Renovating the existing building stock: a life cycle thinking design approach

Considering Europe, the renovation of the existing building stock is getting more and more attention compared to the construction of new buildings. Indeed, a significant portion of the existing buildings has been built before the enforcement of modern standards concerning comfort, aesthetics, thermal efficiency and, especially for older buildings, seismic safety. In the case of renovation of existing buildings, it is important that the retrofit measures address most of the aforementioned issues in an integrated solution. Such measures should maximize resilience and safety and minimize the environmental impact of the intervention itself and of the operational use of buildings. A possible solution consists in carrying out the interventions mainly from the outside, minimizing the building downtime and the disturbance caused to users. The Life Cycle approach and the Performance Based Design are fundamental methodologies for such integrated renovating projects. The combined use of both methodologies maximizes the structural and energy performance of the building, while minimizing, at the same time, the environmental impact of the intervention, the overall cost of the intervention and the operational costs. The article addresses a feasibility study regarding the renovation strategies of a multi-story residential building, particularly focusing on the structural aspects. The paper also addresses the contribution in reducing the environmental footprint of the renovated building due to the reparability and sustainability of the intervention, and the disassembly, reuse or recycling of the components at the end of life. Finally, a comparison between a traditional design approach and the investigated integrated approach is presented.