Multi-dwelling Buildings Research Articles

Regulation and Organisation of Housing Management Activities in Germany, Poland and Latvia

Abstract Multi-dwelling buildings are one of the essential infrastructural elements of a residential area. Therefore, qualitative and professional management of such real estate is of importance. The insufficient investment into maintenance and improvement of housing is stated in Latvian policy planning documents as one of the most significant problems, causing risks for achieving the goal of compliance of the housing fund with energy efficiency, construction, safety and amenity standards. The article examines the main aspects of management of residential buildings, identifies the related risks and offers solutions for their prevention. The article aims at emphasising the significance of building maintenance and exploring management processes of residential buildings in Latvia, Poland and Germany, making a comparison that helps to understand the housing management regulation and organisational approach in each country and identify their common and differing features. In the course of the research, the authors of the article review the sources on management activities of residential buildings, identify and assess the management process risks and make a comparative analysis of housing management processes in Latvia, Poland and Germany. Information regarding the housing management field of the countries examined in the article has been obtained by summarising and analysing the policy documents and regulatory enactments, as well as by interviewing Latvian, Polish and German experts. When analysing the obtained results, conclusions have been made with regards to political responsibility, legal regulation and professional competence requirements in the field of housing management.

The impact of metering methods on collective self-consumption: Insights from multi-dwelling buildings in Finland

Globally, legislative reforms have significantly promoted the adoption of solar photovoltaic systems. In many European countries, updated legislation encourages the formation of energy communities and collective self-consumption in residential buildings. This study investigates the financial viability of solar photovoltaic systems in Finnish multi-dwelling buildings, focusing on the impact of recent legislative enhancements supporting collective self-consumption through virtual net-metering, known as the credit calculation model. By analyzing hourly consumption data from two properties in 2018 and 2020, and incorporating simulated photovoltaic production with electricity market prices, our findings highlight the advantages of virtual net-metering. Self-consumption ratios increased from 15% to 38 %, and annual revenue improved by 10 EUR/kWp to 29 EUR/kWp. Comparing the credit calculation model with behind-the-meter approaches using joint electricity subscriptions revealed self-consumption ratio differences of 5 % to 15 % for identical system sizes. Additionally, electricity purchasing cost savings of 16 % to 19 % were identified with behind-the-meter, increasing further compared to costs from other Finnish distribution system operators. This underscores the economic benefits of such arrangements and highlights potential savings across different regional pricing models. These insights demonstrate the financial benefits of collective self-consumption and joint electricity subscriptions in multi-dwelling contexts, signaling the need for extended research across diverse settings to validate these findings.

European energy renovation of multi-dwelling building from a Swedish life cycle perspective

European energy renovation of multi-dwelling building from a Swedish life cycle perspective

An Energy and Ecological Assessment of The Prior and Post-Hybrid Renovation State of Multi-Dwelling Building in the Algerian City of Skikda

In the context of Algerian energy and environmental concerns and its aspirations for energy transition, this article examines the pre- and post-state of a multi-family residential building in the city of Skikda, in northern Algeria, utilizing the UBEM reduced-order approach, alongside QGIS, CEA and METEONORM tools. Primarily focusing on the building's solar exposure, energy aspects, and environmental considerations. Six hybrid renovation scenarios were considered then, and assessed for their contribution for energy savings and ecological improvement. The main results revealed that 87% of annual energy requirements were related to heating and hot water, which are supplied by a natural gas system, a source of various types of greenhouse gases, which suggested the use of triple glazing, with or without two selective low-emissivity coatings only, or be combined by changing hot-water supply system to an electric one, alongside the installation of the hybrid PVT panels on the south façade. This triple glazing was joint in another scenario by integrating the same type of panels on the roof alongside a seasonal thermal energy storage system. This latter scenario being the best in terms of energy and ecology, and making the building highly performant in both aspects.

Fair investment strategies in large energy communities: A scalable Shapley value approach

Energy communities based on joint investments of energy assets might enable the democratisation of the power system by enabling all individuals to become active participants. Adopting this investment strategy requires ensuring fair economic value distribution among investors. Some studies propose using the Shapley value, given its uniqueness in fairly allocating value. However, this method suffers from scalability issues due to its computational demands. This paper introduces the Nested Shapley value as a new sharing mechanism to allocate profits to members of large coalitions fairly, thereby addressing the fairness-scalability dilemma. In conjunction with a cooperative investment model for communities with multi-dwelling buildings, the method is applied to assess individual preferences toward investment strategies in a real-world case study. The Nested Shapley value is demonstrated to encourage residents to opt for joint investments over individual strategies. Also, if combined with adequate governance structures, this payoff allocation could lead to the selection of resource-efficient investment strategies within residential communities. Furthermore, the Nested Shapley value is proven to satisfy two of the four fairness axioms defined for the Shapley value. A third one is also satisfied, albeit under specific conditions.

Communication challenges and blockchain in building energy efficiency retrofits: Croatia case

PurposeAs climate change has become a growing concern, sustainable development has become increasingly important. Emissions reduction is a key step for more efficient energy use. In the last few years, the residential building sector in Croatia has received financial support for multi-dwelling building energy efficiency retrofits (EERs). However, some of these projects encountered difficulties due to information asymmetry between the key participants. This study aims to address the problem from the perspective of the principal-agent theory, which is concerned with information asymmetry and the asymmetry's repercussions.Design/methodology/approachA social network analysis is conducted to reflect the operation and management (OM) details of Croatian multi-dwelling buildings. The key stakeholders of EER are mapped, along with the contractual and communication ties between them. Using the Gephi software, relationship data are visually represented and statistically evaluated.FindingsThe analysis indicated two different clusters or groups of stakeholders in EERs in Croatia and enabled the mapping of key relationships between stakeholders. The findings stress the importance of the key relationship between owner representatives (ORs) and property managers (PMs).Originality/valueThe contribution of this study is the development of framework for blockchain implementation in EERs, which can be adapted for use in different markets and/or projects. Blockchain is proposed for minimization of information asymmetry between different stakeholders. Blockchain enables communication and cooperation during project development and enhances trust among stakeholders.

Energy-related financial literacy and retrofits of Soviet-era apartment buildings: The case of Lithuania

This paper extends the literature on energy-related financial literacy by examining its role in collective energy retrofit investment decisions in Soviet-era countries, which suffer from suboptimal levels of these investments, purportedly due to a lack of energy-specific knowledge and financial skills as well as low levels of trust. We investigate whether energy-related financial literacy and trust help explain collective energy retrofit investment decisions of typical Soviet-built multi-dwelling buildings in the case of Lithuania. Using unique survey data from Lithuania, we find that individuals' willingness to invest in multi-dwelling building energy retrofits is positively associated with individuals' general financial literacy, energy literacy, and energy-related financial literacy. Furthermore, we show that individuals' trust in institutions that are directly involved in the house-retrofitting process is an important predictor for multi-dwelling building energy retrofit decisions.

Ten years of energy efficiency—Exploring the progress of barriers and drivers in the swedish residential and services sector

Making buildings more energy efficient is an important part of achieving the European Union’s energy and climate goals, which several directives, policies, and measures has addressed over the years. This paper aims to study changes over a 10-year period in perception on barriers to and drivers for energy efficiency in the Swedish building sector and identifying success factors. The data collection consists of surveys conducted in 2010 and 2020 among organizations that mainly build, own, and manage multi-dwelling buildings. Besides the overall result, special focus is given to changes depending on type of ownership, size of organization, and organizational hierarchy.Lack of time or other priorities and slim organizations remain the most important barriers, which is most evident among small organizations. Reducing cost remains the major driver. The uncertainty surrounding a rising energy price has diminished and cost-effective solutions are more adaptable. More capital for energy efficiency is available, particularly in the private sector. Furthermore, the result acknowledges the impact of regulatory measures. The study recognizes a connection between organizational development and the integration of energy efficiency in an organizations’ agenda. Future challenges are related to hidden costs and knowledge acquisition.

Energy and economic sustainability in the renewal of centralized heating systems using hybrid heat pump systems

In the context of the energy transition policies desired by the EU, the objectives set by 2030 include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the achievement of greater energy savings and the increase in the use of renewable energy. This study, after an analysis concerning the Italian building stock, aims to highlight a possible first step towards achieving these objectives: the renewal of centralized heating systems in multi-dwelling buildings. In fact, on the national scenario there are about 430,000 condominiums with centralized heating system built before 1990 and, therefore, possibly liable to energy efficiency. In this research a case study building was simulated using the software EnergyPlus in which a renovation of the existing heating system was modelled in the Matlab/Simulink environment with an innovative hybrid generator consisting of an air/water heat pump and a condensing boiler. The analysis of this solution, carried out for three different Italian climatic zones, highlights how significant reductions in CO2 emissions can be achieved, high energy savings in terms of primary energy use and savings regarding usage costs, thus achieving greater comfort and sustainability. In addition, an economic analysis was carried out comparing different combinations of systems with the aim of identifying the best solution for each application.

Windows: a study of residents’ perceptions and uses in Sweden

What are inhabitants’ perceptions and uses of windows in multi-dwelling buildings? This paper reports on a field study that explores daylight, the visual connection to the outside and the role of windows in the home during the day and night. Qualitative interviews were held with 20 participants living in multi-dwelling buildings. The thematic analysis identified two main components as characteristic of residents’ experiences with their windows. The first, ‘perceived dwelling comfort’, consists of different types of comfort qualities, for example, keeping the body sufficiently warm or cool, blocking exterior noise, enabling visual tasks, perceiving the room to be adequately daylit, visually pleasant and spacious, obtaining visual privacy, and having an outside view to provide information and engagement. The second, ‘preferred exposure to external elements’ (<em>e.g.</em> air, sound, light, people outside) expresses a desire for personal control and reflects variability over time (momentary, daily, seasonal, ageing) and between individuals or groups. Windows represent an enjoyment of the home and fulfil much more than physical needs. They must allow sufficient personal control over fresh and cool air, sound, sunlight, streetlighting and privacy. <em><strong>Practice relevance</strong></em> An enabling home environment affords residents opportunities to regulate the visual openness to the outside in order to satisfy individual needs for privacy or social connection. Preferences vary within and between household members, so window treatments must be easy for inhabitants to adjust. Housing designers and developers are advised to include exterior shading devices in the design and optional indoor window treatment to facilitate durable shading and privacy solutions. Further adjustments could be offered by landlords to tenants when they move in. Fenestration and shading devices offer the possibility to make full use of the available daylight, reduce electricity demand for indoor lighting and provide inhabitants with increased control of their comfort.

Association between Perceived Daylit Area and Self-reported Frequency of Electric Lighting Use in Multi-dwelling Buildings

ABSTRACT This paper examines the association between daytime electric lighting use and perceived indoor daylight availability in residential spaces. In addition, occupant preferences were evaluated, in particular which rooms are prioritized in terms of daylight availability. The study deployed a questionnaire survey that was carried out in typical multi-dwelling apartment blocks in Malmö, Sweden (Latitude: 55.6 °N). Occupants were asked to report how often they use electric lighting during daylight hours (EL) in their kitchen, living room and main bedroom, and how much of the floor area they perceive as adequately daylit (DA) throughout the year. Responses EL and DA were measured in seven-point semantic differential scales, and were correlated (Spearman) to evaluate their association for different room groups. Groups were based on age, room function, façade orientation, balcony obstruction and fenestration geometry. In addition, occupants were asked which room they would choose if there had to be one underlit room. Results indicate that EL is strongly associated with DA in the overall room sample (rS = −0.588, p < .01, n = 225). The association is persistent across room groups of different characteristics, with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient ranging between −0.4 and −0.8, and not differing significantly between groups. In terms of preferences, a significantly high proportion of participants would choose the bedroom if there had to be one underlit room (62%, p < .05), while the kitchen was selected by only 5 out of 108 respondents.

Swedish daylight regulation throughout the 20th century and considerations regarding current assessment methods for residential spaces

Daylight availability for buildings has been an integral part of architecture since ancient times, yet for the vast majority of countries, criteria for daylight provision were not normative until the 20th century. This article examines the case of Sweden, where the term “daylight” first appeared in regulations in 1960, and assesses the daylight compliance of multi-dwelling buildings before and after that, in the timespan between 1920 and 2000. Firstly, the study evaluates whether the introduction of daylight criteria improved building performance. Secondly, the two current assessment methods are compared, as a disagreement was expected given that one method is formulated based on the glass-to-floor ratio scheme (GFR-method) while the other on a daylight factor scheme (DFP). Thirdly, the applicability and limitations of each method are evaluated. Results indicate that dwellings built following the introduction of daylight criteria do not necessarily outperform their predecessors. With respect to assessment methods, it was shown that the GFR-method is of limited applicability due to geometric constraints stipulated in its formulation, primarily due to the violation of the fenestration width condition. When comparing methods, the GFR-method yielded higher compliance compared to DFP, but only marginally. Eventually, the study highlights methodological flaws in the formulation of each criterion. Overall, the work contributes to knowledge supporting the development of daylight requirements for residential spaces. It provides background information suitable for planners and policy makers in their endeavors to define daylight performance criteria.

Predicting Long-Term Deformation of Soundproofing Resilient Materials Subjected to Compressive Loading: Machine Learning Approach.

Soundproofing materials are widely used within structural components of multi-dwelling residential buildings to alleviate neighborhood noise problems. One of the critical mechanical properties for the soundproofing materials to ensure its appropriate structural and soundproofing performance is the long-term compressive deformation under the service loading conditions. The test method in the current test specifications only evaluates resilient materials for a limited period (90-day). It then extrapolates the test results using a polynomial function to predict the long-term compressive deformation. However, the extrapolation is universally applied to materials without considering the level of loads; thus, the calculated deformation may not accurately represent the actual compressive deformation of the materials. In this regard, long-term compressive deformation tests were performed on the selected soundproofing resilient materials (i.e., polystyrene, polyethylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate). Four levels of loads were chosen to apply compressive loads up to 350 to 500 days continuously, and the deformations of the test specimens were periodically monitored. Then, three machine learning algorithms were used to predict long-term compressive deformations. The predictions based on machine learning and ISO 20392 method are compared with experimental test results, and the accuracy of machine learning algorithms and ISO 20392 method are discussed.

Daylight compliance of residential spaces: Comparison of different performance criteria and association with room geometry and urban density

Currently, policy makers in Sweden are considering updating building regulations with respect to daylight provision. Given this context, the present paper aims to provide insight on the level of compliance of residential spaces when tested against five daylight performance criteria. These included the criterion currently in force in Sweden, the two performance criteria set by European Standard EN17037, a daylight factor-based criterion (BREEAM) and a climate-based criterion founded on the UDI metric. Compliance was tested by performing Radiance simulations on a representative sample of Swedish multi-dwelling buildings, including 10888 rooms. The criteria were compared according to the compliance they yield for different buildings and room types. Compliance per criterion was also associated with room geometry to evaluate which geometric measures affect it most substantially, and with urban density to evaluate which criterion best captures the effect of surrounding obstructions. Results indicate that the implementation of different criteria deem different building types to be better or worse performing. A consistent finding is that the vast majority of evaluated spaces are deemed to be incompliant when tested against the daylight-factor-based criterion of EN17037, which is significantly harder to comply with compared to its climate-based counterpart. The highest compliance is achieved when testing against the current Swedish criterion. The results also indicate that the Vertical Sky Component and glass-to-floor ratio affect compliance most substantially compared to other geometric measures. Finally, when daylight compliance was associated with urban density, the strongest association was acquired when rooms were tested using the UDI criterion.

Residential electric lighting use during daytime: A field study in Swedish multi-dwelling buildings

This paper evaluates the effect of room function and orientation on daytime electric lighting use in dwellings, and the confounding role of room design aspects. A questionnaire survey was conducted in six multi-dwelling buildings including 75 apartments located in Malmö, Sweden (Latitude: 55.6 °N). Occupants were asked how often they use electric lighting during daylight hours, in three rooms of different functions, namely the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom. In a preliminary step, the behavior of occupants regarding electric lighting use was evaluated, to test whether design and orientation can affect switch-on behavior or whether it is random and unpredictable. In the next step, statistical analysis was performed to verify whether there is a relation between daytime electric lighting and room function, room orientation or both. Results indicate that electric lighting use did not vary significantly among occupants living in rooms of similar geometry, especially when living in West-oriented rooms. With respect to room function, overall it was shown that daytime electric lighting use was more frequent in kitchens. However, the study showed that electric lighting use in kitchens is associated with specific design features and not with room function per se. With respect to orientation, a consistent finding was that West-facing rooms use electric lighting less frequently compared to rooms of other orientations, and significantly less frequently compared to East-facing rooms, which can be explained by diurnal occupancy patterns characterizing residential spaces. The implications of the findings on daylight design criteria for residences are discussed.

Large-scale monitoring of operationally diverse district heating substations: A reference-group based approach

A typical district heating (DH) network consists of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of substations. In the absence of a well-understood prior model or data labels about each substation, the overall monitoring of such large number of substations can be challenging. To overcome the challenge, an approach based on the collective operational monitoring of each substation by a local group (i.e., the reference-group) of other similar substations in the network was formulated. Herein, if a substation of interest (i.e., the target) starts to behave differently in comparison to those in its reference-group, then it was designated as an outlier. The approach was demonstrated on the monitoring of the return temperature variable for atypical11Here, “atypical” means that while it does not fit the definition of a normal operation, it is not faulty either and may also have some context. and faulty operational behavior in 778 substations associated with multi-dwelling buildings. The choice of an appropriate similarity measure along with its size k were the two important factors that enables a reference-group to effectively detect an outlier target. Thus, different similarity measures and size k for the construction of the reference-groups were investigated, which led to the selection of the Euclidean distance with k=80. This setup resulted in the detection of 77 target substations that were outliers, i.e., the behavior of their return temperature changed in comparison to the majority of those in their respective reference-groups. Of these, 44 were detected due to the local construction of the reference-groups. In addition, six frequent patterns of deviating behavior in the return temperature of the substations were identified using the reference-group based approach, which were then further corroborated by the feedback from a DH domain expert.

Understanding the governance of innovative energy sharing in multi-dwelling buildings through a spatial analysis of consumption practices

In collective self-consumption (CSC) communities, citizens come together to produce renewable energy and need to find ways to organise the sharing of consumption at the (micro-)local level. The articulation between the exposure of individual practices and the collective objective of lowering consumption outside solar periods leads to dynamics of social control and privacy preservation that vary according to the nature of spaces. Observing two operations of solar energy sharing in multi-dwelling buildings, our ethnographic analysis investigates the practices of occupying different types of space – from the common to the private - as well as the scenes of discussion among individuals. In this sense, our research reveals a strong intertwining between, on the one hand, the governance of energy communities and, on the other, the spaces in which consumption practices, energy accounting and deliberation processes take place.

Large housing estates in Poland – a missing link in urban regeneration?

ABSTRACT Large housing estates (LHE) account for nearly half of the housing stock in the cities of Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The ageing of the housing stock and change in the social composition of the communities may lead to serious changes in the development of estates and pose serious challenges to the regeneration of block housing estates. This paper presents initiatives undertaken towards the regeneration of LHE in large Polish cities. A detailed description of the rehabilitation of LHE is presented using the example of Kraków, which is a city that has a large share of multi-dwelling buildings and a long history of improving the quality of life in LHE. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current state of Polish LHE in the context of ongoing urban regeneration activities. The authors present an overview of regeneration measures pursued within LHE, analysing the changes that have taken place as a result of regeneration efforts. Using the example of Kraków, they also demonstrate how large cities manage the regeneration of LHE. The authors argue that the way housing estates will develop depends largely on how the regeneration will be conducted.

Combined Environmental and Economic Assessment of Energy Efficiency Measures in a Multi-Dwelling Building

The aim of this study is to assess how different renovation scenarios affect the environmental and economic impacts of a multi-dwelling building in a Nordic climate, how these aspects are correlated and how different energy carriers affect different environmental impact categories. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union has set an agenda in order to reduce energy use in buildings. New buildings on the European market have a low replacement rate, which makes building renovation an important factor for achieving the European Union goals. In this study, eight renovation strategies were analyzed following the European Committee for Standardization standards for life cycle assessment and life cycle costs of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation and improved building envelopes. Results show that, depending on the energy carrier, reductions in global warming potential can be achieved at the expense of an increased nuclear waste disposal. It also shows that for the investigated renovation strategies in Sweden there is no correlation between the economic and the environmental performance of the building. Changing energy carriers in Sweden in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be a good alternative, but it makes the system more dependent on nuclear power.

Review of Constructions and Materials Used in Swedish Residential Buildings during the Post-War Peak of Production

One of the greatest challenges for the world today is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. As buildings contribute to almost a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, reducing the energy use of the existing building stock is an important measure for climate change mitigation. In order to increase the renovation pace, there is a need for a comprehensive technical documentation that describes different types of buildings in the existing building stock. The purpose of this study is to analyse and describe existing residential buildings in Sweden. The data are based on published reports from 1967 to 1994 that have not been publicly available in a database for other researchers to study until now. Data from the reports have been transferred to a database and analysed to create a reference for buildings and/or a description of building typology in Sweden. This study found that there is a rather large homogeneity in the existing residential building stock. However, it is not possible to use a single reference building or building technique to cover the majority of the existing buildings. In Sweden, common constructions for exterior walls in multi-dwelling buildings which should be used for further studies are insulated wood infill walls with clay brick façades, lightweight concrete walls with rendered façades and concrete sandwich walls. The most common constructions for one- and two-dwelling buildings are insulated wooden walls with clay brick façades or wooden façades. Furthermore, roof constructions with insulated tie beam and roof constructions where the tie beam is a part of the interior floor slab are frequently used and should be included in further studies.