Efficiency and resilience of temporary housing complexes in L’Aquila 16 years after the earthquake

The housing modules designed after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake aimed to support the populations affected by the seismic events, with a primary objective of combining safety with energy efficiency aspects. For this reason, the 185 buildings built as part of the “Progetto C.A.S.E.” (Complessi Antisismici Sostenibili ed Ecocompatibili), although different from each other, are all oriented towards the pursuit of the same strategic objectives: technological innovation, architectural and construction quality, safety, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The houses, built as part of this project, were initially intended as temporary and provisional structures, but without an expiration date. The aim of the contribution is to verify whether, 16 years after the implementation of the intervention, the houses have maintained their initial characteristics. In this context, the thermal properties of the buildings have been investigated through the infrared thermography (IRT) technique, comparing two different residential typologies. The study revealed that prolonged use of the buildings without adequate maintenance has significantly compromised their thermal performance, resulting in a deterioration of up to 37 % in transmittance.