Application of sustainable technologies in the future of historic buildings: electrochromic glass

Climate change will continue to repeat the theme of the quantity and quality of sources of energy production and the consequent needs of consumption saving. Countries, like Italy, where there is an important historical and architectural heritage, must find systems and techniques that achieve acceptable results with reasonable interventions combining environmental aspects and economically feasible even when it is unthinkable to intervene heavily on the composition of the building envelope. For several years, our research group is involved in energy conservation with particular attention to the use of innovative materials, such as electrochromic glazing, applied as a transparent building elements to the building envelope. Among the fields of study there are simulations on the use of them in historic buildings. This area of research has already affected the City Hall in Cagliari, a building of the late nineteenth century, the results of which were presented at Heritage 2012. This research concerns the Royal Palace (Palace of the Governor) of Cagliari, whose construction dates back to the thirteenth century, it is located in the heart of the historic center in a very visible position. From residence of Pisan castellans, in the course of time, it saw alternation the governors of the ruling houses. The building represents, as well as an important architectural episode, a compendium of dominations that have occurred in Sardinia.The restoration works of the 90th of the twentieth century, have given the current configuration of the prospective fronts and final layout of the interior spaces, in which there are the offices of the Province of Cagliari and those of the Prefecture. Inside there are valuable collections of paintings, decorative paintings and furniture of great artistic and historical importance.The simulation, starting from a 3D modelling of the building, through the use of a specific software, compares the consumption in the current configuration with those that would be obtained with the substitution of existing glass panels with EC glass. The simulation consideres the building in its physical, construction and use characteristics. Then, maintaining substantially unchanged appearance of the building, it will be reached as to quantify the internal comfort, the difference in energy consumption and that one relating to the consumption of CO2.