Guidelines for eco-efficiency in the UNESCO site of cinque terre: An example of good practice

The paper discusses the results of a recent research focussed on the formulation of criteria of landscape and architectural compatibility to set up Guidelines to achieve eco-efficiency and install renewable energy source applications for domestic or agricultural use in the rehabilitation of traditional rural buildings within the World Heritage Property of Cinque Terre, Porto Venere and the Islands. The research was commissioned by the Regional Directorate of Liguria to the Universities of Genoa and Pavia and faces a new challenge for this type of sites due to the highly sensitive landscape and heritage values in place. Two factors oriented the research: a continuous passage of scale, from the territorial level to building detail and the continuous exchange among specialists within a trans-disciplinary team. The results of theoretical models of calculation of energetic behaviour and requirements applied by experts in Building Physics have been compared with the evaluation of the actual state of conservation of the buildings, with the local conditions of weather and sun exposure, with the data on relative climatology and on superficial and profound geology, with the possible energetic exigencies and with the reasons for heritage preservation and protection so as to select the possible solutions able to respond to all identified needs.