*2.1. Premise*

In order to highlight the multi-dimensional character of initiatives aimed at enhancing and/or modifying the existing schools in an integrated manner, it is necessary to take into account, in the planning and design phase, multiple aspects according to a multicriteria logic [50–54].

For the recovery and/or enhancement of existing school buildings, it is advisable to verify at the planning and design stage the correct sizing of the spaces for teaching in compliance with the endowment of minimum areas per capita, the compliance with the parameters of seismic safety and fire prevention, as well as the overcoming of any architectural barriers present, and the energy efficiency of the building and the healthiness of the indoor spaces. These checks allow one to define the objectives to be pursued, and the actions to be carried out for the requalification/enhancement of the building. In addition to technical and regulatory considerations, it is also important to highlight which are the primary needs of the urban context to be answered, both through the reorganization of the existing educational offer and by allocating some areas to the exercise of extra-curricular activities. In the following, the technical and regulatory aspects of the Italian context are taken into account.

Thus, preferring a logic of integration between the design aspects related to the same intervention, the proposed multi-criteria evaluation approach includes each of them in order to establish the priorities for action in compliance with the current regulatory system and technical-structural characteristics of the building, as well as the economic and social conditions of the urban context in which the school is located. A careful survey of the state of the building allows us to establish the degree of transformability from the interventions that need to be carried out for the adaptation of the building in compliance with the technical and legislative provisions in force and the community's needs. It should be noted that the main aspects to be considered in order to upgrade the existing building in an integrated manner are listed below. We will not go into the details of each one, especially for those of technical nature, because for each aspect a specific sector study by experienced professionals (such as the one on the energy performance of the building, and/or the rehabilitation of its structure) is required. The methodology proposed supports the programming of sustainable interventions in existing school buildings, and also accessing the funds for the redevelopment and renovation of the schools, taking into account multiple aspects in an integrated way.
