Thermal-energy performance of a stone gabion envelope: comparison with traditional stone masonry wall in different climate conditions

Nowadays, environmental sustainability has become a fundamental requirement for new residential buildings, which should be designed to have low energy consumption. In countries where natural stones have shaped the features of the architectural heritage of urban contexts, it is necessary to develop new design approaches that could express the local identity and promote the existing building culture, enhancing its environmental and economic potential while going beyond weaknesses and vulnerabilities of traditional stone envelope. Recent researches have shown that some traditional single-layer building solutions have good thermal and energy performance during summer because of their high thermal inertia, but present critical situation in winter due to their limited insulation. On the contrary, innovative multi-layer massive stone envelopes, coupled with load bearing structures made of steel or reinforced concrete, can be suitable for new residential constructions in historical urban centres. In fact, they are able to meet the energy saving requirements and at the same time guarantee users’ indoor thermal comfort and safety. Moreover, this kind of contemporary stone envelopes allows achieving landscape compatibility avoiding historicist approaches. Among the innovative solutions developed by the contemporary architectural culture, gabions are being studied and promoted as massive cladding elements in multi-layer residential envelopes because of their expressive value and their environmental sustainability. In fact, they can be realized, reusing or recycling waste produced in stone plants, limiting disposal problems and avoiding the depletion of non-renewable natural resources. Therefore, this research compares a gabion building envelope to a traditional stone masonry wall. The thermal and energy performance of the selected building solutions applied to a two-storey terraced house are assessed through dynamic yearly simulations carried out with the software Design Builder in different climatic conditions, according to Köppen classification. Indeed, the performance of the envelopes is verified in contexts characterized by different levels of heat and seasonal precipitation types. The first purpose of the study is to underline the benefits of this innovative massive stone envelope with respect to traditional single-layer one. Additionally, this research aims to verify whether the performance changes significantly with varying climatic conditions.