Dalla Valle Anna

Architect, PhD, and Assistant Professor (RTT) in Architectural Technology (ICAR/12) within the LifeCycleTEAM research group of Politecnico di Milano (DABC). Her research and teaching focus on environmental sustainability in architectural design and built environment transformation processes, with particular attention to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) across multiple scales. Her work aims to optimize long-term environmental performance, promote innovative technological solutions, and support informed decision-making among stakeholders. She holds teaching in Italy and abroad (Xi’an Jiaotong University, China), maintaining a strong engagement with professional practice and promoting continuous dialogue between academia and operating field, to bridge the gap between theory and practice. She regularly takes part in conferences at international and national level, contributes to scientific publications, organizes events and training courses, and delivers specialized lectures in both academic and professional contexts.

Career

MSc with honours in Architecture in “Technological and Environmental Design”, Politecnico di Milano (2015), with a double degree from the Alta Scuola Politecnica (Politecnico di Milano–Politecnico di Torino). PhD in “Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering” (2018), with a dissertation entitled “Environment-driven change management in AEC firms. Life Cycle Perspective in Practice.” She gained professional experience in Italian and international integrated design firms (including Dominique Nicot – France and HDR – USA). Licensed Architect (2021) and in the charge of the Italian National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for Associate Professor, Disciplinary field 08/C1 – Architectural Design and Technological Planning (2024).

Research

Her research develops within Architectural Technology, focusing on the sustainable transition of the construction sector in the entire life cycle and beyond, in view of circular economy. Main research areas include: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of materials/products/buildings/districts up to building stock; Whole Life Carbon strategies and low-impact solutions; life cycle-based decision-support tools along the value chain. Her multidisciplinary and practice-oriented approach integrates tangible technologies (materials, systems, buildings) and intangible technologies (processes, skills, information flows, organizational models), aiming to shape innovative architectural practices that balance environmental responsibility, technical feasibility, and cultural meaning. Her work addresses contemporary challenges such as decarbonization, resource efficiency, and urban regeneration, in close collaboration with national and international academic, industrial, and institutional partners, contributing to the advancement of regulatory frameworks and the long-term sustainable development of the sector.

Selected Publications

Dalla Valle A, Amini Toosi H, Leonforte F, Del Pero C, Lavagna M, Campioli A, Aste N (2025). Measuring the Impact of Holistic Energy Retrofit Strategies: Life Cycle Assessment Aligned with Level(s). ENERGY AND BUILDINGS, vol. 347.

Dalla Valle A, Lavagna M, Campioli A, Fantin V (2025). Studio LCA della filiera di lastre e sistemi in vetro per infissi e serramenti. EDILIZIA COSTRUZIONI Studi di Life Cycle Assessment di filiera e sviluppo di dataset per la Banca Dati Italiana LCA del progetto Arcadia, p. 1-78, Enea Publication.

Dalla Valle A, Lavagna M, Campioli A, Leonforte F, Aste N (2024). Powering electrification sustainability: LCA of repurposing battery systems from automotive to building sector. In: XVIII National Conference Associazione Rete Italiana LCA, ‘Life Cycle Thinking a supporto di modelli di produzione e di consumo sostenibili’, pp. 1-11, Pescara, 3-5 luglio 2024.

Dalla Valle A (2023). Life Cycle Assessment at the early stage of building design. In: Arbizzani et al (Editors), Technological imagination in the green and digital transition. THE URBAN BOOK SERIES, pp. 461-470, Cham: Springer.

Dalla Valle A (2022). Informazioni LCA come driver del processo decisionale nelle strutture di progettazione: creazione di un life cycle database di progetto in ambiente BIM. In: Lavagna M (Editors), LCA in edilizia: Ambiti applicativi e orientamenti futuri della metodologia Life Cycle Assessment nel settore delle costruzioni, pp. 131-141, Santarcangelo di Romagna: Maggioli.

Dalla Valle A, Atta N, Giorgi S, Macrì L, Ratti S, Viscuso S (2022). Re-manufacturing evolution within industrial sectors and transferable criteria for the construction sector. In: Talamo CML (Editors), Re-manufacturing networks for tertiary architectures. Innovative organizational models towards circularity. RICERCHE DI TECNOLOGIA DELL’ARCHITETTURA, pp. 45-74, Milano: Franco Angeli. Dalla Valle A (2021). Change management towards Life Cycle AE(C) practice. SPRINGERBRIEFS IN APPLIED SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY, pp. 1-127, Cham: Springer.

Dalla Valle A, Atta N, Ratti S, Macrì L (2021). Circolarità nel settore delle costruzioni: modelli organizzativi basati sul re-manufacturing | Circularity within the construction sector: organisational models based on re-manufacturing. TECHNE, vol. 22, pp. 140-148.

Dalla Valle A (2020). Il progetto digitale nel ciclo di vita: consapevolezza e trasparenza dei software LCA | Digital life cycle design: Awareness and transparency of LCA software. In: M. Perriccioli M. Rigillo S. Russo Ermolli F. Tucci (Editors), “Il progetto nell’era digitale. Tecnologia. Natura. Cultura | Design in the digitale age. Technology. Nature, Culture”. p. 229- 231, Santarcangelo di Romagna: Maggioli.

Dalla Valle A (2019). La complessità dell’attività progettuale in prospettiva ambientale | The environmental-oriented complexity of design process. In: M. Lauria E. Mussinelli F. Tucci (Editors), “La produzione del progetto | Producing project”. p. 1-7, Santarcangelo di Romagna: Maggioli.

Grants, awards and Honours

International Senior Expert of International Youth Sustainable Innovation Think Tank “Share Green Innovation Inspire the Future”, issued by International Youth Sustainable Innovation Summit, Beijing.

Community Service

Since 2023, she has served as Junior Delegate of the Rector of Politecnico di Milano for the European Commission initiative “New European Bauhaus” and as Junior Delegate of the DABC Director for Communication. She is an active member of the Italian Society of Architectural Technology (SITdA) and the Italian LCA Network. She participates in national and international working groups, including the International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme (EBC) Ways to Implement Net-zero Whole Life Carbon Buildings (Annex 89) and the Sino-Italian Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Urban and Rural Heritage Conservation and Regeneration (XJTU–PoliMI), contributing to scientific, technological, and innovation-driven cooperation in sustainable construction.