Renovation as a catalyst for social and environmental value creation: Towards holistic strategies for sustainable housing transformation

Abstract

Renovation of the existing building mass represents an important potential for energy savings in the building sector. In Denmark, this is especially relevant within the domain of social housing. Energy motivated renovations are, however, only a long-term sustainable solution if they also support the wellbeing of the residents. Failure to do so may result in homes lying idle and in need of re-renovation or demolition. On the positive side, focusing on potentials for catalyzing social value creation as part of a holistic approach to sustainability may help justify more costly energy renovation measures. The paper presents a tentative framework for articulating the relationships between material transformations and their joint environmental and social impact. The framework is based on a literature review and a synthesis of effect studies of social value creation in multifamily housing renovation. As part of the concluding perspectives, the paper discusses potentials for further development of the tentative framework into a support tool for use in early design processes, as well as potentials for visualizing financial benefits associated with the social value creation.