Strategies for robust renovation of residential buildings in Switzerland

Alina Galimshina (), Maliki Moustapha, Alexander Hollberg, Sébastien Lasvaux, Bruno Sudret and Guillaume Habert
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Alina Galimshina: ETH Zürich, Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management (IBI), Chair of Sustainable Construction
Maliki Moustapha: ETH Zürich, Institute of Structural Engineering (IBK), Chair of Risk, Safety and Uncertainty Quantification
Alexander Hollberg: Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Sébastien Lasvaux: University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), School of Business and Management Vaud (HEIG-VD), Institute of Energies (IE)
Bruno Sudret: ETH Zürich, Institute of Structural Engineering (IBK), Chair of Risk, Safety and Uncertainty Quantification
Guillaume Habert: ETH Zürich, Institute of Construction and Infrastructure Management (IBI), Chair of Sustainable Construction

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Building renovation is urgently required to reduce the environmental impact associated with the building stock. Typically, building renovation is performed by envelope insulation and/or changing the fossil-based heating system. The goal of this paper is to provide strategies for robust renovation considering uncertainties on the future evolution of climate, energy grid, and user behaviors, amongst others by applying life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis. The study includes identifying optimal renovation options for the envelope and heating systems for building representatives from all construction periods that are currently in need of renovation in Switzerland. The findings emphasize the paramount importance of heating system replacements across all construction periods. Notably, when incorporating bio-based insulation materials, a balance emerges between environmental impact reduction and low energy operation costs. This facilitates robust, equitable, and low-carbon transformations in Switzerland and similar Northern European contexts while avoiding a carbon spike due to the embodied carbon of the renovation.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46305-9

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