Building envelope design as a contribution for improvement of urban spaces and social housing environmental quality

The design of building envelope and the definition of its elements, can influence both the quality of the external spaces perception and the living standard referred to internal building spaces. This improvement depends by the planning of some component design. Particularly, solar shadings and integrated plant solutions, also thanks to an increasing consequential interest about the issue and the legislative and normative evolution, represent factors able to be involved both in the performance and morphological quality of building envelope (improvement of energy efficiency and living quality of internal spaces), which can influence the perception of environment. A study about this questions has been conducted through the elaboration of a system of Best Pratices, a Code of Practice, for the new Plans of Zone of Rome Municipality. The indications contained in the Code takes in examination the integration-mitigation and facilities connection of solar collectors in the building design, and the possibility of integration between solar shading and collector elements, customized like a support tool for the sustainable design of building envelope. The design of building envelope, reported to morphological and technological issues, can assume particular importance in the definition of living quality. Design of closures, developed through some indications referred to its technological components, can influence both the quality perception of external living spaces through the morphological definition of building, and the life quality of internal spaces by the implementation of energy efficiency of building system. Solar shading in particular, also thanks to the increasing consequential interest in the evolution of legislation about the argument, more in the future will represent a fundamental element for design and the increment of performance and morphological quality of building enclosure.