Energy retrofit to nearly zero and socio-oriented urban environments in the Mediterranean climate

•The paper presents alternative ways of design sustainable urban environments.•The possibility to use energy retrofitting options as a socio-economical leverage towards nearly nZEBs is investigated.•The techno-economical feasibility assessment suggests a multi-fold stimulating the process of energy renewal according to a socio-oriented use of architectural tools in urban environments.

The paper aims at presenting alternative ways of investigating, planning and managing sustainable urban environments, by exploring the possibility to use energy retrofitting options as a socio-economical leverage towards nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs).The connecting theme of the proposed research path is that the crises of energy supply and global warming need to be tackled with an interdisciplinary, both socio-technical and engineering approach.In particular, the design study and the performed technical–economical evaluation demonstrate that energy efficiency in residential urban complex can be considered as an extraordinary opportunity to restore environmental, social and urban quality.The techno-economical feasibility assessment, the proper identification of the types of intervention and their combination in possible scenarios must be investigated and estimated on a case-by-case basis, with an effective and interdisciplinary design approach integrating in a whole system the socio-technical aspects into the feasibility study of economical and architectural issues.In this context, a renewed role of architects and planners is what is need for a real shift in the building practice. In fact, instead of trying to structure the informal through the architectural production based on authorship, architects should consider the users’ perspective and their need as self-organised processes of negotiation. This strategy can help in engaging a real shift from the current practice towards a social sustainable process where inhabitants and designers work together to find effective and real solutions to social and technical questions.The urban and technological strategies here presented suggest a multi-fold approach that could stimulate the process of energy renewal according to a socio-oriented use of architectural tools in urban environments.