European Housing Research Articles

АНАЛИЗ КЛЮЧЕВЫХ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬНЫХ ДОКУМЕНТОВ ЕС ПО ЭНЕРГОЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ЗДАНИЙ

The basic legislative documents of the EU in the field of reforming the European housing stock (EU EPBD Directive) were considered. The step-by-step revision of the document is analyzed in connection with the adjustment of goals, criteria and means of modernizing buildings. The successes of the implementation of the Directive as a key legislative document and its recognition by the leading countries of the world are shown.

Regional Diversification of Saturation of the Housing Stock. Poland against the Background of Europe

The aim of the article is to present the differences in saturation of the housing stock and its availability in Poland as well as in European Union countries and its influence on house prices and the economy. Regions which are characterized by a housing shortage will be separated. The analysis takes into account the differences in the level of wealth of the inhabitants and the scale of urbanization of individual states. The implications of social and economic imperfections in the functioning of the housing market, and in particular the price volatility of housing, have also been addressed. In addition, the quantitative and qualitative differences in the housing stock, which reduce the effective stock of available housing, are highlighted. In the case of Poland, only in Warsaw and Łódź does housing saturation correspond to that of the “old” EU. This article is divided into 5 parts. After an introduction to the subject, the second section deals with the issues of structural, long-term imbalances of demand and supply in the European housing market and its consequences. In the third section, the housing situation in the EU is presented. In the fourth part, the regional diversification in the housing stock in Poland is discussed. Section five consists of conclusions and a summary of the analysis.

A New Methodology for Assessing the Energy Consumption of Building Stocks

The refurbishment of the existing building stocks represents a great potential for energy savings. To make the refurbishment effective, proper modeling of the current energy performance is needed. In most European countries, few and low quality data on the energy performance and on the refurbishment of building stocks are revealed, which increases the risk of not getting representative results. The article presents a new methodology for an effective bottom-up energy modeling, aimed at evaluating the current energy performance of housing stocks. The model is set up according to the IEE-EPISCOPE Project (Energy Performance Indicator Tracking Schemes for the Continuous Optimisation of Refurbishment Processes in European Housing Stocks, 2013–2016), which developed a framework of reliable data and clearly stated model assumptions, as to overcome the lack of data while guaranteeing transparency. The model, applied to an Italian region, is based on statistical data and uses the building typology approach. The energy performance is calculated by means of a quasi-steady state method. A correlation between the estimated and the real energy consumption is obtained. The model allows disaggregating the residential building stock in subsets to identify the main potential for energy savings in specific contexts. Improvements of the current data availability are strongly advisable to keep the model updated.

Flexible Mediation Analysis With Multiple Mediators.

The advent of counterfactual-based mediation analysis has triggered enormous progress on how, and under what assumptions, one may disentangle path-specific effects upon combining arbitrary (possibly nonlinear) models for mediator and outcome. However, current developments have largely focused on single mediators because required identification assumptions prohibit simple extensions to settings with multiple mediators that may depend on one another. In this article, we propose a procedure for obtaining fine-grained decompositions that may still be recovered from observed data in such complex settings. We first show that existing analytical approaches target specific instances of a more general set of decompositions and may therefore fail to provide a comprehensive assessment of the processes that underpin cause-effect relationships between exposure and outcome. We then outline conditions for obtaining the remaining set of decompositions. Because the number of targeted decompositions increases rapidly with the number of mediators, we introduce natural effects models along with estimation methods that allow for flexible and parsimonious modeling. Our procedure can easily be implemented using off-the-shelf software and is illustrated using a reanalysis of the World Health Organization's Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status (WHO-LARES) study on the effect of mold exposure on mental health (2002-2003).

What Causes the Positive Price-Turnover Correlation in European Housing Markets?

This paper examines what determines the correlation between prices and turnover in European housing markets. Using a panel vector autoregressive model, we find that there is a particularly strong feedback mechanism between prices and turnover. Momentum effects are another important reason why prices and turnover are correlated. Common underlying factors, such as GDP and interest rates, also explain part of the price-turnover correlation. The results in this paper imply that, to understand price and turnover dynamics, it is important to model prices and turnover as two interdependent processes. There is a considerable bias in the coefficient estimates of standard house price models if this dependency is not explicitly taken into account.

Do housing regimes matter? Assessing the concept of housing regimes through configurations of housing outcomes

Based on a conceptualisation of de‐commodification as the right to decent and affordable housing, we assessed to what extent this right is realised for low‐to‐moderate‐income owners and renters across Western European housing regimes in 1995 and 2012. If differences in the social production of housing do matter (regardless of type of welfare state and the country's economic affluence), then distinct configurations of housing outcomes should exist. This was found to be indeed the case: More state intervention results in good housing conditions and low housing cost burdens across tenure‐age groups (but particularly for renters), although more so in social‐democratic than in conservative‐corporatist welfare states. A more important role for the family in housing provision is associated with higher subjective housing cost burdens and poor housing conditions. As housing regimes became more commodified between 1995 and 2012, it seems that configurations of housing outcomes have become less associated with the features of housing regimes, and more with type of welfare state and the country's economic affluence.

Seismic performances and behaviour factor of wide-beam and deep-beam RC frames

Reinforced Concrete Wide-Beam Frames (WBF) are a common architectural solution in Mediterranean countries. On this structural typology there is not yet a uniform approach among European codes: while Eurocode 8, as other relevant seismic codes in USA and New Zealand, considers WBF capable of high ductility performances, still in recent versions of Spanish and Italian seismic codes there is cap to the maximum behaviour factor (q) for this structural system. In order to verify the appropriateness of such provisions, seismic performances of WBF and conventional deep beam frames (DBF) are comparatively assessed through nonlinear static analyses. The same architectural layout of a typical European 5-storey RC housing unit is designed as WBF and DBF according to Eurocode 8, adopting different stiffness assumptions, and according to the Spanish seismic code NCSE-02. Based on detailed assessment results, a simplified parametric assessment of 72 frames designed according to Eurocode 8, Italian seismic code NTC and NCSE-02 is then considered assuming similar q for WBF and DBF. Results suggest that any reduction of behaviour factor prescribed for wide-beam frames is at least obsolete. In fact, even if wide beams show lower local ductility than deep beams, generally WBF provide at least similar global seismic capacities than DBF, especially in frames whose design is ruled by serviceability limit state (i.e., damage limitation).

La vente de logements sociaux à des particuliers

En 2007, des organismes Hlm français ont, à la demande de l'État, mis en vente une part du parc de logements qu'ils possèdent et louent à des ménages modestes. Ils ont ainsi imité des organisations gestionnaires de logements sociaux européennes, qui ont plus anciennement eu recours à ce dispositif. Leur expérience témoigne de la complexité du mécanisme de vente, de ses effets contrastés sur les marchés immobiliers ainsi que de ses impacts organisationnels. Nous montrons que la vente de logements sociaux à des particuliers a des effets comparables sur le système HLM français. Nous expliquons notamment en quoi, malgré un encadrement strict du dispositif qui en limite la portée, il contribue à la fois à diversifier l'activité des opérateurs français et à réorganiser leurs stratégies dans le sens d'une articulation entre vente et production, en particulier au sein des marchés immobiliers dits « tendus ». Cette articulation renouvelle les perspectives sur la résidualisation du logement social. Classification JEL : O18, R31, R38

Mobilizing Local Authorities Around Public Health Priorities.

Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status (LARES) was conducted in Europe in 2002 to 2003 to study the relationship between citizens' health and built environments. One of its objectives was to put public health priorities on the agenda of local decision-makers to implement solutions for the community. We adapted the LARES protocol as a pilot project in a small French-Canadian town in Quebec Province in 2012. The distinguishing feature of this project was the collaborative approach taken with local actors, especially the municipality, which was committed a priori to using survey data from an urban planning perspective. The project produced interesting results that were used to motivate actions concerning people living in bad sanitary conditions; to draft the urban plan including the development of parks, green spaces, and bicycle paths; and to allow the municipality to meet eligibility criteria for access to renovation programs. If a partnership with the local actors and their commitment to promote and realize the project were obtained at the beginning, then the survey could be replicated in other communities.

The price of energy efficiency in the Spanish housing market

The housing sector is a substantial consumer of energy, and therefore a focus for energy savings efforts. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), introduced in 2002 and revised in 2010, is a key instrument to increase the energy performance of buildings across the European Union. Following the implementation of the EPBD into Spanish law, all properties offered for sale or rented out in Spain are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Given that the implementation of the EPC scheme for new, existing and advertised properties is still very low in Spain, unlike other European housing markets, the Spanish one lacks market data on energy efficiency (EE) labels and their impact on housing price. To overcome this gap, we determine the EE ratings of a sample of 1507 homes across Spain on the basis of information collected previously through household surveys. This allowed us to answer the question of whether or not, and to what extent, Spanish housing markets capitalise the value of EE. We apply the hedonic-price technique and observe that more energy efficient dwellings have a price-premium between 5.4% and 9.8% compared to those with the same characteristics but lower EE level.

What Causes the Positive Price-Turnover Correlation in European Housing Markets

This paper examines what determines the correlation between prices and turnover in European housing markets. Using a panel vector auto-regressive model, we find that there is a particularly strong feedback mechanism between prices and turnover. Momentum effects are another important reason why prices and turnover are correlated. Common underlying factors, such as GDP and interest rates, also explain part of the price‐turnover correlation. The results in this paper imply that, to understand price and turnover dynamics, it is important to model prices and turnover as two interdependent processes. Ignoring this inter-dependency results in a considerable bias in the coefficient estimates of both price and turnover models.

Empirical assessment of calculated and actual heating energy use in Hellenic residential buildings

The gap between calculated and actual energy use has long be recognized as a major hurdle for a realistic assessment of buildings’ performance and anticipated benefits from energy conservation measures, especially when attempting a national building stock analysis. A multinational European effort to develop a conceptual framework for monitoring the effectiveness of energy retrofit measures applied in the European housing sector has motivated a number of national pilot actions. This paper presents the results from the work carried out in Greece and elaborates a methodology for deriving different empirical adaptation factors that relate the normative calculated heating energy consumption from energy performance certificates (EPC) with the actual energy use. To gain some additional insight, the work is complemented by evidence from field surveys to collect actual energy use data from dwellings before and after refurbishment and behavioural surveys of occupants. The derived factors are used to adapt the predictions, which are then organized according to the Hellenic residential building typology. The overall approach is used with a building stock model to demonstrate a preliminary assessment of different energy conservation measures, towards meeting the national targets for 2020 and 2030.The ratio of actual to calculated primary energy consumption using the processed EPC data from over 8500 dwellings, averages 0.56 (i.e. 44% lower energy use than calculated). Findings from field surveys of occupant behavioural changes in the operation of space heating systems, confirm poor indoor thermal comfort conditions resulting from reduced operating hours of space heating, lower thermostat settings etc., which deviate significantly from normative calculation assumptions. Other field data on actual energy use before and after refurbishment provide additional insight for adapting the predicted savings as a result of common retrofit actions. Popular measures include for older buildings the installation of double glazed windows, the replacement of heat production systems and roof thermal insulation. On average, the weather corrected actual primary heating energy savings are about 21% by installing double glazed windows and about 18% by replacing an oil-fired boiler with a new natural gas unit. The application of the results with a building stock model illustrates that future energy and emission targets could be reached with the conservative adaptation factors, but will mandate combined measures and more aggressive modernization rates using an average trend scenario.

Housing provision in 21st century Europe

European housing markets exhibited considerable volatility so far in the 21st century while affordability worsened for many. Boom-bust has had greater housing impacts than any specific housing policy, which illustrates the difficulty in policy terms of seeing housing in isolation and the central significance of interlinked relationships between housing, the economy and financial markets. Europe historically invented a powerful set of interventionist tools to alter housing circumstances but, as the overview of rental markets here indicates, today they have mixed success. Examples of what to avoid in policy are at least as common as exemplars.

Tracking the Energy Refurbishment Processes in Residential Building Stocks. The Pilot Case of Piedmont Region

The objective of the IEE-EPISCOPE project is to make the energy refurbishment processes in the European housing sector more transparent and effective. Each participating country is developing a pilot action, aiming at tracking the refurbishment progress of housing stocks at different scales. In the present article, the monitoring of the Piedmont regional housing stock is concerned. A preliminary analysis on data sources is performed, to identify the current state of the stock and the refurbishment rates. The results are a basis to carry out energy performance calculations and to assess future refurbishment scenarios and quantify the energy saving potentials.

Reusing concrete panels from buildings for building: Potential in Finnish 1970s mass housing

A remarkable share of European mass housing was built with large-panel systems during the 1960s and 1970s. In many countries, this stock is already being demolished or demolition is discussed due to vacancies or social problems. This trend may result in the creation of an unforeseeable amount of concrete waste. Simultaneously, EU has issued the Waste Framework Directive aiming at reuse instead of recycling. Unlike in situ cast concrete, reclaimed prefabricated concrete panels from mass housing carry the potential for reuse. The purpose of this study is to review the reuse potential embedded in Finland’s mass housing stock from the perspective of the dimensions of the panels and spaces, i.e., their suitability for architectural (plan) design. The research material consists of architectural drawings of 276 blocks of flats that contain over 26000 prefabricated wall panels and nearly 14000 hollow-core slabs, the dimensions of which are compared to current norms and guidelines for dimensioning living spaces. The technical prerequisites for reuse are reviewed with the help of literature. The study results in identifying an inventory of panels typical to Finnish precast concrete construction, which, in principle, should not exist because the building plans were not standardized but were supposed to be unique. The panels are found to be still usable in architectural (plan) design of detached houses, which form one third of annual residential production in Finland.

Booms, Busts, and Normal Times in the Housing Market

We assess the existence of duration dependence in the likelihood of an end in housing booms, busts, and normal times. Using data for 20 industrial countries and a continuous-time Weibull duration model, we find evidence of positive duration dependence suggesting that housing market cycles have become longer over the last decades. Then, we extend the baseline Weibull model and allow for the presence of a change-point in the duration dependence parameter. We show that positive duration dependence is present in booms and busts that last less than 26 quarters, but that does not seem to be the case for longer phases of the housing market cycle. For normal times, no evidence of change-points is found. Finally, the empirical findings uncover positive duration dependence in housing market booms of European and non-European countries and housing busts of European countries. In addition, they reveal that while housing booms have similar length in European and non-European countries, housing busts are typically shorter in European countries.

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Integrated project delivery methods for energy renovation of social housing

Introduction: European housing markets, economics and finance – after the crisis

Introduction: European housing markets, economics and finance – after the crisis