How Can Scientific Literature Support Decision-Making in the Renovation of Historic Buildings? An Evidence-Based Approach for Improving the Performance of Walls

Valentina Marincioni, Virginia Gori, Ernst Jan de Place Hansen, Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa, Sara Mauri, Emanuela Giancola, Aitziber Egusquiza, Alessia Buda, Eleonora Leonardi and Alexander Rieser
Additional contact information
Valentina Marincioni: Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources (BSEER), University College London, London WC1H 0NN, UK
Virginia Gori: Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources (BSEER), University College London, London WC1H 0NN, UK
Ernst Jan de Place Hansen: Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University (AAU), 2450 Copenhagen, Denmark
Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa: Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac Research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Sara Mauri: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Emanuela Giancola: Department of Energy, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Aitziber Egusquiza: TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 48160 Derio, Spain
Alessia Buda: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC), Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Eleonora Leonardi: Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac Research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Alexander Rieser: Department of Energy-Efficient Buildings, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Buildings of heritage significance due to their historical, architectural, or cultural value, here called historic buildings, constitute a large proportion of the building stock in many countries around the world. Improving the performance of such buildings is necessary to lower the carbon emissions of the stock, which generates around 40% of the overall emissions worldwide. In historic buildings, it is estimated that heat loss through external walls contributes significantly to the overall energy consumption, and is associated with poor thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Measures to improve the performance of walls of historic buildings require a balance between energy performance, indoor environmental quality, heritage significance, and technical compatibility. Appropriate wall measures are available, but the correct selection and implementation require an integrated process throughout assessment (planning), design, construction, and use. Despite the available knowledge, decision-makers often have limited access to robust information on tested retrofit measures, hindering the implementation of deep renovation. This paper provides an evidence-based approach on the steps required during assessment, design, and construction, and after retrofitting through a literature review. Moreover, it provides a review of possible measures for wall retrofit within the deep renovation of historic buildings, including their advantages and disadvantages and the required considerations based on context.

Keywords: historic buildings; walls; building performance; retrofit measures (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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