Environmental sustainability requires a synergy between urban and building upgrading

The paper presents the theoretical and applied research carried out in the Department of Architecture, Roma Tre University, for the upgrading of a historical working class neighborhood in Rome: Testaccio. The main objective is to face the discomfort, consequent to the heat island effect and heavy traffic, acting both on private and public spaces with environmentally sustainable strategies. The two main topics are: At urban level, the use of an Italian prescriptive tool: the "Environmental Island" for improving sustainability and liveability of Testaccio public spaces and streets. Strategies aimed at eliminating through traffic, at reducing local traffic flow and at taming its speed, at increasing permeable surfaces and “green and blue” features, at promoting sustainable transport modes help to increase besides accessibility and safety, comfort. They indeed reduce atmospheric, acoustic and visual pollution as well as overheating, making thus pedestrian and bike networks become attractive even to older and vulnerable people, otherwise threatened by health problems and stress. At block level, the upgrading of semi-public and private spaces by deep energy retrofit and use of bioclimatic solutions in order to improve buildings efficiency and thence to reduce their environmental impact on outdoor spaces. Strategies aimed at decreasing gas consumptions and emissions and at increasing evaporative cooling and green features help to control overheating and air pollution. The research was carried out by academic staff together with students of the Course “City & Environment”, of the Master Degree in Urban Design (first topic) and with architects attending a post degree course in Eco-sustainable Design ( second topic ). At urban level, after in depth analyses and assessments, made using methods developed and tested in previous European research, applied also in other areas of Rome, maps were drawn showing were and how to act in order to solve problems detected both as experts and by residents. Connections were made among different aspects in order to study their interrelation with the aim to find solutions solving more problems at one time: traffic and activities in relation to air pollution and noise, to materials used on streets and façades, to green features, to the most used pedestrian paths etc. For the assessment specific thresholds were used with reference to laws, standards and recommendations. Congruent interventions were proposed focusing on innovative technological devices and natural materials. At block level, methodologies already tested in previous research were used both to make surveys and energy audits; objective parameters and requirements/expectations of the dwellers, participating to the design process, were analyzed in order to consider them in identifying the proposals. These concern terrace roofs, facades and courtyards, are environmentally conscious and of passive solar type; they focus indeed on the use of natural materials (green roofs and walls, permeable paving) and renewable energies (photovoltaic and geothermal). The final products were presented at various stages in public seminars to local administration and political staff as well as to dwellers associations and citizens, who appreciated the possibility of choosing among alternative proposals and their feasibility, in technical and economical terms.