The bioclimatic pergolas They are systems that exploit the external spaces of your home, or more generally a part of the land, to have a space usable in any weather condition and time of year. They are outdoor structures whose covering is made up of adjustable sunshade slats which depending on their orientation can protect from the sun and bad weather while regulating air flows. Their structure is therefore versatile, allows energy savings and does not require installation permits as they are temporary and mobile structures and therefore fall within the free building interventions regulated by the Presidential Decree of 6 June 2001.
In this regard, the Salva-Casa decree (105/2024) has recently become law, clarifying some aspects regarding the possibility of construction under the so-called free building headingor that part of construction that does not require authorizations. Although these systems are also referred to in the range of free construction possibilities, the process is limited to particular cases, in particular those that do not produce permanently closed spaces that increase the volume or surface area of the existing building, or create permanently fixed roofs on the ground.
How bioclimatic pergolas are made
Basically, we are talking about prefabricated structures which are eventually assembled on site and positioned permanently in a given planimetric point of the property being worked on. They are real pergolas but more innovative, as the roofing elements can be “moved” or “rotated” intelligently so as to direct the air flowsto vary the internal temperature of the pergola and manage the percentage of coverage actually exposed to atmospheric agents. In other words, these covering elements can both create a continuous surfacewithout holes that would result in a lack of protection from rain and adverse weather events, as well as creating a surface that alternates closed areas with open (perforated) areasmaximizing the exchange of air between the internal and external environment and thus favoring the lowering of temperatures in the hottest summer periods. In fact, therefore, creating a bioclimatic pergola means having an external space that can be used both in the summer and winter periods.

How to make a bioclimatic pergola: types and materials
Bioclimatic pergolas are essentially divided into two large families, namely the so-called leaning pergolas and those self-supporting. The difference between the two is that, in the first case, the pergola as it is made is not able to support itself and the loads acting on it, so it must be helped by an existing structure with self-supporting capabilities, such as for example the main building. In this condition, the attached pergolas can be understood as real extensions of the main body on which they are grafted. Vice versa, in the case of self-supporting pergolas there is no need for additional structural supportas the pergola has its own load-bearing capacity. In this case, the structures serving this typology are basically made up of 4 corner columns in the area of interest, connected to each other by means of beams that also act as a perimeter for the adjustable covering. Another typological difference usually present is dictated by the roof geometrywhich can be inclined or horizontal, depending on the needs and the architectural project.
The creation of this type of system usually occurs with sufficiently light materialssuch as thealuminum or the wood. In other cases, you can resort to using thesteelperhaps when dealing with significant planimetric extensions of the structure. The finishing elements are often made of glass: in this way, a casing is obtained energetically robustusable in both summer and winter.

What is bioclimatic architecture for?
Regardless of the different construction typologies that can be encountered in the creation of a bioclimatic pergola, all these constructions are united by the application of the same conceptwhich is that of bioclimatic architecture: a building/architectural design method that aims to use natural resources present on the construction site to maximize the energy performance of the building, i.e. to create buildings that have adequate thermal comfort (regardless of the season in question) but at the same time are able to minimize the environmental impact in terms of CO production2or generic gas emissions, representative of the waste products of the operations that allow the achievement of the required energy performance. In essence, the application of bioclimatic architecture concepts allows evaluate rationally the positioning of a building considering the climatic data of the place as an input condition. Here are some as an example:
- Which winds dominate the area of interest;
- The role of the Sun and its path during the day;
- Seasonal average temperatures and peak conditions, as well as any temperature variations during the day;
- The relative humidity of the site;
- The frequency and type of atmospheric precipitation.