Design of new energy-efficient temporary facilities for emergency housing: An Italian case

The construction of temporary houses (THs) is one of the first interventions to support the displaced in emergency situations such as earthquakes or floods. In addition to safety aspects and fast construction time, it is necessary to design THs able to guarantee thermo-hygrometric comfort, responding to defined energy performance requirements, using environmentally sustainable technologies and materials. In this regard, the best strategy is to design during a nonemergency period, that favors an in-depth study of materials and systems. In the frame of an agreement between the Italian Civil Protection Department and the University of Sannio, this paper defines a methodology to design highly energy performing TH solutions. The innovative point of the work lies in the definition of a complete and exhaustive method to investigate several building-HVAC solutions considering minimum energy performance requirements. The climate heterogeneity of the Italian territory is taken into consideration and, to respond to diversified family needs, different geometries are proposed for the housing module. For them, four possible load-bearing structures (steel, wood, concrete and brick) and various innovative or traditional vertical and horizontal opaque closures are identified, with two types of glazed systems, three possible HVAC solutions and photovoltaic panels. In total 324 case are analyzed, showing the best solution for each size and climate zone.