Old Buildings’ Façades: Fieldwork and Discussion of Thermal Retrofitting Strategies in a Mediterranean Climate

Diana Corrêa,Inês Flores-Colen,José Dinis Silvestre,Marco Pedroso,Rita Andrade Santos

doi:10.3390/designs4040045

Abstract

This work is within the scope of thermal retrofitting, applied to old buildings’ façades (built between 1700 and 1960) located in Mediterranean climates, such as Portugal. The aim is to increase the sustainability of existing buildings, by reducing their energy consumption needs, for heating and cooling, and the corresponding gaseous emissions, while increasing their users’ comfort. Firstly, an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of several thermal insulation solutions for façades was carried out, supported in current literature. Then, a survey of real retrofitting scenarios and interviews with experts was completed, to allow the selection of the most adequate thermal insulation techniques. Finally, as a result of this study, the discussion of retrofitting strategies was carried out to support the designer’s decision process, based on a flowchart with complementary tables, discussing the best thermal retrofitting technique to be implemented on old buildings’ façades, case-by-case.

Highlights

The demands of modern society, in terms of life quality and comfort conditions, requires a considerable expenditure of energy
The main goals of this study are: (a) determining the advantages and disadvantages of several commonly used thermal retrofitting solutions, taking into consideration the constraints involved in the interventions; (b) getting a portrait of the current situation regarding the feasibility and the actual implementation of thermal retrofitting of façades on old buildings in Portugal; (c) discuss retrofitting strategies in order to support the designers in the selection of the thermal retrofitting solutions that should be adopted in each case based on technical assumptions
The records made during the inspections, as well as the comments made by the responsible for each studied retrofitting strategy, pointed out several other interesting characteristics associated with the thermal insulation solutions, leading to the results presented in Tables 1 and 2

Summary

Introduction

The demands of modern society, in terms of life quality and comfort conditions, requires a considerable expenditure of energy. This is a trend that, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), has been increasing exponentially [1]. With the energy consumption and greenhouse gases increase, being responsible for climate changes and global warming, there has been a growing awareness for sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental preservation [3]. To this end, the European Union imposed a limit on CO2 and other gaseous emissions into the air. Each state member that committed to fulfill those requirements, including Portugal, is obliged to reduce emissions of harmful gases into the environment, in buildings, to comply with the agreed targets [2]

Objectives

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion