SOCIAL HOUSING - 60063

courses

ID:

60063

Dettaglio:

SSD: Architectural and Urban Composition Duration: 48 CFU: 6

Located in:

DALMINE

Url:

Course Details:

BUILDING ENGINEERING - 60-270-CE/PERCORSO COMUNE Year: 2

Year:

2026

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (14/09/2026 - 19/12/2026)

Course Objectives

The course provides knowledge and tools for designing public and social housing schemes. It focuses on Social Housing and public housing models through an integrated design approach. Housing quality, technical feasibility, social inclusion and environmental sustainability are addressed in relation to users' needs and to the urban, climatic, construction and regulatory context.
The main knowledge acquired includes:
• principles, models and objectives of public housing and Social Housing;
• context analysis methods, from the urban scale to the building scale;
• relationships between environmental, economic and social sustainability and collective housing design;
• requirements, performance, building lifecycle and quality of the built environment;
• criteria for selecting materials, building systems and technological solutions, also with reference to CAM Edilizia.
The main skills acquired include the ability to:
• interpret constraints and opportunities of the urban, environmental and construction context;
• define design criteria consistent with the social, environmental, technological and regulatory framework;
• develop a Social Housing proposal based on a real case study;
• integrate spatial layout, typological, technological, performance, management and environmental aspects;
• critically assess solutions, materials and building systems in relation to performance, sustainability and housing quality.
Dublin Descriptors
The course learning outcomes are aligned with the Dublin Descriptors as follows:
Knowledge and understanding: students consolidate the theoretical and methodological framework required to interpret social housing through its design, technological, performance and sustainability dimensions.
Applying knowledge and understanding: students apply this knowledge to define design strategies and solutions for a real case study, integrating analysis, requirements and technical choices.
Making judgements: students assess needs, constraints and design alternatives, supporting their choices in relation to housing quality, feasibility and sustainability.
Communication skills: students represent and explain the project using appropriate technical language and design deliverables consistent with the different stages of the work.
Learning skills: students develop the ability to independently update and deepen their knowledge of methods, references and solutions for social housing.

Course Prerequisites

Students are expected to be able to read, understand, and analyze an architectural project. They should know the fundamentals of architectural representation, graphic symbols, and drawing conventions, and be familiar with the main 2D and 3D design software used in the AECO sector, such as AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Revit, or comparable tools.
A basic background in architectural design is also required, together with essential knowledge of building technologies, construction systems, and the history of architecture and construction.

Teaching Methods

Teaching activities are organized into three complementary modes:

Lectures and Teacher-led Activities

The course includes lectures, case-study presentations, best-practice presentations, and seminars with designers, architects, consultants, specialized manufacturers, and external lecturers.

Knowledge: theoretical lectures on public housing, Social Housing, and major national and international experiences.

Interactive Teaching

Interactive activities include reviews of analysis and design deliverables, as well as site visits to the areas or buildings selected for the design exercise.

Critical reasoning: discussion of requirements, performance, constraints, best practices, and design choices at different project scales.

Independent Work

During the semester, students will work in small groups, usually of 2-3 people, on a Social Housing design exercise. The work will move from the introduction of the design brief to the progressive refinement of the proposal through in-class reviews.

Know-how: design exercise on a real case study, including analysis, strategies, drawings, models, and communication deliverables.

Assessment Methods

Assessment is based on the public presentation and discussion of the design exercise developed during the semester, individually or in groups, according to the lecturer's instructions.
The final examination consists of an oral interview assessing knowledge, understanding, learning skills, communication skills, making judgments, and design quality. Project deliverables will be discussed during the interview, with attention to the coherence between analysis, strategy, architectural solutions, technological choices, sustainability, and representation.
The final evaluation will depend on the overall quality of the project, presentation skills, critical awareness, and independent judgment. Operational procedures, any attendance requirements, exercises, interim tests, or further assessment criteria will be communicated by the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

The course addresses public housing and Social Housing as a complex design field. Architectural, technological, and construction choices are defined in relation to the social, physical, economic, and production context, as well as to the building lifecycle.

The main topics covered will include:

· principles, evolution, and role of public housing and Social Housing;

· strategies and actions shaping the design, construction, and management of social housing schemes at national and international scales;

· analysis of case studies and best practices developed in national and international contexts;

· multi-scalar design methods: urban, architectural, technological, and construction scales;

· relationship between site and building: climate, history, society, geography, technical culture, industry, resources, and existing constraints;

· relationship between environmental, economic, and social sustainability and architectural design;

· environmental and sustainable design of residential buildings, with attention to energy performance, CAM Edilizia, and the building lifecycle;

· phases of the building process: production, construction, maintenance, end-of-life, reuse, and recycling;

· criteria for choosing among different materials, building systems, and construction techniques;

· critical assessment of design, technological, and construction alternatives in relation to feasibility, maintenance, management, environmental impacts, and housing quality;

· building quality as the relationship between requirements, performance, and residents' needs;

· requirements-driven and performance-based approach to social housing design, with reference to requirements, performance, architectural quality, and environmental quality;

· design strategies for new construction, refurbishment, and maintenance of existing buildings;

· tools for project representation and communication: written text, technical drawings, photography, physical and digital models, scale models, and renderings;

· development of a design proposal based on a real case study in Bergamo or Dalmine.

Online Resources

More information

Teaching materials will be available on the University e-learning platform. Exam texts and reference readings will be published through Leganto, where applicable.
The areas or buildings selected for the design exercise will be visited on site. During the semester, seminars with external experts and invited lecturers may be organized to provide technical and cultural insight into best practices in social housing.
Further bibliographic and regulatory references, as well as additional study materials, will be provided during the course. If institutional provisions affect teaching organization, the syllabus may be adjusted to align course delivery and examinations with the applicable rules.