Sustainable Building Renovation Research Articles

Αn integrated life cycle assessment and life cycle costing approach towards sustainable building renovation via a dynamic online tool

Building stock retrofitting is essential to achieve the ambitious sustainability goals of the building sector due to its high energy consumption rates. The evaluation of the various building interventions shall be holistically assessed in terms of environmental and costing impact. The aim of this paper is twofold: First, it presents the innovative characteristics of a developed online tool (Virtual intEgrated platfoRm on LIfe cycle AnalYsis - VERIFY) able to perform dynamic life cycle analysis and global warming impact assessments by capitalizing on the well-known LCA and LCC methodologies, applicable in the case of building renovation. VERIFY is able to analyse dynamic life cycle inventories that consider the temporal profiles of energy consumption, and the time-dependent temperature changes, while being also interoperable in terms of exchanging data with other available energy simulation engines, or even using real-time monitoring data from sensors, processing any data time granulation. Second, the paper evaluates, from a life cycle perspective, the impact of specific energy retrofitting measures, meeting the Passive House Standard, for the case of a multi-family residential building in Athens, Greece. The proposed energy-retrofitting scenario examines actions related to the deep retrofitting of the building envelope and the upgrade of the thermal components as well as to the incorporation of clean electricity generation based on renewable energy systems; all aiming to drastically reduce the environmental impact of the building, rendering it almost near zero energy. Through the planned infrastructure installations, the primary energy needs and CO2eq emissions were reduced by 91 % and by 95 % respectively, while for a building operational lifespan of 25 years, savings up to 515 k€ compared to the baseline scenario, can be achieved.

The Role of Life Cycle Structural Engineering in the Transition towards a Sustainable Building Renovation: Available Tools and Research Needs

Given the current climate emergency and the ambitious targets of carbon emissions reduction, retrofitting strategies on existing buildings typically include reducing energy demand, decarbonising the power supply, and addressing embodied carbon stored in materials. This latter point redefines the role of engineers in the transitions towards a sustainable construction sector, being they responsible for designing low impact, sustainable and carbon neutral solutions. A Life Cycle Structural Engineering (LCSE) approach, inspired by the principles of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), should thus be adopted for the sustainable renovation of existing buildings. Only recently have pioneering approaches been proposed, tackling multifaceted buildings’ needs, such as those related to energy consumption as well as seismic safety, but often disregarding LCT principles. This study presents a redefinition of the concept of LCSE for sustainable construction and a comprehensive review of available methods and tools to operationalise the LCSE approach in practice, focusing on the consideration of LCT principles in the retrofitting design process, integration of seismic loss estimation and environmental impact assessment, and implementation of integrated retrofitting strategies. The greatest ambition of this work is thus to boost a paradigm shift for building engineers towards an interdisciplinary perspective in building assessment and retrofitting.

Procurement innovation as a vehicle for sustainable change – a case study of the Danish model of strategic partnerships

Purpose Efficient and effective knowledge transfer is important in complex building renovation projects. The addition of sustainability requirements in building renovation adds complexity. This paper aims to investigate the development of innovative public procurement schemes to support sustainable building renovation projects. These blueprints for procurement innovation can support similar efforts in other countries. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a longitudinal case study using interviews with primary stakeholders and workshops with industry practitioners to supplement the analysis of public tender documents from the Danish public building clients. Findings The key tenants of the Danish model for strategic partnerships are a single strategic partner, systematic conflict resolution, framework agreements, risk management and joint educational programs. Three phases in the development of the procurement scheme are identified: experiment, definition and replication. Originality/value Strategic partnerships and other types of relational contract schemes are not very prevalent in most countries. How these contracts are developed and defined is not well understood. This paper shows how one such contracting scheme is developed, how it is defined and replicated.

Indoor air quality for sustainable building renovation: A decision-support assessment system using structural equation modelling

This study scrutinized indoor air quality (IAQ) and symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) for a sustainable building renovation (SBR). A systemic review of existing literature was performed, including identification, screening, and scoping phases. This was followed by a keyword-based scientometric analysis. By further refining keywords, this tri-dimensional relationship was highlighted through cross-disciplinary knowledge interactions using a content analysis method. A network analysis map helped identify critical criteria and sub-criteria, later categorized into four clusters of governing data variables. A survey-based Relative Importance Weight (RIW) benchmark was performed for each variable, exhibiting its contribution towards attaining an efficient IAQ-SBR process. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to develop a Decision Support System (DSS). This set the system's structure incorporating four hierarchical levels of assessment for achieving an IAQ-SBR. A case study building was followed to test the proposed model in a real context. In sum, this study succeeded in (1) expanding the definition and evaluation of SBR to account for IAQ, (2) developing a DSS for assessing the sustainability of the renovation process, prioritizing actions, as well as tracking and benchmarking the effect of renovation activities on IAQ, (3) creating a comprehensive comparative and absolute assessment using variables' RIWs and loading factors. The presented approach portrayed a novel academic and industry outreach contribution that put IAQ at the heart of building renovation practices. It also showed the necessity of adopting an integrated thinking approach to account for interrelated variables for an efficient IAQ-SBR.

Sustainable building renovation in residential buildings: barriers and potential motivations in Norwegian culture

Retrofit of existing housing increases the possibility of meeting Sustainable Development Goals. Improving quality of life, minimising energy consumption and increasing productivity in buildings process with the aim of affordable housing (social, environmental, and economic sustainability) set new demands for renovation amongst residential housing in Norway. Most studies to date emphasised on mitigation of CO2 emissions in building sector through building renovations. However, recent studies started evaluating why such renovation plans may not be considered by property owners. This study investigates potential barriers and motivations for Sustainable Building Renovations (SBR) from house-owners’ perspective and discusses the role of urban Facility Management (FM) in promoting SBR. Results from a questionnaire survey with 341 citizens in Trondheim city, Norway, confirm economic issues as the main barrier for SBR with respondents suggesting different forms of financial support to resolve these barriers. Social engagement of citizens with public/private partners and neighbours illustrates the collective motivation for SBR. This requires an intermediary role like urban FM engaging citizens to co-create their needs in urban areas with public/private sectors. The output of this study helps to promote urban FM engaging with SBR targets through renovation of neighbourhoods.

Exploration of Key Commercial Space Design Indicators in High-Rise Buildings

<p>建築物越蓋越高，是一個趨勢，高層建築內的商場空間，展示了一個時間軸，隨著時間的推移轉變，本研究的目的是採用德爾菲業界專家訪談後再行用層次分析法等開發競爭因素加強高層建築內商場空間在競爭激烈的零售市場的整體表現，提供商場經營者一個挑選商場空間設計者的關鍵指標。首先，參考相關文獻並與業界專家，學者和行業實踐者進行訪談，提出競爭力指數。其次，構建層次結構以這些細節索引，並將相對權重分配給每個維度和索引。最後，計算評估數據並檢查一致性測試。本研究採用十八個不同的績效指標來證明整體競爭力指標的有效性，測試表明整體競爭力指標具有較高的建設有效性。 </p> <p> </p><p>Green economy (GE) and sustainable development (SD) have a direct and long-term impact on everyone in the society. These methods can be used to not only solve problems, such as the aging of old commercial buildings, high energy consumption, and high pollution, but also reduce the impact on the ecological environment. Therefore, we intend to explore GE and SD as solutions to transform old commercial buildings into modern commercial buildings. We can establish a standardized systematic method and address the complex problem of renovating old commercial buildings by obtaining insights and application preferences from experts and scholars throughout the world with respect to future commercial buildings. In this study, we will apply the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to obtain an effective systematic method. Further, we intend to formulate a standard sustainable commercial building renovation plan from the viewpoint of rapid and objective assessment, which can be used to evaluate various aspects, including environmental awareness, design aesthetics, and corporate responsibility and feedback, with respect to the renovation projects and processes associated with old commercial buildings. Thus, we can promote the upgradation, reduce the vacancy rate, ensure the preservation, and increase the value and rent of the commercial building assets.</p> <p> </p>

Application of a Standardized Systematic Method for the Renovation of Old Commercial Buildings

<p>綠色經濟(GE)和可持續發展(SD)對社會中的每個人都有直接且持久的影響，不但有助於我們對抗老舊商辦建築老化，高能耗、高污染所面臨的許多問題，更重要是可以減少對生態環境的影響。因此，將透過對GE和SD進行探討，作為解決老舊商辦建築整修成為適合現代化商辦建築的解決方案，經蒐集各國專家學者對未來商辦建築的見解與應用著重之面向，建立老舊商辦建築整修標準系統來解決這種複雜性問題。 本研究將應用模糊德爾菲法(FDM)與層級分析法(AHP)，建構有效的系統方法，將對老舊商辦建築整修項目及過程，能以快速且客觀評估角度，制定可持續商辦建築整修標準規劃，用於評估環保意識，設計美學及企業責任及意見反饋等構面。藉此，推動商辦建築物資產升級，除可降低空置率外，並達成建築增值保值及提升租金收益。</p> <p> </p><p>Green economy (GE) and sustainable development (SD) have a direct and long-term impact on everyone in the society. These methods can be used to not only solve problems, such as the aging of old commercial buildings, high energy consumption, and high pollution, but also reduce the impact on the ecological environment. Therefore, we intend to explore GE and SD as solutions to transform old commercial buildings into modern commercial buildings. We can establish a standardized systematic method and address the complex problem of renovating old commercial buildings by obtaining insights and application preferences from experts and scholars throughout the world with respect to future commercial buildings. In this study, we will apply the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to obtain an effective systematic method. Further, we intend to formulate a standard sustainable commercial building renovation plan from the viewpoint of rapid and objective assessment, which can be used to evaluate various aspects, including environmental awareness, design aesthetics, and corporate responsibility and feedback, with respect to the renovation projects and processes associated with old commercial buildings. Thus, we can promote the upgradation, reduce the vacancy rate, ensure the preservation, and increase the value and rent of the commercial building assets.</p> <p> </p>

Redefining the concept of sustainable renovation of buildings: State of the art and an LCT-based design framework

The sustainable renovation of existing buildings is commonly intended as the upgrade of constructions by implementing green technologies and eco-friendly materials. More recently, the concept has been broadened to include all the pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social aspects); however, it rarely encompasses structural safety, with the result that buildings renovated to be ‘more sustainable’ may remain structurally unsafe and even collapse in case of earthquake. Recent studies proposed new frameworks to include all these sustainability aspects in the building retrofit; however, these may still fail in the aim of minimizing impacts along the building life cycle and overcoming the barriers to the renovation. In this paper, a critical review of these existing methods for sustainable retrofit is firstly carried out, and the major research needs are highlighted. Trying to overcome these issues, the comprehensive concept of Sustainable Building Renovation (SBR) is introduced, addressing Life Cycle Thinking and holistic perspectives in each phase of the design. Then, an innovative SBR design framework, adopting Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods, a multi-disciplinary Performance-Based Design (PBD) approach, and expanded Life Cycle analyses, is proposed and applied to a typical European building to design and select the most sustainable retrofit option.

A Methodological Framework for Sustainable Office Building Renovation Using Green Building Rating Systems and Cost-Benefit Analysis

Sustainable development is a priority for the future of our society. Sustainable development is of particular importance to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, both for new buildings and for the renovation of existing buildings. Great potential for sustainable development lies in the renovation of existing office buildings. This paper introduces a new framework for identifying the best set of renovation strategies for existing office buildings. The framework applies selected green building rating system criteria and cost-effective sustainable renovation solutions based on cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and thus provides a novelty in decision-making support for the sustainable renovation of office buildings at an early-stage. The framework covers all necessary steps and activities including data collection, determination of the required level of renovation, selection of the green building rating system, identification of impact categories and criteria, and final evaluation and decision-making using CBA. The framework can be used in conjunction with different systems and according to different regional characteristics. The applicability of the addressing procedure is shown through a case study of a comprehensive renovation of an office building in the city of Maribor.

Potential shift of Integrated Design (ID) through BIM in Sustainable Building Renovation

Future building renovation concerns more holistic perspectives related to both integrations through the involvement of key stakeholders and fulfillment of sustainability in connection to a broader range of objectives and criteria facilitated by the renovation scenarios. This entails re-thinking, reviewing, and application of novel integrating methods and approaches through an integrated design (ID) schema, towards establishing a richer early design stage to deal with the multifaceted challenges in building renovation context. Through its technological capabilities (modeling techniques), shifting into Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a methodology for integration can be useful bringing more efficiency in (particularly the early design stage of) renovation projects by creating and adding values through the five strands of product, people, process, policy, and technology. On the basis of this underlying hypothesis, the aim of this paper is firstly to review the characteristics of ID, BIM, and their interactions on each other, and secondly to explore and address the potential shift of integrated design through BIM (ID+BIM) for sustainable building renovation. This contribution is relevant to building design researches and practitioners, who can use the resultant to better understanding and navigating the integrated design through BIM, and its potential shift in sustainable building renovation with multiple stakeholders.

Value-based decision making in the pre-design stage of sustainable building renovation projects – exploring two methods for weighting criteria

Renovating our existing building stock holds a great potential. However, as the complexity of renovation projects is high, multi-criteria decision-making methods can support the decision makers throughout the renovation process. This study explores two value-based decision-making methods: the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighting, rating and calculating (WRC), in how they support decision makers in weighting criteria in the pre-design stage of building renovation projects. Participants from a Danish municipality were given the task of applying AHP and WRC to prioritize a set of renovation criteria. Four themes were analyzed: (1) practical applicability and decision transparency, (2) reflection and learning, (3) satisfaction with the final decision and (4) comparison to the original decision process. The results indicate that applying a formal weighting method in the pre-design stage of renovation projects increases the reflection, learning, transparency and satisfaction with the group decision outcome among the participants.

From the Efficiency of Nature to Parametric Design. A Holistic Approach for Sustainable Building Renovation in Seismic Regions

Cities are growing dramatically. At the same time, we are witnessing the obsolescence of the existing building stock due to its low performance in terms of structural stability, energy efficiency and, last but not least, beauty. Especially in Italy, a highly seismic country, most of the buildings erected between the 1950s and the 1980s are not only earthquake-prone but also aesthetically unpleasant. In this perspective, the urgency of improving the existing building stock in terms of seismic vulnerability opens up the opportunity to also work on its architectural image. This article draws from the assumption that the search for beauty represents an important and often neglected dimension of the search for sustainability. In particular, the presented study suggests and combines the use of parametric design and the structural shape of steel exoskeletons to renovate a typical earthquake-prone apartment block from the 1960s in Italy. The results show that the proposed parametric approach can provide and select different effective renovation solutions.

Sustainable Building Renovation: Proposals for a Research Agenda

The purpose of this paper is to identify research gaps and potential new topics for research in relation to the management of sustainable building renovation. The paper is based on a literature review of current research on sustainable building renovation. It analyses the research to pinpoint main focus areas and strengths, as well as identifying areas of weakness and research gaps, which are seen as potential topics for new research. The emphasis is on comprehensive renovation projects of buildings with a holistic sustainability approach. The analysis focuses on the management and process aspects in relation to planning, decision-making, conducting, and evaluating renovation projects. The result is a proposal for new research topics for sustainable building renovation. The current research shows a dominating focus on developing new tools for design support and measuring environmental performance, while there is limited research on developing strategies for renovation and improving the productivity of renovation processes. Out of the three pillars of sustainability, social sustainability is the least defined, and there is a need to develop methods to make a holistic prioritization and evaluation of all aspects of sustainability.

Wood Constructions for Sustainable Building Renovation

This paper discusses the potentials of different wood constructions for the renovation and extension of existing buildings for sustainable urban renewal. The renovation and extension of existing buildings with wood constructions can contribute significantly to sustainable urban redevelopment. The renovation of building envelopes, such as façades and roofs, with highly insulated wooden components, can reduce the transmission heat losses and related heating energy demand of existing buildings significantly. The extension of existing buildings contributes to the redensification of urban areas and can create synergies with the improvement of existing buildings’ performances. The manifold advantages of specific wooden constructions can be related to different aspects, such as construction type and material properties, building execution, design, logistic and sustainability. The results of this research discuss the architectural design and planning relevant properties of specific timber construction types, such as wood frame, cross-laminated timber (CLT), massive timber, and hybrid timber-concrete, considering the properties of different soft (such as spruce) and hard (such as beech) construction timber species. Timber constructions are compared with conventional massive constructions out of concrete and steel. The results confirm the significant advantages of timber constructions regarding all aspects.

10 questions concerning sustainable building renovation

In countries all over Europe the need for building renovation is receiving increased attention. One reason for this is an ageing building stock. Another reason is the need for more environmentally sustainable buildings with reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions to limit the harmful climate impact. There is at the same time a need to upgrade many buildings to improve the quality of life – social sustainability, for instance improve indoor climate; and to increase productivity in the building process to ensure affordable housing – economic sustainability.Low productivity and frequent conflicts in the construction sector have led to an increasing interest in new forms of collaboration between the different stakeholders involved in construction projects. Development of strategic partnerships concerning a portfolio of renovation projects are seen as a promising way to achieve more sustainable building renovation for some large building clients and for companies with a high maturity in collaborative practice.There is a large number of tools for design decision support and systems for sustainability certification of buildings, but there are not many tools and systems dedicated to building renovation. Measuring the different dimensions of sustainability is a challenge. Regulations play a central role in opening the markets for sustainable building renovation through incentive schemes, building codes, etc. Although traditional approaches to energy renovation emphasize more efficient heating and lighting systems and better insulation, there is a tendency to address the challenge more holistically by emphasizing social targets.

A Tool for Sourcing Sustainable Building Renovation: The Energy Efficiency Maturity Matrix

The success of sustainable building renovation is inevitably dependent on the capabilities of the involved stakeholders throughout the entire project. Therefore, any building client with intentions of sustainable building renovations must reflect on sourcing the adequate capabilities for a sustainable renovation project. The question in focus is: how to facilitate a sourcing strategy for energy-efficient sustainable building renovation and maintenance. This study on energy efficiency implementations shows that even in developed countries like Sweden, where energy efficiency is regulated by the EU, national legislation and other public policies, the municipal facilities management organizations need process guidance to navigate in decisions regarding in-house capabilities and collaboration with external service providers. A dialogue tool for the sourcing process, the energy efficiency maturity matrix, is developed to support future sourcing processes for energy-efficient buildings as a prominent part of the broader field of sustainable building renovation and maintenance. The future will show when building clients to a larger extent will embrace sourcing strategies instead of mainly focusing on specific technical improvements. The new International standards for facilities management (ISO18480 series) might support this change process, as it includes a sourcing approach, from a strategic level to an operational level, to add more value and to optimize costs.

Sustainable building renovation for an ageing population: Decision support system through an integral assessment method of architectural interventions

One of the global challenges of the 21 st century is to guarantee adequate residential conditions for the ageing population, by regenerating obsolete urban environments. In addition to compliance with environmental policies through energy retrofitting, a sustainable urban renovation process involves ensuring optimal conditions in security, habitability, and comfort through residential adaptation to the new requirements.This research develops a new method for the analysis and decision-making process in residential retrofitting. This is an open and flexible methodology that has been applied in three reference case studies in Spain and Portugal. Starting from a technical and social diagnosis, the set of measures is analysed through multiple sustainable issues, structured into four main blocks: Technical Requirements and Peoplés demands; Constructive Process; Social benefits; and Economic revaluation.The results show the overall and detailed assessment of each measure, and a cost-benefit ratio, which informs the promoter as to ascertain the benefits and drawbacks of each measure. There are measures that exceed 80% of the maximum benefit and achieve an integral revaluation of the property value, as well as measures that exceed 50% of the benefit with investments of less than 1,000 € per dwelling, thereby achieving significant improvement in their quality of life.

Potential Solutions to Common Barriers Experienced during the Delivery of Building Renovations for Improved Energy Performance: Literature Review and Case Study

AbstractTo reduce the energy use and carbon emissions from buildings, there is a need to efficiently renovate existing buildings for improved energy performance. In response to this need, this study compares barriers and solutions for sustainable building renovation from the literature to a case study of barriers and solutions from a building renovation for improved energy performance. For example, the barrier of unforeseen conditions, affecting both cost and schedule performance, was addressed through a comprehensive building inspection guide to evaluate existing conditions and reduce risk. This barrier and solution appeared in both the literature and in the case study. Widespread adoption of the solutions presented in this study could provide more affordable renovations for improving building energy performance, and in doing so, help develop the market for building renovations to improve energy performance.

A hybrid decision support system for sustainable office building renovation and energy performance improvement

Energy consumption of buildings accounts for around 20–40% of all energy consumed in advanced countries. Over the last decade, more and more global organizations are investing significant resources to create sustainably built environments, emphasizing sustainable building renovation processes to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This study develops an integrated decision support system to assess existing office building conditions and to recommend an optimal set of sustainable renovation actions, considering trade-offs between renovation cost, improved building quality, and environmental impacts. A hybrid approach that combines A* graph search algorithm with genetic algorithms (GA) is used to analyze all possible renovation actions and their trade-offs to develop the optimal solution. A two-stage system validation is performed to demonstrate the practical application of the hybrid approach: zero-one goal programming (ZOGP) and genetic algorithms are adopted to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm. A real-world renovation project is introduced to validate differences in energy performance projected for the renovation solution suggested by the system. The results reveal that the proposed hybrid system is more computationally effective than either ZOGP or GA alone. The system's suggested renovation actions would provide substantial energy performance improvements to the real project if implemented.