Sustainable management of the building stock: A Delphi study as a decision-support tool for improved inspections

Abstract

Cities’ environmental footprint reduction is needed under the current climate situation. The appropriate management of the building stock is then an essential but complex endeavor, demanding prior accurate diagnosis for proper renovations. Assuming diagnoses can be optimized by improved inspection processes, a two-round Delphi consultation was conducted to identify both the demands of the Spanish industry to improve the management of buildings and the contextual challenges on inspections. This Delphi study has been used as a decision-support tool since the conclusions allowed the ROBIM project to adopt decisions for developing an innovative inspection technology. While the design of the questionnaire is based on relevant background knowledge on buildings management, the consultation process intends to overcome the shortcomings identified in previous studies. Fifty-two experts completed the surveys. Their extensive experience, together with the high degree of consensus attained among them (69.6% in the last round), validate the results. The results suggest that inspection processes should be rethought, with a particular focus on façades, in order to improve existing buildings management and reduce uncertainties when planning a renovation. This would improve the buildings’ performance, including their energy efficiency (one of the experts’ major concerns), while controlling intervention time and cost.