Gianni Scudo: Department Building & Environment Science & Technology (BEST), Politecnico di Milano Via Durando 10, 20158 Milano, ITALY Tel.:+39 02 23995729 Email: aianni. scudo@Dolimi. it

Alessandro Rogora: Department Building & Environment Science & Technology (BEST), Politecnico di Milano Via Durando 10, 20158 Milano, ITALY Tel.:+39 02 23995728 Email: alessandro. rogora@polimi. it

Claudia Losa: Department Building & Environment Science & Technology (BEST), Politecnico di Milano Via Durando 10, 20158 Milano, ITALY Email: c. losa@inwind. it

Aim of the research was develop guidelines for the refurbishment of public school buildings in Catania climatic area.

Main objectives of guidelines are to help the planner during his/her work in order to reduce energy heating, cooling lighting compsution improving of the same time the comfort condition inside the classroom.

The research has been promoted by the Catania’s council with the objective to define a program of refurbishment of existing schools. The refurbishment should have considered both the building structure, the energy and the environmental performances of the schools. Aim of the research was to define specific guidelines for the refurbishment of the buildings and the surrounding areas to get the maximum energy and environmental effect at the lowest cost. The problem of comfort inside the buildings, with special attention to summer conditions, has been considered of the maximum importance and has been analysed together with the energy consumption due to heating, cooling and lighting.

The retrofit interventions proposed are based on four elements (indicators of quality):

— current building standards and regulations;

— energy efficiency;

— thermal and lighting comfort (winter and summer conditions);

— building safety.

The research is structured in three phases:

— survey of the schools and use of a computer model to simulate the thermal conditions;

— analysis of energy simulations obtained from the computer model;

— definition of the strategies of interventions.