Sustainability focused decision-making in building renovation

Abstract

An overview of recent research related to building renovation has revealed that efforts to date do not address sustainability issues comprehensively. The question then arises in regard to the holistic sustainability objectives within building renovation context. In order to deal with this question, the research adopts a multi-dimensional approach involving literature review, exploration of existing assessment methods and methodologies, individual and focus group interviews, and application of Soft Systems Methodologies (SSM) with Value Focused Thinking (VFT). In doing so, appropriate data about sustainability objectives have been collected and structured, and subsequently verified using a Delphi study. A sustainability framework was developed in cooperation with University of Palermo and Aarhus University to audit, develop and assess building renovation performance, and support decision-making during the project’s lifecycle. The paper represents the results of research aiming at addressing sustainability of the entire renovation effort including new categories, criteria, and indicators. The developed framework can be applied during different project stages and to assist in the consideration of the sustainability issues through support of decision-making and communication with relevant stakeholders. Early in a project, it can be used to identify key performance criteria, and later to evaluate/compare the pros and cons of alternative retrofitting solutions either during the design stage or upon the project completion. According to the procedure of the consensus-based process for the development of an effective sustainability decision-making framework which was employed in this study, the outcome can also be considered as an outset step intended for the establishment of a Decision Support Systems (DSS) and assessment tool suited to building renovation context

Demolition of Existing Buildings in Urban Renewal Projects: A Decision Support System in the China Context

“…Through the adoption and consolidation of previous research findings, a comprehensive initial list was collated from existing literature [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]21,33,38,[43][44][45][46][47]. The list was then refined through a series of interviews with twelve experts on urban renewal in July 2017.…”

“…The concept of sustainable development is complex, while the opinion that it emphasizes the balance among the development of economy, society, and environment has been widely accepted in urban renewal [2]. Thus, most of the studies have tried to develop a decision support system (DDS) for urban renewal from specific aspects or a synthetic perspective of sustainable development [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Although previous studies provide numerous sets of indicators and frameworks collectively, due to a lack of verification, the range of indicators and framework structures in each remains distinct and different.…”

Evaluation of the Criteria for Designating Maintenance Districts in Low-Rise Residential Areas: Urban Renewal Projects in Seoul

“…A relatively smaller number of studies examine the social impact of urban renewal projects. To encourage stakeholder participation and enrich a community's unique characteristics, the studies developed indicators reflecting the opinions of various stakeholders, such as landlords, tenants, and households [35]; the owner's tendency to sell the property [36]; and the management of the participation process [37][38][39]. In addition, in recent years, many have expressed critical perspectives on the demolition-type development taking place in East Asia [33,40] and considered indicators such as the preservation of the local environment and community [29,41,42].…”

The Role of Trans-Disciplinary Research in Sustainable Renovation

“…Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO 2 emissions in the EU, and it is predicted that 50% of the building stock that will exist in 2050 have been built before 1975 (BPIE, 2011). Therefore, the renovation of existing buildings has the potential to lead to significant energy savings, potentially reducing the EU's total energy use by 5-6% and lowering CO2 2 emissions by approximately 5% (BPIE, 2011;Kamari et al, 2017). In the building sector, knowledge of renovation is highly fragmented and difficult to access for professionals, and the production of new buildings is normative regarding innovations in materials, techniques, regulations, information, education, and training.…”