Energy resilience to climate change of the school building stock in the Mediterranean area. The case of Apulia Region

The climate crisis requires an increase in studies on the relationship between climate change and the built environment, since the construction field ranks among the most impactful sectors, while showing high vulnerability to climate change. Although the literature on the topic has been growing, it is still limited compared to the breadth of the problem, often restricted to specific building types. This book seeks to advance scientific knowledge by investigating a building typology that has been relatively underexplored in the literature. Indeed, the work aims to explore the energy resilience to climate change of school buildings in the Mediterranean area, starting from a typological and technological classification, continuing with a field study of the current energy status, and concluding with a predictive assessment of climate change resilience based on energy simulations run for representative buildings, while also exploring potential solutions. The analysis is focused on schools located in the Apulia Region, pursuing two main objectives. The former is to provide an overview of the current condition of Apulian schools, based on actual data. The results could assist local municipalities in understanding the actual conditions of this heritage, which is a fundamental basis for planning intervention programs. The latter is to assess climate change impacts at the building level, with the aim of increasing the policymaker’s awareness of the challenges posed by changing climatic conditions, emphasizing the importance of carefully evaluating retrofit solutions.