How building technology in Italy and Spain can be improved after the experience of COST Action TU0901 and the discussion on going on the new descriptors

COST Action TU0901 ended at the beginning of 2014 with the involvement of many European Countries. The materials collected during the project and the content of the e-book open up very interesting discussions on the potential effects on each single country. Partitions typically used in southern European countries are quite different from those built in northern countries because of their greater surface mass. This can have an important influence on their acoustic performance when evaluated also at lower frequencies, where light partitions usually show a drop in insulation. The paper focuses on the application of classical and new descriptors measured on a number of partitions in real buildings in Italy and Spain and on the possible changes in the technology to improve the results. Moreover, the article points out possible consequences of the application of a new classification scheme for dwellings proposed by COST Action TU0901 and by Technical Committee 43 - SC 2 of ISO to typical building technologies in Italy and Spain.