Assessing and Benchmarking a Multifunctional Plug-and-Play Façade for Building Renovation: Advantages and Limitations in the Construction Process

Grazia Marrone (), David Masip Vilà, Irene Rafols Ribas, Marta Lupi, Rocco Traini and Maria Ibañez-Puy
Additional contact information
Grazia Marrone: Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
David Masip Vilà: Department of Architectural Technology, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya—BarcelonaTech (UPC), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Irene Rafols Ribas: Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Product Innovation & Multiphysics Simulation Unit, 08290 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
Marta Lupi: R&D Department, Isopan, 37060 Trevenzuolo, Italy
Rocco Traini: R&D Department, Isopan, 37060 Trevenzuolo, Italy
Maria Ibañez-Puy: Innovation Department, Construcciones ACR, A31039746, 28002 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-29

Abstract: The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive aim to accelerate the energy transition of the European building stock; however, progress remains insufficient. Off-site construction (OSC) and industrialised systems, such as Plug-and-Play (PnP) systems, are considered pivotal towards more efficient renovation practices. In this study, a PnP facade for building renovation—developed in an H2020 EU-funded research project—has been analysed with the following objectives: (i) benchmarking and assessing the construction process with a PnP facade system through the data gathered in two renovation scenarios, and (ii) identifying advantages and limitations related to implementing the technology. Two buildings—an early adopter in Budapest and a demonstration case in Pamplona—have been selected as renovation scenarios to validate the implementation of the system, testing different levels of technological integration and prefabrication. Key findings reveal that the PnP system offers significant advantages, including streamlined installation processes and reduced on-site waste compared to a conventional ventilated façade. However, the need for high workers’ tolerance, sensitivity, and precision during installation, as well as coordination protocols, has been highlighted to ensure a smooth implementation. This research contributes to the body of research on OSC technologies for building renovation, offering practical insights towards developing more sustainable construction practices.

Keywords: off-site construction; industrialisation; building renovation; prefabrication; thermal insulation; multifunctional envelope; multi-layer dry construction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2153/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2153/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2153-:d:1603807

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().