LIVIA CALCAGNI

PhD Graduate

PhD program:: XXXVI



Thesis title: Floating Architecture for Future Waterfront Cities. A Performance-Based Design-Support Framework

This dissertation investigates the role of floating architecture as an adaptation measure to flooding and rising sea levels in waterfront cities and settlements. It establishes a multidisciplinary comprehensive performance-based design-support framework for floating buildings meant to assist practitioners in the design process and policymakers in providing reference guidelines and evaluating the quality of design proposals. The research identifies the performance requirements for floating buildings and investigates their interactions and mutual influences. There are three main research questions. How does floating architecture fit into the wide range of urban adaptation strategies implemented in waterfront cities across different times, regions, and climate zones? Which performance requirements, deriving from different disciplinary fields, should be included in the design guidelines for floating buildings? How can we effectively organize, visualize, and share a design support framework (PDSF) for floating architecture with professionals and policymakers? The research findings are proposed as a contribution to the evolution of Environmental Design regarding performance-based design and the reflection on urban adaptation in waterfronts. The first result is a theoretical and methodological overview of the vulnerability of waterfront settlements, and current urban adaptation approaches to rising sea levels and flooding. A specific focus on Italy provides a comprehensive mapping of the vulnerability of waterfront settlements aimed at identifying opportunities for floating urban development. The second result consists of the conceptualization of floating urban development, conceived as the urban extension on water of existing waterfront settlements. A third result is an extensive collection of best practices derived from the analysis, evaluation, and comparison of case studies. A fourth result concerns the development of a methodology and protocol for carrying out the case study analysis. In conclusion, the research has allowed the development of a series of performance-based guidelines for floating architecture and the Proof of Concept of a digital computational design tool to advance the decision-making process underlying the design of floating buildings.

Research products

11573/1699615 - 2024 - Avant Gardening to Grow the Green City
Battisti, Alessandra; Calcagni, Livia - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Beyond the Garden. Sustainable and Inclusive Green Urban Spaces - (978-3-031-50566-9)

11573/1711409 - 2024 - An Urban Plug-in Evaporative Cooling Systems to Improve Urban Microclimatic Conditions in Rome
Battisti, Alessandra; Zinzi, Michele; Calcagni, Livia; Calenzo, Alberto - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: 6th International Conference on Countermeasures to Urban Heat Islands (IC2UHI): Holistic approaches to address urban heat islands (RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia)
book: Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Countermeasures to Urban Heat Islands (IC2UHI): Holistic approaches to address urban heat islands - (978-0-646-88538-4)

11573/1700214 - 2024 - Growing urban health. Questioning the role of urban gardening in distressed urban areas.
Calcagni, Livia; Calenzo, Alberto - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Urban-Rural Dialogue in Green City Design: Advancing Urban Social-Ecological Systems - ()

11573/1711411 - 2024 - A comprehensive computational tool for performance driven reasoning in floating building design and evaluation
Calcagni, Livia; Subramani, Sridhar; Olthuiis, Koen - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: JOURNAL OF DIGITAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE (Berlin; Offenbach: Wichmann, 2016-) pp. 285-299 - issn: 2367-4253 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1700127 - 2024 - A Performance-Based Design Framework for Floating Architecture. Trade-offs and correlations between requirements for multiple criteria decision making optimization
Calcagni, Livia; Sunguroglu Hensel, Defne; Hensel, Michael; Battisti, Alessandra - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
conference: World Conference on Floating Solutions WCFS2023 (Tokyo, Japan)
book: Proceedings of the Third World Conference on Floating Solutions - (978-981-97-0494-1; 978-981-97-0495-8)

11573/1698897 - 2024 - Passive cooling strategies for overheating reduction and indoor comfort optimization in architectural heritage
Canducci, Andrea; Figliola, Angelo; Calcagni, Livia; Calenzo, Alberto; Battisti, Alessandra - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: ETHICS: Endorse Technologies for Heritage Innovation. Cross-disciplinary Strategies - (978-3-031-50120-3)

11573/1710494 - 2024 - Passive strategies for climate change mitigation in architectural heritage: the case study of Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica, Rome
Figliola, Angelo; Canducci, Andrea; Calcagni, Livia; Battisti, Alessandra - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: BUILDING RESEARCH AND INFORMATION (Abingdon: Taylor & Francis London: E & FN Spon, 1991-) pp. 1-23 - issn: 0961-3218 - wos: WOS:001234306800001 (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1683480 - 2023 - Achieving SDGS in Industry 4.0. Between performance-oriented digital design and circular economy.
Battisti, Alessandra; Calcagni, Livia - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Architecture and design for Industry 4.0: Theory and Practice. - (9783031369216)

11573/1698125 - 2023 - Experimental Living and Housing Forms: Cities of the Future as Sustainable and Integrated Places of Food Production
Battisti, Alessandra; Calenzo, Alberto; Calcagni, Livia - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Future Housing - ()

11573/1698127 - 2023 - Building a Healthier Living Environment for People and the Planet: A Case Study Review
Calcagni, Livia; Calenzo, Alberto - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Mediterranean Architecture and the Green-Digital Transition. - (9783031331473; 9783031331480)

11573/1669139 - 2023 - Pathways for Therapy and Urban Health in the Field of Mental Suffering. Illness Narratives from a Residential Complex for Public Housing Assistance in Rome, Italy
Iorio, S.; Battisti, A.; Gazzaniga, V.; Marceca, M.; Ricotta, G.; Paglione, L.; Calenzo, A.; Calcagni, L.; Tofani, M. - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Equity in Helath - (978-3-031-16181-0; 978-3-031-16182-7)

11573/1619193 - 2022 - Models and Strategies for the Regeneration of Residential Buildings and Outdoor Public Spaces in Distressed Urban Areas: A Case Study Review
Battisti, Alessandra; Calcagni, Livia; Calenzo, Alberto - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Urban Agglomeration - ()

11573/1643851 - 2022 - Regenerating informal habitat in marginal areas through a people-oriented approach
Battisti, Alessandra; Calenzo, Alberto; Calcagni, Livia - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: TECHNE (Firenze: Firenze University Press) pp. - - issn: 2239-0243 - wos: WOS:000927590200019 (0) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85150340632 (0)

11573/1565792 - 2021 - Urban health: Assessment of indoor environment spillovers on health in a distressed urban area of rome
Battisti, A.; Calcagni, L.; Calenzo, A.; Angelozzi, A.; Errigo, M.; Marceca, M.; Iorio, S. - 01a Articolo in rivista
paper: SUSTAINABILITY (Basel : MDPI) pp. 5760-5779 - issn: 2071-1050 - wos: WOS:000662560400001 (3) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85107268437 (3)

11573/1641063 - 2021 - The ticket booths at the Olympic Stadium Munich
Çavdar, Meltem; Sircana, Pietro; Rodriguez, Lucrezia; Schröter, Lisa; Calcagni, Livia; Calatrava, Jana; Casagrande, Concetta Maria; Giusti, Beatrice Brinchi; Saccomanno, Chiara; Lee, Mu-Yen; Han, Jesse - 02a Capitolo o Articolo
book: Das moderne Erbe der Olympischen Spiele: Historische Sportstätten zwischen Konservierung und Konversion - ()

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