ABITA-Sustainable Design

Research focus

The Peer review has evaluated this group as Average

ABITAlab hosts full professors, assistant professors, contract professors, PhD students and individuals with scholarships that are active in the technological research field and interested in environmental sustainability in buildings, urban and periurban contexts. ABITAlab produces research in the field of environmental technologies and sustainability design of human settlements. More precisely, the research Unit deals with the following themes: Housing systems: experimentation of building morphologies, technologies and materials aimed at energy saving, water re-usage, and waste recycling; comfort evaluations; evaluations of consumption levels in production, management and demolition of buildings; - Urban environment: evaluations of microclimates; definition of comfort levels; evaluation of existing vegetation areas; techniques for traffic control and regulation; Consultancy on creation of protected spaces and bicycle tracks; redesign of urban spaces by the means of water, fountains, green spaces and playground areas - Interactive and participated design: visualization of processes and proposals; interaction with institutional and non-institutional subjects aimed at facilitating the dialogue with people and users; innovative forms of publicity for problems and proposals - Land urbanism and landscape: design of the periurban territory, including brownfields and derelict industrial areas recovery, introduction of new agricultural parameters in the urban fabric, implementation of open space greenery on a vast scale, study of new sustainable landscape strategies in the planning processes. Through the articulation and sharing of knowledge concentrated in the Unit, it is possible to approach the environmentally-conscious design of complex systems in a relational and integrated way. The various skills of the members of the ABITAlab Unit assure the programming and design of complex spatial systems in an environmentally appropriate and integrated dimension. In the past years the Unit has: acted as a consultant on the design of low energy consumption buildings; testing of microclimatic comfort levels; implementing "soft" technologies for habitations and urban microenvironments improvement; - defined programs for complex urban environment rehabilitation; - developed and tested methods for an interaction with institutional subjects; - developed and tested techniques for an interactive and user-participated design; - established collaborative relations with: Lombardy Region, Valle d’Aosta Region, Tuscany Region, Basilicata Region, Municipality of Milan, Municipality of Modena, Municipality of Pontedera, the Union of Tenants "Town and 20 Territory" (SICeT), the Lombardy Enterprise for Social Housing (ALER), Federcasa, ANCE (National Association of Building Contractors), Province of Milan, Lura River Park, the Municipality of Vezzano Ligure; - developed scientific research with funding from Italian University Ministry (MIUR) into water management on a neighborhood and building level, and the recovery of derelict industrial areas.

Dipartimento di afferenza

Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Ambiente Costruito (BEST)

Docenti afferenti

Full Professors
Maria Bottero
Associate Professors
Anna Delera
Researchers
Gian Luca Brunetti
Emilia Costa
Luca Maria Francesco Fabris