NEED4B Site Lecce

The NEED4B pilot site in Lecce (Italy) is located in a central and strategic part of the city, a few metres away from the historic centre and in front of a recreational space for students. It is a mixed-use building composed of four floors above ground and three floors underground. The first floor underground and the ground floor consist of shops and commercial spaces, while the first, second and third floors above ground are for offices. The building is surrounded by green spaces, a private parking area for the offices, and a bus stop.

One of the main concerns in NEED4B was reducing the cooling demand in those buildings situated in the Mediterranean area. This demo site located in the south of Italy provides the opportunity to address this topic and provide an example of best practices in terms of energy efficiency during the warm seasons. Lecce is one of the most visited cities in the south of Italy. The urban area where the pilot is located has a large historical and architectonical value and it is currently under refurbishment. This enhances the visibility of the zone, where tradition meets innovation, and both the new building and the retrofitted ones represent the icons of energy-efficient technology and research.

The building has a high replication potential since it represents a high energy-efficient building with structural and technical characteristics that can be easily transferred and adapted to different built environment contexts. In this case, the new building aims to be perfectly integrated in a historic district, but its structural and technical aspects might be also reproduced in a new development area of the city.