Compatibilità e retrofit energetico: l'adozione dei tessili tecnici nel patrimonio culturale

The conservation of the cultural heritage and the intent to keep it in use determine an update of the fruition modes. At the same time it is necessary to optimize its environmental performance, both in terms of energy consumption and living comfort. The balancing of seemingly divergent demands requires the development of complex design and intervention methods, which give priority to protection needs. On the other hand, provision must be made to furnish an adequate technological advancement in relation with contemporary user necessities. The restoration project must also guarantee the compatibility of the interventions and a low material impact on the building to preserve. It can therefore find solutions in textile architecture technologies with a high degree of reversibility, transformability and adaptability to the pre-existing buildings. The structural membranes, thanks to their optical properties, can filter solar radiation with the aim of shielding and protecting the historical building: depending on the coating layer applied on the textile surfaces, it is possible to obtain the desired natural light level inside the building. This research shows the opportunity of using technical textiles in historical architecture, evaluating their compatibility in differently built contexts and architectural applications. Thanks to their optical and thermo-hygrometric properties, the usage of technical textiles can be considered an energy retrofit solution with low impact if employed as temporary coverage of internal courts in historic buildings. Lightweight adaptive interventions like structural membrane installations also provide the possibility of modularizing, being easy to use according to the architectural, climatic, fruition and intended use conditions.