The RELAB laboratory, part of the Department of Energy of Politecnico di Milano, played a central role (i.e. environmental manager) in the “Green Soul” urban redevelopment project promoted by Nhood for the regeneration of the Scalo Ravone-Prati area in Bologna. Selected through the international C40 Reinventing Cities call for proposals, Green Soul aims to transform a 93,000m2 area into a sustainable, low-emission district.

The Department of Energy team’s contribution focused on defining the district’s energy strategy, both in terms of HVAC systems and the thermophysical performance of building envelopes, in order to reduce the site’s lifecycle climate footprint and other associated environmental impacts. The approach taken starts from the building to the district level, with the aim of creating an energy self-sufficient (positive energy district) and resilient urban ecosystem. Resilient in that the energy needs of the buildings, as well as the electrical loads for air conditioning and the rated power of the generating machinery, have been assessed using current and future climate scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathway RCP4.5 to 2050).

Prof. Mario Motta, professor in the Department of Energy and scientific contact person for RELAB states.

The Green Soul urban regeneration project (as well as the other C40 Reinventing Cities projects) represents an important opportunity for all stakeholders to enhance their skills in the decarbonisation of the economy – skills that are increasingly needed now and in the near future to meet the climate change targets set by the European Union. Green Soul is a key player for the City of Bologna in the decarbonisation process, proposing solutions aimed at reducing environmental impact by moving from the scale of individual buildings to the scale of districts (thus including various activities in addition to construction, such as mobility, waste management, etc.).

Through close collaboration with relevant partners, the project aims not only to reduce CO2eq emissions and other pollutants compared to the traditional building scenario, but also to propose accessible and innovative housing models that can become a benchmark for future urban redevelopment in Italy and Europe.

In addition to the Department of Energy, a team of nationally and internationally renowned consultants participated in the project submitted by Nhood Services Italy: Emil Banca (Financial Institute) together with Gruppo BCC Iccrea, Arup (Design Coordinator, Architect – Urban Planner and Sustainability & Infrastructure), Rubner and CREE Buildings (Wood Construction Specialist), GET Consulting (Monitoring Protocol Advisor), TAM Associati (Social Housing & Living), LAND (landscape), MIC-HUB (Transport & Mobility), J+S (Sport & Leisure), PLANET smart city e FROM (Placemaking Smart Cities), Schneider Electric e Helexia (Partners), CSD Engineers (Land Clean-Up), LeRoy Merlin (Fit out apartments), Open Impact (SROI) and CNS (Servizi Cooperativi e Analisi Costi).