The Il Palazzetto residential complex lies in the popular Termini Imerese community in the metropolitan city of Palermo (Sicily) and was in desperate need of renovation due to its high energy consumption and larger structural deficiencies compared to modern construction methods. As a result of a comprehensive survey, a solution was found that meets the current energy requirements of modernised old buildings. Key measures included insulating the building, replacing doors and windows, overhauling the facilities and installing a photovoltaic system and an energy storage system for the individual apartments and communal rooms. Work began in July 2022 and was completed in July 2023. The building is located at no. 1 Via Salita San Girolamo in Termini Imerese in the province of Palermo.

EPS panels (expanded polystyrene) with a thickness of 6 cm were used to insulate the entire building envelope. The original windows and doors without a thermal break were replaced by PVC doors and windows with 6 air chambers in the profiles and double glazing with a 90 % argon filling. Each apartment was equipped with split air-to-water heat pumps for heating, air conditioning and hot water supply. In addition to this, each apartment was equipped with a 4-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system that consists of monocrystalline silicon capable of absorbing solar radiation and is used in the production of photovoltaic cells. Each apartment also features a 6 kW energy storage device. A 10 kW photovoltaic system with a 10 kW energy storage system was additionally installed for the building’s communal areas in order to reduce energy consumption.

One of the notable features of the Palazzetto project was the installation of the photovoltaic system to two vertical walls of the building’s envelope. The photovoltaic panels were used as cladding while applying the rear-ventilated rainscreen facade principle. fischer’s BWM ATK 100 Minor VPT vertical profiles were used for the installation. These were inserted in fischer BWM 150 LFH and 80 LSH wall brackets with Thermostops. The facade construction specialists installed horizontal profiles onto the ATK vertical profiles and fastened the cladding to them. fischer’s FAZ II Plus bolt anchor and fischer injection systems were installed in addition to fischer facade accessories. ENNETI S.r.l. (Termini Imerese/Milan) was responsible for the engineering work carried out on the project. The company specialises in engineering, construction projects and building maintenance services. It was founded in 2020 by Vincenzo Torregrossa and Pierpaolo Notaro, both of whom have extensive experience in integrated technical planning and facility management services. The project is part of a larger energy-efficiency initiative called CappottoMio, which is led by energy experts Plenitude (Milan) and their partners, Harley & Dikkinson Consulting (Milan) for financial management, CNA Palermo – the branch of Italy’s Confederation of Trade and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Rome) – for administrative management and the C.A.E.C. syndicate – Consorzio Artigiano Edile Costruttori (Sicily), which is responsible for the project’s implementation. Opera S. r. l. (Sicily), owned by Lorenzo Glorioso, was commissioned with the construction work.

“The renovation is the result of thorough planning decisions and required specialist knowledge of the energy sector”, Vincenzo Torregrossa states. “Several critical factors were taken into account, including thermal expansion, wind loads and tensile strength, which led us to opt for the reliable and robust products by fischer”, he adds. “We not only chose fischer due to its high-quality products, but also because we were looking for someone with whom we could discuss and explore technical decisions”. He explains that “the experts for planning, application engineering and field engineering met these needs”.

The team of engineers at fischer Italia provided expert advice during the design stage and tailored the solution to the project’s specific requirements. The project required on-site pull-out tests with perforated brick, which were supervised by fischer’s experts, in addition to technical installation support. fischer’s experts supported their client until the project’s successful completion. 

A video about the project is available at: Il Palazzetto - Termini Imerese - fischer