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All the technical information and energetic features of the building are presented in the provided file attached below.

It is possible to download the building presentation given during the GreenBuilding European Award (where the Asilo was awarded as More Replicable Building Project) plus  another synthetic presentation of the building and its design team. Please find presentations on the upper right side of the page after clicking here.

For its efforts in the realization of this building, the Municipality of Cologno Monzese officially reached  the status of Partners of the GreenBuilding Programme.  During the design and construction phases, the Municipality was supported by the technical partner Rockwool, particularly in regards to the thermal insulation material and systems. For its support to the project, the company Rockwool became Endorser of the GreenBuilding Programme. Both the Municipality and the technical Endorser Rockwool were awarded at national and european level, during the GreenBuilding Awards in 2010.
The building owner and the endorser were supported by the end-use Efficiency Research Group of Politecnico di Milano (eERG-PoliMI), as National Contact Point in Italy for the GreenBuilding Programme.

Description of the ENERGY CONCEPT and the building

The building´s function is that of a  kindergarten for approximately sixty children and a civic centre for social and cultural activities for families. The school and social structure was ordered and will be managed by the Municipality of Cologno Monzese, in the suburbs of the Milan area, in the north of Italy. The main volume of the intervention is a new building, whose architectural shape is quite unconventional and very attractive.  It has curved roof surfaces - which contribute to the overall organic feeling. The aim of the architects is to create a building with functional internal and external spaces (classrooms, multipurpose spaces, gardens, offices and rooms for employers, etc.) and has an interesting appeal for children and family of the community. Building envelope has a high thermal insulation level, both for opaque and transparent surfaces. In the summer period, solar gains are reduced by an adequate shape of the roof surfaces on the south exposition, and by the presence of vegetation in the garden on the West. A mechanical ventilation system is installed, with high efficiency thermal recovery devices and the possibility to adopt night time mechanical ventilation in the summer. Great care was used to choose a high efficiency heat pump for heat production, with a water heat exchanger from the ground. In summer, free cooling is adopted, by using  a ground water heat exchanger, and a high temperature floors radiant cooling system. A good part of electric consumption of the building is covered by photovoltaic panels, installed on the roof of a nearby building.

BUILDING ENVELOPE, PLANTS AND CONTROLS

Opaque building envelope

External walls, roof and ground floor are built with thermal resistance higher than required by legislation. In particular, maximum adopted values are:

• U-value external walls (type 1) = 0,156 W/(m2K)
• U-value external walls (type 2) = 0,167 W/(m2K)
• U-value (roof) = 0,15 W/(m2K)
• U-value (floor above unheated spaces) = 0,203 (W/(m2K)

Roof albedo

Light coloured, metallic covering roof surfaces

Windows and transparent parts of façades

Transparent surfaces are built with thermal resistance much higher than required by legislation.

Windows – all types (triple pane, argon filling, Low-E):

• U-value at centre of glazing = 0,6 W/(m2K)
• U-value for curtain wall assembly = 1,13 W/(m2K) (surfaces weighted average values)
• SHGC = 50%
• Light transmission = 72%

Skylights

Skylights cover 1,5% of roof area and are positioned over rooms located in central part of the building volumes (such as offices, service rooms) in order to deliver natural light (daylighting) to these spaces.

(triple pane, argon filling, Low-E):

• U-value at centre of glazing: 0,6 W/(m2K)
• U-value (total) = 1,13 W/(m2K)
• SHGC = 50%
• Light transmission = 72%

Equipment plants

• A set of two high efficiency heat pumps (nominal COP = 6,1) for heating and domestic hot water production, with a heat exchanger that uses water from the ground; heat pumps are completed with a storage buffer (900 litres) of hot water for heating system and the other one (950 litres) of hot water for sanitary use.
• In summer, free cooling is adopted by directly using a ground water heat exchanger, and a high temperature floors radiant cooling system.
• Variable speed circulation pumps are installed for heating, cooling and domestic hot water hydronic systems.
• Mechanical ventilation system is installed, with high efficiency (90,5%) thermal recovery devices and the possibility to adopt night time mechanical ventilation in the summer by using an automatic integrated bypass of the heat recovery system, for a more efficient use of the cold outside air in summer nights or when needed.
• A good part of electric consumption of the building is covered by photovoltaic panels (mono crystalline silicon type), well oriented to South, with surface of 110 m2 and 14,8 kWp capacity which are installed on the roof of a nearby building.  The photovoltaic system is grid connected.

Artificial lighting

The artificial lighting plant is composed almost entirely of fluorescent tubes powered by electronic ballasts. Exceptions are limited to the high profile reception areas.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

The main basis of the Municipality’s energy management plans are:  to establish clear rules for the procurement of energy using equipment, clear goals for the energy team (an energy team appointed by the Municipality will guarantee the achievement and maintenance of the level of performance foreseen at the design stage), periodical maintenance activities on heating and cooling plants, ventilation system and lighting devices are all included in order to guarantee both health and safety conditions and energy performance in the buildings.