BIOCLIMATIC SUNSPACE: FROM ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM TO A CONNOTATED “LOCUS”

Most of the ongoing housing research has achieved excellent results in energy saving, but has yet to come to grips with the problem of the integration of energy saving systems and technologies in shaping the building. The research rests on the belief that today’s architecture must not only meet environmental eco-compatibility and energy saving requirements, but also investigate shape implications arising from the application of these systems, recognizing their aesthetic and compositional potential in the architectural project. In short, in order to define the correlations between energy performance and building shape, research work is being developed simultaneously in each of these aspects of architectural design. As far as thermal storage and energy saving systems in housing are concerned, a particularly important role is played by bioclimatic sunspaces. It is therefore necessary to understand the implications arising from the application of the system to the architectural shape, considering the bioclimatic sunspace not only as a technical volume, but also as a “dwelling place” that is as part of the home space, capable of changing its function as needed by the user, and of changing nearby spaces by turning them into a new space, overlapping with or linked to other areas of the dwelling. Therefore, the sunspace is defined as a constituent element of the building – composing both the façade and its three-dimensional development – and therefore it cannot disregard the role that ever architectural element is called upon to play in the expression of architectural language, and in relation to the urban context. The research aims at identifying the most appropriate strategies for an integrated design of the sunspace system, taking into account both energy and shape aspects. The contribution will also present the results of the practical training run by the authors at the "Sapienza" University of Rome.