Environmentally sensitive architectural projects: high quality, low cost, energy efficient social housing in different Italian climate zones

This paper aims at presenting the didactic experience of the Design Studio in Architectural Construction in the academic year 2012-2013 at the School of Architecture and Design “Eduardo Vittoria”, UNICAM, Italy. Second year students - with the support of teachers of ‘Technological Design Studio’ and ‘Environmental Control Systems’ - have been involved in a design exercise of a “high quality, low cost, energy efficient social housing in different Italian climate zones”. The primary objective of this Design Studio is to teach students an innovative environmental and responsible approach to the architectural design project. Students learn that the design choices have not only formal but also social, economical and mainly environmental implications and are invited to consciously and responsibly design as well as to evaluate the consequences of their design projects. In fact, in the contemporary world of crisis there is still no solution to global problems, but with an appropriate “environmental approach” it is possible to address daily challenges of the actual social and cultural conditions with the intent to redefine the environmental design ideals starting from the education of future designers.