PROGETTO C.A.S.

E L’AQUILA, ITALY
PRECAST FLAT PANEL

CHITRAKSHII DAHIYA
160BARCHI171
PRECAST FLAT PANEL SYSTEM

 This method of construction involves the procedure of making floor and

wall units off site. For this, separate factory outlets and facilities is
required.
 Once the panel units are made as per the design specification and
requirements, they are brought to the site and placed. This method is
best suited for repetitive construction project activities.
 The panels manufactured has the services of windows, doors and the
finishes. This method also brings building envelope panels which are
provided with insulation and decorative cladding that is fitted by the
factory which can also be used as load – bearing elements.
CASE STUDY INTRODUCTION

 Client : Presidenza Del Consiglio Dei Ministri

 Architect : Luigi Fragola & Partners
 Structural engineers : Studio Legnopiù Srl
 Hvac Design : studio associato
And building physics
 Construction : Paci Consorzio Stabile Arcale
Company
 KEY FIGURES
o Gross floor area : 1840 m2
o Net floor area : 1581 m2
o Living area : 1398 m2
o Gross volume : 6533 m3
o Net volume : 4796 m3
o Nr of occupants : 78 persons
o Planned service life: 50 years
ABOUT THE PROJECT

Progetto C.A.S.E. is a complex of 185 multi-storey residential buildings built in L’Aquila (Italy) in 2009. The buildings were built in order to
supply a temporary house to the population after the terrible earthquake which destroyed the city center and nearby areas. Particularly, the
building analyzed is located in Cese di Preturo and consists of a three-storey residential building with 27 dwellings divided in seven
different typologies. The living floor area is 1 398 m2 , while the net volume is 4 280 m3 with 2.8 m of net height between the floors.
The building is simple and regular with a compact volume. The plan is rectangular; the longer side is 48 m and the shorter side is 12 m.
Internally, three wooden volumes contain both the stairs and the lifts. The orientation of the main façades is roughly north south, while the
east and west façades are completely blind. On the contrary, the south façade – very regular and modular – has large windows that offer
an optimal solar gain during the wintertime. The balconies are continuing along the side and separated each other by external partitions.
On the other side, the north façade has smaller openings in order to minimize the heat losses and improve the thermal insulation during
the wintertime.
The heating system is centralized with a gas heating unit under the basement floor. An insulated distribution system supplies hot water to
the dwellings, in which fan coil units are provided on the floor.
Ground Floor Plan,1:200

Section, 1:200
 ASSESSMENT
 The assessment method is harmonized with the requirements of the new Standard
EN 15978. Every single part of the building was considered: the foundation,
basement, load-bearing timber structure, exterior and interior walls, floor slabs,
doors, windows and roof.
 All the stages of the life cycle of the building were considered for the different
building parts, while only the impacts due to the production of materials were
considered for the evaluation of the building services and installations.
 In the use and maintenance phase the total share of GHG emissions was estimated
on the base of the related primary energy consumption for heating and the
presumed yearly operational energy use. In addition, the GHG emissions for
maintenance were estimated considered only the required energy for the substitution Facade detail of the building
of the damaged elements at the end of the assumed reference service life.
 Finally, for the evaluation of the end-of-life phase a single scenario was considered,
assuming that all the wooden parts were brought to incineration after their service
life, while the non-wooden material was taken to landfill. No evaluation of the
benefits beyond the system boundaries was carried out. GHG emissions from bio-
fuels were assumed as net-zero, considering that all the round wood needed came
from environmentally managed forests.
 According to EN 16449, a rate of 50% of carbon per mass of dry wood was
considered for the calculation of the carbon content in timber mass. Any
consideration of future changes in energy mixes in the production of electricity and
district heat was not assumed due to uncertainties in data and in future scenarios.
Roof detail, 1:10
Wall detail, 1:10 Base floor detail, 1:10
 Roof
Ceiling

Floor
ceiling

Stairs
Internal
wall External
wall

Exterior
additional Stairs
compartment

Basement
STRUCTURES AND CONSTRUCTION METHOD

The structure is completely made of CLT panels, except for the basement, which is made of concrete. Timber panels 11 cm thick were
used for walls, while panels 18 cm thick were used for floors and the roof, which is ventilated and not insulated. A 16- cm insulation layer
of fiber wood was placed in the upper floor, with a cross ventilation which ensures the best hygrothermal conditions during the summer.
 Foundation and floors
The foundation is completely made of concrete, with a slab 50 cm thick on the ground and an upper basement 50 cm thick, insulated with
14 cm of EPS. The basement is supported by reinforced concrete columns 80x80 cm. The internal floors are made of 18 cm CLT panels,
with 4 cm mineral wool, a double layer of gypsum fiberboards, 3 cm chipboard and wooden flooring. The upper floor is insulated with 16
cm fiber wood.
 External walls
The external walls consist of an internal part in a metallic light structure, insulated with 5 cm mineral wool, on which the plasterboard is
fixed. On the other side, a continuous insulation layer of cork is fixed with glue on CLT panels. The external cladding is made of grey
cement fiberboard fixed on spruce battens, which create a ventilated air gap.
 Roof
The sloping roof is made of two layers: the structural part in CLT panels and the waterproof sheet.
 Other structural features
Special seismic isolators (metallic sliding pendulum isolators) are placed between each concrete column and the basement in order to
guarantee the proper seismic insulation of the timber structure from the ground.
After the realization of the concrete basement, the building was mainly assembled on-site. In a few days, the timber
structure was built up and in less than 3 months all the components were rapidly assembled.

 Prefabrication
The prefabrication level of the structure is not very high. Overall, the process consisted of cutting and drilling the CLT
panels, as well as in fixing the metallic connections to the different supports. All the other parts of the building (insulation,
claddings, windows, service installations, etc.) were installed on-site, except fot the bath cells, which were fully prefabricated
and assembled on-site.

 On-site work
Most of the activities during the construction phase were made on-site. The duration of the work was relatively short –
only 72 days. In order to respect the constrained timing, the contractors were forced to work all day long, night included,
with a relevant consumption of electricity for lighting.
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS