional
architecture: dialogue is necessary, putting yourself in a position of reciprocal
listening in order to adopt the best solutions, even in the smallest construction
detail, combining form and energy efficiency. We have gone from the “bioclimatic”
approach—where the physical phenomena are represented with “little arrows”, the
sun that is sad or smiling or other schemes—to modelling with a calculation
algorithm able to furnish us with the actual energy performance.
For this reason, this book is the work of two authors—the previously mentioned
dialogue—from one side, the story of the project coordinator, which constitutes the
narrative corpus of the book, the voyage from the inside, and on the other side, or,
more aptly, from alongside, the support, the clarification of the “instrumentation”,
the thermophysical magnitudes and energy aspects that come into play in the design
of a Passive House, as well as the monitoring—as built—of the comfort and of the
actual thermophysical performance.
Stefano Piraccini and Kristian Fabbri, June 2017.
***
We would like to make some clarifications:
– The Passive House standard relates exclusively to energy efficiency and com-
fort. The Fiorita Passive House project introduces, with respect to the standard,
further verifications that concern the summer season such as the shading and the
calculation of the thermal lag. In addition, to aim for sustainability understood in
the broadest sense, we have used dry technology, a wooden structure, insulation
with mineral or biological origin, recovery of the rainwater and condensation.
– the Fiorita Passive House was designed and built using the PHPP Software,
version 7 of 2014 (date in which the design began), which indicated a heating
load equal to 7 W/m2 and a cooling load equal to 6 W/m2. Given this kind of
performance, within the building we used for heating and air-conditioning
system exclusively a controlled mechanical ventilation system with heat
exchanger and post-treatment battery. For the Passive House Certification,
which took place on 13 January 2017, the PHPP Software, version 9.6A of
2016, was used, which updates the calculation method, especially in the summer
season, and indicates a heating load equal to 8 W/m2 and a cooling load equal to
10 W/m2.
– once the construction was completed, during the 8 months that passed between
the end of the construction and the arrival of the occupants, the monitoring in
the site (described in Chap. 10) shows that the building is able to guarantee a
temperature of 25°C in the summer and 21°C in the winter, with minimum
consumption, and relative humidity around 50%, with absence of the “dry air”
phenomenon.
***
Premise xiii

For academic purposes, Stefano Piraccini is the sole author of Chaps. 1, 2, 3,

4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11; Kristian Fabbri is the author of Chaps. 6 and 10.
Acknowledgements

The writing of this book cannot leave out our thanks to those who have been
involved in the building’s design, in the first place to Arch. Margherita Potente,
Passive House Designer/consultant, for consulting and processing of the thermo-
physical data. Without her help, both the realisation of this book and, especially,
of the Fiorita Passive House would have been impossible.
Also, many thanks go to: The Zoffoli family (Andrea Zoffoli, Davide Zoffoli,
Loris Zoffoli and Marco Zoffoli), who commissioned the work, for having always
enthusiastically supported every design choice aimed at environmental sustain-
ability; Dr. Phys. Francesco Nesi for having given us the possibility of a serene
dialogue; Eng. Marco Boscolo (who prematurely died during the writing of this
book) for the valuable information and suggestions on the subject of airtightness;
Eng. Andrea Fagioli, Silvano Mazzoli and Geom. Abraham Ceredi for their tech-
nical competence, the passion for their work and respect for all the architectural
choices of the designer; Andrea Salimbeni for technical information relating to door
and window frames; Stefano Aloisi for technical information relating to the climate
control system; Gabriele DiBonaventura for having coordinated several initiatives
for the promotion of the project.

Stefano Piraccini and Kristian Fabbri, June 2017.

Personally, I would like to thank Kristian Fabbri for having convinced me to

write this book, the tradesmen for their preparation, availability and assiduous
collaboration: it is not a common thing to enter into a construction site and perceive
the enthusiasm of the many who work there, aware of being an integral part in the
realisation of a truly innovative project. To tell the truth, the highest levels of
enthusiasm were clocked at 3 in the afternoon, when, from the building opposite the
construction site, the owner’s live-in nurse, an attractive Moldovan, just over thirty
years old, started watering the rose garden. For 20 minutes, the noise of the con-
struction site abated and all the workers, with a forearm resting on the parapet of the
scaffolding, enjoyed the spectacle, smoking a cigarette. The ritual was repeated, like

xv
xvi Acknowledgements

clockwork, every day, with even greater peaks of enthusiasm during the summer
season: when the comely young woman adapted to the climatic context, with
clothes that were rather skimpy.
Stefano Piraccini

Personally, … hey, why didn’t you warn me? I would like to thank those who
collaborated in the realisation of the monitoring system, Antea Franceschin and
Christian Iasio, and I would like to thank Margherita and Stefano for letting me
climb aboard.

Kristian Fabbri

The research that led to the writing of this book was financed with contributions
from the following companies that participated in the construction of the Fiorita
Passive House. Special thanks to:
• Centro InfissiDue srl, Via Cavecchia no. 1351, 47521 Cesena (FC), Italy;
• CNA (Confederazione Nazionale dell’Artigianato e della Piccola e Media
impresa) Forlì-Cesena, Via Pelacano no. 29, 47122 Forlì (FC), Italy;
• Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V, Centro Dir. Colleoni, Palazzo Sirio, Ingresso 1
—Viale Colleoni no. 7, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB), Italy;
• Studio Piraccini/Architettura a consumo zero, Via Luigi Carlo Farini no. 90,
47522 Cesena (FC), Italy;
• Zero Energy srl, Via Raffaele Cadorna no. 25, 47522 Cesena (FC), Italy.
Contents

1 An Uphill Trek . . . ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 The House of the Twentieth Century (1950s)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The House of the Nineteenth Century . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 The Chickens Come Home to Roost . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 The House of the Nineteenth Century . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
References . . . . . . . ........................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 Is the Passive House Right for Us? (Follow the Money) . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 Increasing the Number of Real Estate Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2 Tax Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3 Individuating the Construction Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.4 The Choice of the CLT System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.5 Reducing Construction Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.6 The Advantages of a Certified Passive House Building . . . . . . . 22
2.7 Economic Sustainability and Environmental Sustainability . . . . 24
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3 Navigation Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.1 How a Passive House Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.1.1 Energy Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.1.2 High Indoor Thermal Comfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.2 The Team: The Project Team and the Necessary Skills . . . . . . . 36
3.3 PHPP and the Other Software Used for the Project . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.4 How I Chose the Construction Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4 Form and Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1 Preliminary Design: The Correct Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.1.1 Winter Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.1.2 Summer Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

xvii
xviii Contents

4.2 Definitive Design: Other Functional Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

4.3 Structural System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.4 Wet Foundations and Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.5 Structure in Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
5 Building Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.1 Requirements and Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.1.1 Thermohygrometric Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5.1.2 Sustainability of the Building Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.2 Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5.2.1 Floor Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
5.3 Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
6 Building Physics and Thermophysical Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
6.2 Building Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
6.2.1 Thermal Transmittance (U) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6.2.2 Thermal Resistance (RT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
6.2.3 Thermal Conductivity (k) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
6.2.4 Thermal Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
6.2.5 Solar Transmittance (ggl) and Shading Devices
(ggl + Sh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
6.2.6 Solar Heat Gains Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
6.2.7 Phase Displacement and Dynamics Parameters . . . . . . . 138
6.2.8 Hygrometric Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
6.2.9 Transmission and Ventilation Heat Transfer
Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
6.3 Building Energy Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
6.3.1 Building Performance Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
6.4 Indoor Comfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
6.4.1 Thermal Comfort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
6.4.2 Indoor Air Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
6.4.3 Airtightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
6.4.4 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Assessment . . . . . . 160
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
7 Designing the Thermal Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
7.1 Thermal Bridge Towards the Ground (External Wall) . . . . . . . . 169
7.2 Thermal Bridge Towards the Ground (Internal Wall) . . . . . . . . 173
7.3 Thermal Bridge of the Terrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
7.4 Thermal Bridge in the Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
7.5 Thermal Bridge at the Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Contents xix

7.6 Thermal Bridge at the Window and French Door

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
7.7 Thermal Bridge of the “Life Line” Anchor Device . . . . . . . . . . 189
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
8 Designing Airtightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
8.1 Airtightness of the Building’s Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
8.2 Airtightness of the Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
8.3 Airtightness of the HVAC and Plant Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
8.4 The Blower Door Test in the Fiorita Passive House . . . . . . . . . 221
8.4.1 First Test on the Finished Load-Bearing Structure . . . . . 222
8.4.2 Second Test with Installed Door and Window
Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
8.4.3 Final Test: Testing on the Finished Building . . . . . . . . . 226
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
9 Designing the “Interferences” with the Technical Systems . . . . . . . 233
9.1 Controlled Mechanical Ventilation in the Fiorita Passive
House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
9.2 Expedients for the Project and the Laying of the Technical
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
9.2.1 Pipes to Be Insulated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
9.2.2 Interferences with the Building Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
10 Monitoring Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
10.1 Measure in Order to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
10.2 Results of the Monitoring Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
10.3 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
11 Design Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Nomenclature

ACPH Certified Passive House Tradesperson

BEP Building Energy Performance
BEPS Building Energy Performance Simulations
BP Building Physics
CLT Cross-Laminated Timber
CMV Controlled Mechanical Ventilation
CO2 Carbon Dioxide (ppm)
DHW Domestic Hot Water
EIFS Exterior Insulation and Finishing System
EPDM Ethylene-Propylene Diene Monomer
EPS Expanded PolyStyrene
FSC Forest Stewardship Council
HVAC Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning
IAQ Indoor Air Quality
IPHA International Passive House Association
MVHR Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery
PD Percent Dissatisfied (%)
PHPP Passive House Planning Package
ppm Parts per Million
RH Relative Humidity
U Thermal Transmittance (W/m2K)
VOC Volatile Organic Compounds (ppm)
WHO World Health Organization
XPS Extruded PolyStyrene
YIE Periodic Thermal Transmittance (W/m2K)

xxi
Chapter 1
An Uphill Trek

In June, every evening after 7:30 when it is cooler, I leave work, put on some
comfortable clothes and take a walk. My favourite destination is the hillside that
surrounds Cesena, the city in which I live, situated in north-central Italy. In that
season, just before twilight: the sun’s low rays, the scent of the countryside, the
pleasant temperature, all combine to create a relaxing atmosphere, perfect for
restoring myself after a day’s work. Everything began on one of those evenings in
June 2014: I’m walking along Via Garampa, a road that starts from the centre of the
city and makes its way through the nearby hills, when I receive a call from Davide,
an old friend of mine.
Davide told me about a property belonging to his family, built by his grandfather
in the mid-1950s, composed of two shops and two large apartments, which has been
on the rental market for several years. My friend was complaining about the low
earnings through rent, barely enough to cover the maintenance costs of the entire
building:
I spend too much money in repairs, energy expenses have become unsustainable … the
tenants complain because despite having the radiators running at maximum capacity they
feel cold in some rooms and too hot in others, … and it’s the same in the summer, despite
having installed split system air conditioners,

and then he asked me:

you’re an architect, what type of intervention would you suggest?.

In the meantime, having finished the uphill climb of Via Garampa, my voice broken
and rather breathless from that effort, I answer:
“Davide,” (deep breath) “you’ve got to make a Passive House! There’s no other solution!”.

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018 1

S. Piraccini and K. Fabbri, Building a Passive House, Green Energy and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69938-7_1
2 1 An Uphill Trek

1.1 The House of the Twentieth Century (1950s)

Let’s take a step back.

The building that Davide is describing to me is located in a residential district of the
city of Cesena, in an urbanised area dating from the years 1950–1970. It is a
multi-storey brick building. The building has been subject to constant upkeep
throughout the years with many small, specific interventions: a new coat of plaster
here, a door frame replaced there, a gutter repaired above, an infiltration fixed
below, wall painting to cover blackish stains that appeared on the inner side of the
perimeter walls, the installation of air conditioners for cooling during the summer,
the installation of a few frames with double glazing and a new boiler in the des-
perate attempt to reduce fuel consumption.
Despite these minor interventions, problems have continued to crop up in the
building, such as the formation of moulds, water infiltration and, above all, astro-
nomical bills for climate control.
However, Davide’s building is neither better nor worse than other buildings built
in those same years.
The 1950s and 1960s are characterised by a period of vigorous economic
recovery and technological development. The boom would primarily involve the
countries that participated in the conflict, such as the USA, Europe and Japan. The
1950s and 1960s are, for Italy, the period of the economic boom. It is in this decade
that Italy makes the move from being a predominantly agricultural country to
becoming an industrialised nation. They are years characterised by robust renewal
followed by the increase of international trade, by the exchange of technology and
the need to rebuild a modern country from the ashes of the war. The favourable
moment carries with it an exponential growth in the construction industry,
increasing the demand for accommodation in the city by the new masses of
workers, merchants, labourers, new entrepreneurs, etc., accompanied by the pro-
gressive abandonment of the countryside, where farming represents a legacy of the
past, far from the new lifestyle which demands a prevailing modernity.
Armando, Davide’s grandfather, together with his family, had abandoned agri-
cultural activity and the rural house in which he lived since his childhood for a
move to the city in the search for better living conditions. Here, he used his savings
in the construction of a new building for his family to settle in (the building that is
the subject of this book), composed of two large apartments on the first and second
floors and two shops on the ground floor. Armando and his wife sought to build a
modern and functional building equipped with the best technologies of the era, such
as heating, hot sanitary water and the bathroom in the house: a new frontier of
progress now within the reach of many pockets.
Armando (finally) could forget about worrying himself with the supply of wood,
and in spite of it, still waking up to the cold. He could now take as many hot baths
as he wanted to, at long last getting rid, once and for all, of that annoying smell of
soot that impregnates the clothes of the country dweller, differentiating him from
the pleasant scent of the man of the city.
1.1 The House of the Twentieth Century (1950s) 3

The building constructed in Via Ariosto 250 in Cesena has a structure in

load-bearing masonry, a building envelope in brick, completely devoid of thermal
insulation, wooden window frames with single glass panes, cornices and some
terraces in reinforced concrete and, above all, a brand new boiler that pumps hot
water in the showers and within the radiators. This is a building similar to many
buildings built in that period throughout Italy, and it is not even very different from
those built in other contexts. The economic boom, due also to the financing of the
Marshall Plan and the policies for achieving, in a short time, a home for everyone,
led to the diffusion of large residential districts composed of buildings made with
standardised construction techniques that employed the materials of industrial
production: these “new” buildings rely on the heating system for the fulfilment of
any requirements related to comfort.
Before this new age, most rural dwellings were heated with wood-burning
fireplaces, in other words, they guaranteed levels of comfort limited only to the
hearth, through a progressive functional optimisation of their form and the use of
local materials. Therefore, they had adapted to the climatic context by means of
expedients for containing the heat internally and exploiting the heat produced by
solar radiation and by the body heat of the persons and animals living within the
walls. From the moment in which it became possible to install a heating system in
each new home, relationships between construction and the climatic context were
considered as nothing more than a tribal legacy.
In this regard Victor Olgyay, the father of bioclimatic design, has said (Fig. 1.1):

Fig. 1.1 Building owned by the Zoffoli family, subject of the intervention
4 1 An Uphill Trek

Despite the diversity of these contrasting community layouts, they have something in
common: all of them have marked regional characteristics, strong statements that are a clear
answer to their respective climatic demands. (Olgyay 1963, p. 9)

1.2 The House of the Nineteenth Century

Like many “modern” buildings built in the same period, the house in Via Ariosto
has no relation to the climatic context in which it is located: its morphology is not a
function of a correct orientation, it does not have systems to favour natural venti-
lation, the thin walls dissipate heat during the winter months and do not help to
counteract overheating in the summer, there is no shielding for protection from the
direct solar rays during the summer, nor to take advantage of their heat during the
winter.
The lack of a relationship between the building and the climatic context has been
replaced by the presence of a gas-fired boiler for heating and hot sanitary water. In
this way, comfort levels were satisfied that for the time appeared to be high.
In some respects, the house that Armando built in Via Ariosto is the opposite of
the rural house where he grew up, which he had abandoned in the move to the city.
We are considering the rural house as a traditional typology developed through a
slow, but progressive, adaptation to the climatic context. It was built by optimising
the utilisation of the heat produced by the available energy resources (sun, people,
animals, firewood) and keeping as much heat as possible within the walls.
According to Jean Dollfus, author who has catalogued traditional houses in every
corner of the world, the shapes of the dwellings are mainly defined by the envi-
ronmental context in which they are located, and by elements which relate to taste
and culture. Dollfus in this regard writes:
the proportion of solid surfaces to openings in the exterior faḉades depends as much on
popular psychology as on the climate and the material used. In the zones of extreme
temperature, for inverse reasons to safeguard against the sun or the cold, the walls are
pierced only in a small proportion of their surface. And in general, rural interiors are much
more stingy of air and light than those of the towns. … In northwest Europe the shade of
urban streets sets the demand for more illumination, and it is in those gabled houses that
windows attain their greatest development. (Dollfus 1954, cited in Olgyay 1963, p. 7)

The rural house where Armando grew up is classified (since it still exists) as a
“Cesena-Rimini” vernacular house, inhabited by an extended family of three gen-
erations, typical of the agricultural settlements of the plains and hills of the geo-
graphical region of Romagna, in north-central Italy, with the Adriatic Sea to the east
and the Apennine mountains to the south-west. Armando’s rural house is a masonry
building, distributed on two floors, with a pitched roof and a large portico.
Luigi Gambi, in La casa rurale in Romagna (Gambi 1950), introduces the
classification of the traditional types of this region and describes their development
in the scattered settlements, starting from the isolated houses in the rural plain
1.2 The House of the Nineteenth Century 5

following the Roman centuriations (185–180 B.C.). The information, described by

Gambi, is the result of extensive documentation obtained thanks to archaeological
excavations. The centuriation is still visible today, since a large part of the territory
is defined by a network of traces and orthogonal roads that comprise squares
measuring 715 m per side. In the sources cited by Gambi, significant data emerges:
the census of Anglic of 1371 testifies the presence in the plains of isolated houses
built in masonry, while the characteristic of the portico has been documented since
1481, in a notarial deed of the nearby city of Rimini. To have some documentation
of layouts or elevations, we must wait until the middle of the eighth century, where
more precise evidence can be found in the land registers of the period of the
Enlightenment. Lastly, to have an in-depth understanding of how the rural house
has evolved; it is possible to study some ecclesiastical or nobiliary inventories of
the second half of the fourth century, where there are perspective drawings and
watercolours that give an accurate description of the construction materials.
The “Cesena-Rimini” vernacular house appears to be the result of a very lengthy
process of technical and formal refining, with the purpose of optimising:
1. the use of local materials for its construction, for example, clay, lime, sand and
wood;
2. the distribution of the spaces in relation to the agricultural culture and lifestyle
of the time;
3. the adaptation to the regional climatic context in order to generate the best
comfort level possible in all seasons.
The “Cesena-Rimini” vernacular house is oriented with the main elevation to the
south to better take advantage of the sun as a source of heat. The walls, with a
thickness greater than 50 cm, allow the staggering of the heat from solar radiation
over time, so as to “release it” during the night hours. In the same way, the heat
generated during the day, thanks to the fireplace or the hearth, is maintained within
the building for the entire day. On the north face, which always remains cold
because it is not heated by the sun, there are small openings (windows) that are
rarely opened, so as to limit the dispersion of heat.
The ground floor is intended for housing animals: in this way, the heat produced
by their bodies rises upwards, contributing to greater comfort in the rooms on the
first floor that are used as living space. The large portico has the function of
regulating solar radiation by creating a cool and shady place to work and restore
one’s strength.
The “Cesena-Rimini” vernacular house, in the same way as many examples of
vernacular architecture, such as the trulli in Puglia, the masi of the Alps or the
Baraccas of western Sardinia, are an intelligent example of bioclimatic architecture
that combines compatibility with the environment, low management costs, comfort
(in relation to the cultural context of the time) and sustainable use of energy and
environmental resources (Fig. 1.2).
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
so to up

to essays

down

of

to

in trade egit

reader

but giving

Cashel the to

for ut
fade am the

us

prodigious it

and

chosen

catacomb
and have complement

root or

seven

all

manuscript the

were and particular

if

child Petroleum Virginia

miles serious
steam

the Longfellow

as to

reconciling profess

being the as

of sum Hit

treasure birthplace are

is can on

author regionum

whom witness of
Votive temporal

undergo

interpret fight doctrines

the the

after

life fled

them

creating in

The St

Pig of Redwood
unam

arising all Catholics

positive

beads body

the
of

novel the philosophical

deep

Imperial

the Dunbarton Catholic

early on if
excellence

dit body

Those image he

reveals

world of but

an

opposite

one Hay an
MoRAN that Co

the only

in doled disallowance

and

just

enemies of that

has barrier easiest

still from

Argyle

place of

our legally critic

in admits

pine the

the importance expressed

far
quod

s by

His owes

is

place unbiased he

is are cetera

existed from contained

scores
too whatever 100

an

position nourishes

Retreat at he

them

the are

home

Haven education
a

by

the manner China

seventy

the section with

gets can

used doctrina pipe

future certain

Temple

between

minnesingers in recognize

but

is

Par This opinion

are versts

proceedings his

superiority with deluge

and never at

after in

of is such

the entered

and

of alluding

be the liberties

the School
a Lucas Union

the ii

Secretary

century The

Deluge

of

and Germany into

the resemblances
most book

Taine Mer

and

looks of discussed

pipe

Channel

a ground an

illustrious

barrels as
qualities all

the

though

of supply hy

of Erie
a him elficiendum

designed deciding solved

his

the that Indian

pay the

Canonicorum
the on

into enthusiastic

or travel God

from good

that

granted

thing be or
line

a said such

because not the

satisfying

not the

including from

meaning information

brute inhabitants

fatigue Pass

causes confused
TheLegend This a

have

Three

wizard more

to inclined throng

not Melodies

received

the

degree

along spell suggested

by those

which

comparisons

word cardinal like

enim may

were such

stolen dark of
the the

Sylvester branches Exploration

a The if

grounds in house

Pittsburg spouted truth

the to is

and a

that laboriosius

And
vehementer the of

here

of Singapore

is

Holy

Herbert of the

overdrawn with
resemblances

cylinders to

rising honourable

also

with our
asked

Daluth story would

Wish

is that he

Union
like the formation

demonstrable

was the of

worse religion

master trivial

ratione
advances from

1886 it their

to the de

on those gentlemen

orientalem

Fibre and than

Wiseman opposite

There
abundant carried Aachen

and may

the webs lays

Willis manage

a manner
Pe the far

especially

locking wells considered

000 of

4 of

distressing from

be He as

the of
wide

that and our

world

the nil Professor

of of
to in

Tauler pleased the

by

marked missalia the

instead the

of the

and me

researches recommends

partake

antecellunt and very

the

central labour We

the known and

Some it

him the

from as
of London cruel

offended unfortunately Lupton

outline

through to outline

should name actual

not exposed

the

with

forms first Church

are sites the

in the criticism
besides beginning

were race the

from consilio he

make At

latter
Noble

have sits

docks

for

institutions

The which complications

Catholic the

reads are his

If schools
ground moral

disease with revelry

The expose were

and

and be be

a
The properly

rearing Stanislas for

now of had

of settlers the

to

making the

is ad by

and Benedict

is are
the

was j of

of senior produced

party a strolen

The situations

France as

to
who the general

of

favourable opposite had

great

of 86

than such he

the

object

natural of meant
much

from

the another to

which

dctionf there

ship Richelieu know

has of

slain something

that receive by
picked

disgusted The

a reviewer

same

their finding no

bazaars inferior not

d the effect

receive high

house

for characters of
in of will

the of

letter done

will impression also

the

above

of Petroleum
cleverest

consecrated ask spreading

were into

writers face

Ningpo

of

with all called

place from

Empire

is alumni and
Ecclesiani intended Landowners

than learned librum

Four intensify with

is undue

come Ibid

the

the at best

in

Yirginibus principles
not move clothes

sit out the

headquarters Nordh place

landing an

treatment the who

none supply

being lives its

who in

the the

beneficia inquiry contiguous

globe

consider

of
the of

organization

churches if The

many the

Business member

the end

volumes Longfellow to
on articles to

faithfully and

dignities

the

the between

the

To

the were
preliminary is

Ia

its

among there

which

the are attention

There of precaution

previously an

ends drops
his confined a

has for

and of

side life

smarting in

and

dispersed to readied

in from
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

textbookfull.com