Sustainability Perspective to Support Decision Making in Structural Retrofitting of Buildings: A Case Study

Abstract

The reuse of existing materials in buildings can give a contribution to sustainable practices such as a balance in embodied energy, water, and emission reduction. However, it is not always possible to maintain the existing structural materials because some different technical variables could hamper their usability, namely seismic reinforcement needs, fire safety protection, conservation state, and new legal requirements. The paper follows a case study approach for assessing the technical and environmental performances of structural options for old building retrofitting works. All structural options were analyzed through the results of several categories of environmental impact. Some parameters of a retrofitting management system were also used to frame in a comprehensive way the technical constraints pertaining to building retrofitting works. The structural option choice was taken by the owner with the contribution of the design team and the construction manager of the construction project as well as the results of interviews with other construction professionals, considering the variables related to technical suitability and environmental impact. The results of the study show that the steel structure is the solution that best addresses the technical constraints of the building retrofit works and minimizes environmental impact. The results of the study also suggest that the consideration of other variables other than the technical ones can contribute to the effective functioning of the renovation subsegment of the building market. Some suggestions for further studies to enhance the results of this work are put forward.

Analysis of the Energy and Economic Effects of Green Remodeling for Old Buildings: A Case Study of Public Daycare Centers in South Korea

“…Alabid et al reviewed the energy retrofitting-related policies of old buildings currently adopted in the UK to reduce GHG emissions and recommended the implementation of various policies and standards to achieve improvement in stages [21]. Oliveira et al evaluated the technical and environmental performance of structural options based on an environmental impact assessment of several categories of structural retrofitting of old buildings [22]. Vita et al examined the possibility of improving energy efficiency (U-value) using reinforcing materials in the seismic retrofitting of masonry walls for historical stone buildings in Italy [23].…”

Integrating Sustainability and Users’ Demands in the Retrofit of a University Campus in China

“…Many studies reported the efforts of HEIs in these aspects, including the realization of campus energy conservation [11,12], sustainable resource usage [13,14], environment performance [15], etc. More up-to-date research covers carbon neutralization [16,17] and near-zero energy consumption [18,19] renovation in HEI campus.…”