There are many existing buildings for which seismic rehabilitation interventions are required, especially in earthquake-prone areas like Italy. At the same time, the huge energy cost increase in Europe highlights the need for sustainable techniques that are able to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. These issues are even more significant for weak social groups living in social housing buildings, often in poor and vulnerable conditions. In order to address the solution regarding building renovations from the social, structural, and energy efficiency perspectives, in the framework of the Horizon Europe REHOUSE (Renovation packagEs for HOlistic improvement of EU’s bUildingS Efficiency, maximizing RES generation and cost-effectiveness) Project, this paper proposes an integrated methodology of building assessment that was tested on a social housing building in Margherita di Savoia, a small town of Apulia Region, Italy. In addition to the structural and energy aspects, the social one is particularly important since the building is located in the “Capitanata Area”, considered to be one of the most socially vulnerable areas in Italy. For this reason, an assessment methodology must consider reducing the overall impact of the assessment activities while explaining to tenants the purpose of the assessment and future renovation actions, maintaining the accuracy of the assessment results. Therefore, this study outlines an assessment methodology, demonstrated through its application to the case study building, that integrates the structural, energy, and social aspects, showing that the tenants’ involvement is also crucial for the technical evaluations. The final result is a low-impact approach for the building knowledge gathering needed to start a deep renovation intervention in social housing.

The text looks at Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) as a tool for implementing strategies that favour local energy transition, with particular focus on inland areas and small historical settlements. These “sensitive” contexts, often situated in landscapes or historical-cultural areas of significant value, require policies to convert to green energy and energy self-sufficiency that evaluate the need for specific actions tied to environmental protection objectives. The study reveals the role RECs can play in urban and landscape regeneration processes in these territories, under the condition that we adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to design, oriented toward reimagining these sites with a view toward relaunching and promoting them.

School buildings would stand as a prime example, among public buildings, of how the dual goal of preserving natural resources, through a sustainable design approach, and the comfort indoor can be reached. The work deals with the analysis of energy performance of the nZEB kindergarten "Sandro Pertini" in Bisceglie, Apulia region. The school, located in a residential area of the town, hosts 180 pupils. Classes offer a first experience to family and teachers of energy efficiency, safety, comfort and saving resources. A monitoring analysis has been done to evaluate the energy performances in the daily life of the young occupants. The architectural design of the envelop, with its rounded shapes, optimally oriented with performing shielding ensures a low energy consumption. Climatization needs are satisfied trough nearly full renewable energy system such as photovoltaic plant on the roof and air-to-water heat pump.