Discrepancies between indications deriving from energy and economic issues in the design of building thermal insulation

Decisions in the first stage of the design process have to respond to often discordant requirements of quantitative reliability and operational effectiveness and have to be pursued with a systemic, environmental approach. One of the most typical cases in which the necessities of balance between distinct objectives and adoption of a systemic vision become more evident is that of the rehabilitation of building envelopes, which requires a complex kind of evaluation between costs and benefits. In the following text the criteria adopted in the design choices aimed at the recovery of a building to be converted to school in Milan will be described and some considerations will be made about the contradictions that have been identified between indications deriving from considerations regarding thermal energy and economic costs.