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In the face of climate change, and as building codes and standards evolve to promote increased building energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprints, it is also important to ensure that buildings, especially housing, can withstand prolonged power outages during extended periods of both extreme cold and hot weather to provide habitable shelter passively. This paper examines an approach for visualizing the impact of robust passive measures in multi-unit residential buildings by examining the 'weakest links in the chain' - the suites most susceptible to underperforming - in three climatic zones: Toronto and Vancouver, Canada; and Adana, Turkey. Two time-based and thermal comfort-related metrics are explored: thermal autonomy, a measure of what fraction of the time a building can deliver comfort without supplemental active systems; and passive survivability (also termed thermal resilience), a measure of the length of time a building remains habitable following the onset of a prolonged power outage during a period of extended extreme weather. A visualization of the results of parametric building energy simulations helps guide the selection of passive architectural parameters at the early stages of design to promote enhanced environmental performance and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant lessons can be drawn from grassroots’ experiences of self-organizing to challenge the uneven distribution of resources and opportunities in cities. This paper examines the strategies of low-income dwellers living in squatted buildings in São Paulo, Brazil, and asks how resilience narratives can help one understand the agency of these micro-strategies across multiple scales. The city centre of São Paulo is a key site for housing movements to challenge spatial injustice in Brazil. In a context where housing for low-income groups is in short supply and characterized by highly skewed social and spatial distribution, squatted buildings have emerged since the 1990s as laboratories for alternative ways of producing the city. The paper draws from an action-research project investigating such occupations in São Paulo. Firstly, it explores the practices of individual and groups inhabiting a building known as Ocupação Marconi, focusing on its social production as a device for co-producing local resilience from the micro-scale. Secondly, it reflects on which forms of knowledge production might allow for putting such practices into focus, interrogating participatory action research as a means to facilitate resilience at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many new and emerging regulations and standards for buildings focus on climate change mitigation through energy and carbon reduction. In cool climates, such reductions are achieved by optimizing the building for heat retention. It is increasingly recognized, however, that some degree of climate change is now inevitable. New and existing buildings need to consider this to ensure resilience and an ability to adapt over time. In this context, the current approach to regulation that largely remains focused on the ‘point of handover’ may not be fit for purpose. This paper focuses on a ‘typical’ dwelling designed to a range of standards, representing current or emerging approaches to minimizing energy use, using a range of construction methods, where a number of adaptations are available to occupants. It considers, through the use of building performance simulation, how each configuration is likely to perform thermally over time given current climate change predictions. It is demonstrated that the current approach to assessing overheating risk in dwellings, coupled with the regulatory focus on reducing energy consumption, could result in significant levels of overheating. This overheating could, in the near future, present a risk to health and result in the need for significant interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The principle of thermal alliesthesia indicates that the hedonic character of a thermal environment is determined as much by the general state of the subject as by the environment itself. An environmental stimulus that offsets or counters a thermoregulatory load error will be pleasantly perceived, and vice versa. Extant empirical evidence supporting thermal alliesthesia only exists for instances of core temperature deviation. Yet the reconciliation of alliesthesia with contemporary neurophysiological discourse (in the previous paper in this series) renders the concept directly relevant to everyday experiences in built environments where core temperature rarely deviates from neutral values. New experimental data are presented that explore alliesthesia in non-steady-state conditions across three different physiological states: thermoneutral; the upper and lower fringes of the thermoneutral zone; and mild excursions into the sweating and shivering regulatory zones. Thirteen human subjects evaluated the hedonic tone of a sequence of temperature step-changes and ramps. It was found that the psychophysiological principle of thermal alliesthesia operates within the thermoneutral zone, making it equally relevant to quotidian indoor environments as it is to the extremes found in traditional physiological research. Non-steady-state built environments can potentially offer spatial alliesthesia through carefully managed contrasts between local and mean skin temperature trends. Transitional zones are suggested as design solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

International standards that define thermal comfort in uniform environments are based on the steady-state heat balance equation that posits ‘neutrality’ as the optimal occupant comfort state for which environments are designed. But thermal perception is more than an outcome of a deterministic, steady-state heat balance. Thermal alliesthesia is a conceptual framework to understand the hedonics of a much larger spectrum of thermal environments than the more thoroughly researched concept of thermal neutrality. At its simplest, thermal alliesthesia states that the hedonic qualities of the thermal environment are determined as much by the general thermal state of the subject as by the environment itself. A peripheral thermal stimulus that offsets or counters a thermoregulatory load-error will be pleasantly perceived and vice versa, a stimulus that exacerbates thermoregulatory load-error will feel unpleasant. The present paper elaborates the thermophysiological hypothesis of alliesthesia with a particular focus on set-point control and the origins of thermoregulatory load-error signals, and then discusses them within the broader context of thermal pleasure. Alliesthesia provides an overarching framework within which diverse and previously disconnected findings of laboratory experiments, field studies and even comfort standards spanning the last 40 years of thermal comfort research can be more coherently understood. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Low-carbon building retrofit will contribute to delivering China's policy to reduce carbon emissions. This paper proposes viable low-carbon adaptation strategies for a recurrent building type within the Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) zone. An existing 23-storey tower in Hangzhou is investigated within the context of a representative city environment. Indoor air temperatures and energy consumption were monitored across a typical floor and simulated in EnergyPlus. Outdoor and indoor airflow patterns were modelled in an advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool, FLUIDITY. Across a typical floor, observations and modelling show marked variations. Southfacing flats overheat significantly in summer largely due to solar radiation. External sun-shading structures are proposed and evaluated to counter summer overheating. An innovative wind catcher and exhaust-stack natural ventilation system is proposed to enhance indoor thermal comfort using natural ventilation. Modelling of this integrated ventilation system indicates that the proposed retrofit system will improve indoor thermal comfort even in the lower floors. The proposed building retrofit strategy is costed using locally established construction cost estimates. Predicted energy savings suggest that the adaptation strategy proposed is potentially viable with significant implications for policy-makers, developers, constructors and designers in this challenging climate zone in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public and commercial buildings tend to overheat and considerable energy is consumed by air-conditioning and ventilation. However, many occupants remain unsatisfied and consequently exhibit thermoregulatory behaviour (TRB),e.g.opening windows or controlling the air-conditioning. This, in turn, might negatively influence the building energy use. This paper hypothesizes that warmth acclimation influences thermophysiology, perception and TRB in a warm environment. Therefore, the effect of warmth acclimation on TRB, physiology and perception is investigated. Twelve participants underwent a so-called SWITCH protocol before and after warmth acclimation (7 days, 6 h/day, about 33°C, about 22% RH). During SWITCH, the participants chose between a warm (37°C) and a cold (17°C) condition. TRB was determined by the number of switches and the time spent in a specific condition. Mean skin temperature was recorded to assess behavioural thresholds. Thermal comfort and sensation were indicated on visual analogue scales (VAS). After acclimation, the upper critical behavioural threshold significantly increased from 35.2 ± 0.6 to 35.5 ± 0.5°C (p ≤ 0.05) and the range of mean skin temperatures at which no behaviour occurred significantly widened (3.6 ± 0.7 to 4.2 ± 0.6;p < 0.05). The total number of switches tended to decrease (p = 0.075). The present study is the first to show that prolonged passive exposure to warmth extends TRB thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Maintaining comfort levels while reducing energy demand in buildings in the face of climate change is a key challenge in temperate zones. Creating transitional spaces and thermal variation in buildings may offer a way forward. This paper is a study of seasonal short-term thermal transitions in the lobby areas of three higher education buildings in Sheffield, UK, involving 1749 participants, thermal comfort questionnaires and simultaneous climatic measurements. New patterns of thermal transitions were identified that significantly modified the seasonal subjects’ thermal perception, and their reactions to temperature changes. Results suggest that it could be possible to positively alter people’s thermal perception in the short- and long-term through the judicious use of lobby spaces. The use of transition zones would reduce the demand for air-conditioning and therefore reduce overall energy demand. This work also provides a reflection on the purpose of transitional spaces in historical buildings and how the implementation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) technologies has reduced the environmental diversity and the key role that transitional spaces play in providing thermal comfort in contemporary architectural design. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The comfort zone is bounded by thermal environmental conditions that may be described as acceptably cool or acceptably warm, and engineering out of existence these innocuous thermal conditions on the fringes of the adaptive comfort range may not be necessary. In contrast to the conventional understanding of local discomfort, spatial alliesthesia exploits corrective differences in the rate of change in skin temperature between individual body segments to elicit positive affective sensations. This paper examines reverse instances of local discomfort, or spatial alliesthesia, from warm contact stimuli applied to hand and feet when exposed to ambient conditions towards the lower margin of the comfort zone. It was found that subjects with moderate feelings of displeasure or even indifference were still capable of experiencing a pleasant response to localized thermal stimuli. Brief whole-body thermal pleasure was observed fromin-situskin temperature changes at a single distal body site. These effects were subtle and not universally experienced, so the success of their deliberate implementation in built environments depends heavily on some form of individual control. Spatial alliesthesia therefore complements the body of literature investigating personal environmental control and local thermal discomfort by providing a theoretical framework of thermal perception in non-neutral environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It might be assumed that buildings with active mechanical heating/cooling systems will have a narrower indoor temperature range than those without: that the indoor temperature will be adjusted by the system to reflect the needs of occupants, which are approximately the same for all. This assumption is critically examined through the records of indoor temperatures and comfort in domestic buildings in Japan, England and Saudi Arabia, with less complete data from Russia, China, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal and New Zealand. Evidence is presented here from a number of surveys in domestic buildings. This suggests that in mechanically controlled buildings there can be a wide range of indoor conditions. These results with buildings are then compared with free-running buildings. It is found that the temperature range in these is often smaller. This discrepancy from normal assumptions is explained using the adaptive approach, considering mechanical systems as a powerful adaptive opportunity used by dwelling inhabitants to suit the indoor conditions to their own diverse climates, buildings and lifestyles. The results suggest that existing guidelines for indoor temperatures in dwellings are inappropriate and could be more flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drawing on a thematic analysis of relevant policy documents, an apparent disconnect is identified between two associated contemporary UK policy areas: planning for heatwaves and community resilience. Regional and national policy documents that plan for heatwaves in the UK tend to focus on institutional emergency responses and infrastructure development. In these documents, although communities are mentioned, they are understood as passive recipients of resilience that is provided by active institutions. Meanwhile, contemporary discussion about community resilience highlights the potential for involving communities in planning for and responding to emergencies (although the concept is also the subject of critique). To improve heatwave preparation, planning and response, more effort by central and local governments is required to articulate and realize greater participation by individuals, and voluntary and community sector groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are responsible for up to 70% of global carbon emissions and 75% of global energy consumption. By 2050 it is estimated that 70% of the world's population will live in cities. The critical challenge for contemporary urbanism, therefore, is to understand how to develop the knowledge, capacity and capability for public agencies, the private sector and multiple users in city-regions (i.e.the city and its wider hinterland) to re-engineer systemically their built environment and urban infrastructure in response to climate change and resource constraints. To inform transitions to urban sustainability, key stakeholders' perceptions were sought though a participatory backcasting and scenario foresight process in order to illuminate challenging but realistic socio-technical scenarios for the systemic retrofit of core UK city-regions. The challenge of conceptualizing complex urban transitions is explored across multiple socio-technical ‘regimes’ (housing, non-domestic buildings, urban infrastructure), scales (building, neighbourhood, city-region), and domains (energy, water, use of resources) within a participatory process. The development of three archetypal ‘guiding visions’ of retrofit city-regional futures developed through this process are discussed, along with the contribution that such foresight processes might play in ‘opening up’ the governance and strategic navigation of urban sustainability. Les villes sont responsables de près de 70 % des émissions mondiales de carbone et 75 % de la consommation mondiale d’énergie. L'on estime que 70 % de la population mondiale vivra dans les villes en 2050. Le défi crucial pour l'urbanisme contemporain est par conséquent de comprendre comment développer les connaissances, les capacités et les aptitudes qui permettront aux organismes publics, au secteur privé et aux multiples utilisateurs dans les villes-régions (c'est-à-dire la ville élargie à son arrière-pays) de remanier de manière systémique leur cadre bâti et leurs infrastructures urbaines en réponse au changement climatique et aux contraintes en matière de ressources. Afin de documenter les transitions vers la durabilité urbaine, les perceptions des principales parties prenantes ont été recherchées via un processus participatif utilisant le backcasting [analyse rétrospective normative] et la prospective par scénarios de manière à apporter un éclairage sur des scénarios sociotechniques difficiles mais réalistes pour la rénovation systémique des villes-régions situées au cœur du Royaume-Uni. Le défi d'une conceptualisation de transitions urbaines complexes est examiné à travers une multiplicité de « régimes » sociotechniques (logements, bâtiments non résidentiels, infrastructures urbaines), d’échelles (bâtiment, quartier, ville-région), et de domaines (énergie, eau, utilisation des ressources) dans le cadre d'un processus participatif. Il est discuté du développement de trois « visions directrices » archétypales de l'avenir des villes-régions en matière de rénovation, élaborées à travers ce processus, ainsi que de la contribution que de tels processus prospectifs pourraient apporter en termes d’« ouverture » concernant la gouvernance et le pilotage stratégique de la durabilité urbaine. Mots clés:adaptation, villes, changement climatique, rénovation, durabilité, transitions, urbain, visions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that adaptation influences how people experience indoor conditions (ICs), and that the built environment influences both adaptation, via perceived control, and well-being. Their interlinkage is, however, not well understood. Therefore, we investigated how the design of hospital rooms can contribute to patients' well-being by supporting their adaptation of and to ICs via perceived control. Two mixed methods case studies were conducted at hospital wards in Belgium, each concurrently collecting qualitative and quantitative data. These included interviews with 16 (case 1) and 19 (case 2) patients, self-documentation by 8 patients (case 1), sensor measurements of indoor environmental quality indicators (e.g. sound, light, and temperature levels) (cases 1 and 2) and questionnaires among 84 (case 1) and 238 (case 2) patients. Focusing on the built environment's role in adaptation allows characterizing known adaptation strategies in more detail. When perceiving control over adaptable building characteristics, patients can adapt ICs or adapt to ICs by choice. When not perceiving such control, they may still adapt sensations or their position. Without any perceived control, adapting to ICs is imposed. The built environment can support patients' adaptation by supporting their autonomy and competences. In this way it can foster both patients' eudaimonic as well as their hedonic well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary considers the recent Building Research & Information special issue titled 'Comfort in a Lower Carbon Society' and what it suggests about how to conduct contextual studies of thermal comfort. Firstly, consideration is given to the places within which comfort is examined and how research might beneficially trespass beyond the borders of the building to explore how lifestyles combine various places with a range of social expectations and techniques for managing personal temperature. Secondly, the suggestion is that whilst it could be worthwhile to examine various lifestyles, contextually sensitive researchers must select the groups they study carefully and acknowledge the limitations associated with this choice. Thirdly, it considers which practical methods are most appropriate for this line of research and how existing approaches could be supplemented by techniques currently uncommon in this field. The overall argument is that qualitative approaches with groups of current users could identify the most sensitive ways of steering societies towards more sustainable thermal futures. Ce commentaire analyse le recent numero special de Building Research & Information intitule « Le confort dans une societe sobre en carbone » et ce qu'il suggere sur la facon de mener des etudes contextuelles du confort thermique. L'auteur s'interesse tout d'abord aux lieux ou le confort est examine et comment la recherche pourrait avantageusement depasser les frontieres du batiment pour voir comment les styles de vie combinent divers lieux avec une gamme d'attentes sociales et de techniques pour gerer la temperature personnelle. Puis, alors qu'il pourrait etre interessant d'examiner divers styles de vie, il suggere que les chercheurs sensibles au contexte selectionnent des groupes qu'ils etudient avec soin et reconnaissent les limites associees a ce choix. Enfin, il considere les methodes pratiques qui seraient les plus appropriees pour cette ligne de recherche et comment les approches existantes pourraient etre completees par des techniques qui sont actuellement rares dans ce domaine. L'argument general est que les approches qualitatives avec des groupes d'utilisateurs actuels pourraient jouer un role utile dans l'identification des solutions les plus judicieuses pour diriger les societes vers un avenir thermique plus durable. Mots cles: adaptation, agence, confort, societe sobre en carbone, satisfaction de l'occupant, methodes qualitatives, consommation durable [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green and the subsequent sustainable building movements have been framed by changing societal contexts. Their main focus has been on the design of new buildings. However, these movements have neglected the life span of existing buildings and the long-term management of building stocks. The reasons why are considered: the changing interpretations of sustainability, the evolution of different forms of tacit knowledge, lack of a metabolic framework covering the built environment and lack of a consistent multi-scale building information modelling (BIM). The transition toward a ‘risk society’, with an increasing diversity and frequency of threats, challenges the current optimistic definition of sustainability. Resilience addresses fast- and slow-moving threats that can lead to unknown consequences and new risks. Alternative planning approaches (e.g. scenario planning, adaptive change and resilience heuristics) are discussed. The differences between anticipation- and resilience-based strategies are considered. Possible heuristics can be found in social-ecological systems, in resilience engineering and in the historic evolution of the built environment. Resilient solutions generally lead to a higher level of complexity and carry additional environmental costs. In the creation of resilience capacity, new knowledge will be co-produced through transdisciplinary research, scenario planning and design experiments under conditions of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the seasonal adaptation to temperature that occurs in Japanese offices, with a view to suggesting an adaptive model for them. Temperatures were measured in 11 office buildings and thermal comfort transverse surveys of occupants were conducted for over a year in the Tokyo and Yokohama areas of Japan. A total of 4660 samples were collected from about 1350 people. The occupants were found to be highly satisfied with the thermal environment in their offices. Even though the Japanese government recommends the indoor temperature setting of 28°C for cooling and 20°C for heating, the comfort globe temperature was found to be 2.6°C lower in cooling mode and 4.3°C higher in heating mode, in line with actual indoor temperatures. The monthly and seasonal variation in the comfort temperature was found to be significantly lower than those in dwellings. The comfort temperature is related primarily to the indoor temperature, but an adaptive relationship can be derived to estimate the indoor comfort temperature from the prevailing outdoor temperature for similar office buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Increasing reliance on air-conditioning to improve summertime comfort in dwellings results in higher energy bills, peak electricity demand and environmental issues. In pursuit of social equity, society needs to develop ways of improving cooling that are less reliant on air-conditioning. Designing homes to emphasize adaptive thermal comfort can reduce this reliance, particularly when combined with improved dwelling thermal performance. A multi-method evaluation of 10 low-income dwellings in the state of Victoria in Australia is presented, including low-energy and ‘standard-performance’ houses. The combination of performance monitoring and householder interviews reveals new insights for achieving summertime comfort. The low-energy houseswithoutair-conditioning were both measured and perceived as more comfortable than the ‘standard-performance’ houseswithair-conditioning. The low-energy households achieved improved personal thermal comfort through a combination of improved fabric performance augmented with adaptive comfort activities (e.g., opening/closing windows). This outcome reduces reliance on air-conditioning, reduces living costs and energy consumption, and improves environmental outcomes. There is a need to integrate lessons from adaptive thermal comfort theory and strategies into minimum building performance requirements and standards, as well as wider design strategies. It is evident that adaptive comfort has a role to play in a transition to a low-carbon housing future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overheating risk in flats (apartments) retrofitted to energy-efficient standards has been identified by previous studies as one that is particularly high. With climate change and rising mean temperatures this is a growing concern. There is a need to understand the kinds of practices, learning and interventions adopted by the occupants of individual homes to try to reduce overheating, as this area is poorly understood and under-researched. This case study focuses on the impact of different home-use practices in relation to the severity of overheating in 18 flats in one tower block in northern England. Internal temperatures monitored in comparable flats show that the percentage of time spent above the expected category II threshold of thermal comfort according to BS EN 15251 can differ by over 70%. Extensive monitoring, covering a full year, including two summer periods, has identified emergent changes in heatwave practices linked with increased home-use skills and understanding among the research participants. Close analysis of design intentions versus reality has identified key physical barriers and social learning opportunities for appropriate adaptation in relation to heatwaves. Recommendations for designers and policy-makers are highlighted in relation to these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As extreme heat and weather events are predicted to increase due to global warming, the risk of human heat stress within buildings will increase. To be resilient, buildings will need the capacity to provide habitable indoor conditions without power for limited amounts of time. Additional indoor thermal standards are required for public health to address ‘passive habitability’ during power outages. Current research on building-related heat stress and numerous heat indices is examined in relation to the development of a new heat-safety metric for use in passively conditioned buildings. Most indoor overheating research relies on outdoor temperature data and has no common indoor heat index for evaluating indoor heat stress. A recommendation is made for using the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and predicted heat strain (PHS) indices for modelling and monitoring of indoor heat stress in healthy adult populations because both indices utilize the primary thermoregulation variables, have associated heat-stress thresholds, and can be assessed or tracked with existing environmental monitoring methods and predictive energy modelling techniques. Further research is recommended on health effects and exposure limits of vulnerable populations, and the variation in thermal factors within buildings and the building stock. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The building industry needs a fundamental paradigm shift in its notion of comfort, to find low-energy ways of creating more thermally dynamic and non-uniform environments that bring inhabitants pleasure. Strategies for providing enriched thermal environments must be conjoined with reducing energy; these are inseparable for any building striving for high performance. The objective of current comfort standards is to have no more than 20% of occupants dissatisfied, yet buildings are not reaching even that scant goal. A significant energy cost is incurred by the current practice of controlling buildings within a narrow range of temperatures (often over-cooling in the summer). If building designers and operators can find efficient ways to allow building temperatures to float over a wider range, while affording occupants individual control of comfort, the potential for energy savings is enormous. Five new ways of thinking, or paradigm shifts, are presented for designing or operating buildings to provide enhanced thermal experiences. They are supported by examples of research conducted by the Center for the Built Environment, and include shifts from centralized to personal control, from still to breezy air movement, from thermal neutrality to delight, from active to passive design, and from system disengagement to improved feedback loops. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The potential levels of exposure to indoor overheating in an urban environment are assessed for vulnerable social housing residents. Particular focus is given to the synergistic effects between summertime ventilation behaviour, indoor temperature and air pollutant concentration in relation to energy retrofit and climate change. Three different types of social housing are investigated (1900s’ low-rise, 1950s’ mid-rise and 1960s’ high-rise). The case study dwellings are located in Central London and occupied by vulnerable individuals (elderly and/or people suffering from ill-health or mobility impairment). Indoor temperature monitoring suggests that occupants are already exposed to some degree of overheating; the highest levels of overheating occur in 1960s’ high-rise tower blocks. The thermal and airflow performance simulation of a mid-floor flat in the 1960s’ block under the current and projected future climate indicates that improved natural ventilation strategies may reduce overheating risk to a certain extent, with night cooling and shading being slightly more effective than all-day rapid ventilation. However, their potential may be limited in future due to high external temperatures and the undesired ingress of outdoor pollutants. This highlights the need for the development of combined strategies aiming to achieve both indoor thermal comfort and air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Four adaptation options for ‘Nightingale’-type hospital ward buildings devised with practising clinicians are presented and evaluated. The adaptations recover functionality in an archaic ward configuration by delivering care to current UK National Health Service (NHS) models whilst preserving resilience to summer overheating. The investigation builds on recent work that demonstrates the significant resilience to heatwaves enjoyed by such traditionally constructed communal dormitories, the dominant UK hospital type between the late 1850s and 1939. Nightingale wards are potentially well-ventilated naturally, with good dilution of airborne pathogens. Although condemned as outdated by health ministers in recent years, many remain in use. As financial retrenchment suggests economical, creative refurbishment of hospitals will be required rather than new-build and replacement, the authors argue for health estates’ strategies that place value on resilience in a changing climate. Proposed adaptation options are investigated to assess resulting internal airflows and patient exposure to airborne pathogens. Options are costed and payback periods calculated to the standard public sector methodology. The proposed adaptations save time and cost over new-build equivalents. Selection of the most appropriate option is dependent on the characteristics of the patient cohort and care required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way of adapting and reusing vacant office buildings is conversion into housing. Former research has shown possibilities for this type of conversion, and has delivered instruments for determining the conversion potential of vacant offices. Although adaptation and renovation of outdated offices can prove to be a successful property (real estate) strategy, conversions into housing still only occur on a small scale. There are several reasons for this, including uncertainty about financial feasibility and little knowledge about the opportunities and risks of building conversions. A meta-study of the conversion of 15 office buildings into housing in the Netherlands is used to reveal the drivers for office-to-housing conversions as well as the opportunities and risks that arise in the conversion process. The findings show that various legal, financial, technical, functional and architectonic issues define the opportunities and risks of building conversions. These insights can be used to support the decision-making processes for dealing with vacant office buildings in order to minimize the risks and increase the opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The urban realm is changing rapidly and becoming increasingly interconnected across continents, and across contrasting types of land covers, while at the same time facing new environmental threats and experiencing new demographic and social pressures. The urban component of the global ecosystem can be made more sustainable by incorporating the ecological understanding of resilience into the discourse. Sustainability is seen as a social, normative goal, which can be promoted using the mechanisms of ecological resilience. Ecological resilience differs from engineering resilience. Ecological resilience emphasizes the capacity of a site to adjust to external shocks and changes in controlling interactions, while engineering resilience emphasizes its ability to return to a state that existed before perturbation. Ecological resilience is particularly appropriate to urban systems, given the extent and open-ended nature of the changes and challenges they face. Adaptive processes are explored as contributions to the achievement of a successful adaptive cycle in urban socio-ecological systems. Key tools for incorporating the ecological thinking about resilience into the social discourse include landscape or patch ecology, the novel idea of the metacity, an assessment of ecological and design models, and the use of designs as experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The majority of the English population lives in suburbs and this is where the impacts of climate change will significantly affect people's domestic lives: heat stress, respiratory problems, flooding, drought, deterioration of green spaces and damage from storms. A recognized need exists to adapt suburbs (homes, gardens and public space) physically to mitigate against further climate change and to adapt to inevitable weather patterns. A number of potential adaptation options, addressing different risks, are identified and tested using a range of methods, including modelling, and workshops with residents and professional and institutional stakeholders. The ‘best’ solutions are those that reduce the climate risk within the context of local adaptive capacity. Solutions are effective, acceptable and feasible given the type of suburb; its location; microclimate; housing type; the climate risk it faces; the socio-economic composition of its residents and their attitudes; resources; and governance conditions. It is essential to consider both the totality of the suburban environment and the combined effects of mitigation and adaptation measures. However, the biggest challenge is implementation which entails a better understanding of the problem by a range of stakeholders, a more supportive policy context, more resources, and clearer responsibilities. La majeure partie de la population anglaise vit dans les banlieues et c'est là que les effets du changement climatique affecteront considérablement la vie familiale des gens : stress thermique, problèmes respiratoires, inondations, sécheresses, détérioration des espaces verts et dommages causés par les orages. Il existe une nécessité reconnue d'adapter physiquement les banlieues (habitations, jardins et espaces publics) afin d'atténuer la progression du changement climatique et de s'adapter aux conditions météorologiques inévitables. Un certain nombre d'options d'adaptation possibles, répondant à des risques différents, sont identifiées et testées en utilisant un éventail de méthodes, dont la modélisation, et des ateliers avec les résidents et les parties prenantes professionnelles et institutionnelles. Les «meilleures» solutions sont celles qui réduisent le risque climatique dans le cadre des capacités d'adaptation locales. Les solutions se montrent efficaces, acceptables et faisables en fonction du type de banlieue; de sa situation; du microclimat; du type de logements; du risque climatique auquel la banlieue est exposée; de la composition socioéconomique de ses résidents et de leurs attitudes; des ressources; et des conditions de gouvernance. Il est essentiel de prendre en considération à la fois la totalité de l'environnement suburbain et les effets combinés des mesures d'atténuation et d'adaptation. Néanmoins, le plus gros défi est la mise en œuvre, ce qui implique une meilleure compréhension du problème par un large éventail de parties prenantes, des politiques créant un contexte de soutien accru, des ressources plus importantes, et des responsabilités clarifiées. Mots clés:adaptation, cadre bâti, changement climatique, quartier, surchauffe, politique d'urbanisme, rénovation, banlieues [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the impacts of climate change become more prominent within the next 50 years and beyond, the risk of overheating in homes is a concern. This is specifically relevant in the UK's suburbs where 84% of the population reside. To assess this future impact and the effectiveness of adaptive retrofitting, probabilistic climate change data for the 2030s and 2050s are used to assess the overheating risk in six suburban house archetypes in three cities in the UK: Bristol, Oxford and Stockport. The risks of overheating in typical constructions are assessed and the possibility of preventing overheating through the use of adaptation packages is evaluated through dynamic thermal simulation. Homes in Oxford show the greatest risk of overheating. The most effective (passive) package for tackling future overheating tends to combine fabric improvements and internal heat gain reduction. To assist planners and policy-makers in assessing and preventing overheating risk at a stock level, this adaptation package is further evaluated in selected neighbourhoods across the three case study cities, using the geographical information system (GIS)-based DECoRuM-Adapt (Domestic Energy, Carbon Counting and Carbon Reduction Model) model. The implications for public policy are that the existing housing stock must be future-proofed for a warming climate, particularly retrofit programmes (e.g.the Green Deal) and any upgrading of building regulations. Etant donné que les répercussions du changement climatique vont devenir de plus en plus importantes au cours des cinquante prochaines années et au-delà, le risque de surchauffe dans les habitations constitue un sujet de préoccupation. Ceci revêt une pertinence particulière dans les banlieues du Royaume-Uni dans lesquelles réside 84 % de la population. Afin d'évaluer cet impact futur et l'efficacité du réaménagement adaptatif, les données probabilistes relatives au changement climatique pour les années 2030 et 2050 sont utilisées pour évaluer le risque de surchauffe dans six archétypes de maisons suburbaines situés dans trois villes du Royaume-Uni : Bristol, Oxford et Stockport. Les risques de surchauffe dans des constructions types sont évalués et la possibilité de prévenir l'excès de chaleur par le recours à des trains de mesures d'adaptation est évaluée au moyen d'une simulation thermique dynamique. Les habitations situées à Oxford présentent le plus grand risque de surchauffe. Les mesures (passives) les plus efficaces pour s'attaquer aux futurs excès de chaleur tendent à combiner les améliorations apportées à l'enveloppe des bâtiments et une réduction interne du gain de chaleur. Afin d'aider les planificateurs et les décideurs à évaluer et à prévenir le risque de surchauffe au niveau du parc bâti, cet ensemble de mesures d'adaptation est évalué de manière plus poussée dans des quartiers sélectionnés sur les trois villes faisant l'objet de l'étude de cas, en utilisant le modèle DECoRuM-Adapt (Domestic Energy, Carbon Counting and Carbon Reduction Model – modèle d'énergie domestique, de comptabilisation du carbone, et de réduction du carbone), basé sur un système d'information géographique (SIG). Les implications pour les politiques publiques sont que la pérennité future du parc de logements existant doit être assurée en termes de réchauffement climatique, en recourant en particulier à des programmes de réaménagement (par ex. le New Deal vert) et à toute mise à jour de la réglementation du bâtiment. Mots clés:adaptation, changement climatique, logement, atténuation, surchauffe, réaménagement, suburbain [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal summertime temperatures measured in 268 homes in Leicester, UK, are reported. The hourly data were collected from living rooms and bedrooms during the summer of 2009. Some household interviews were conducted. The sample of homes was statistically representative of the socio-technical characteristics of the city's housing stock. The data provide insight into the influence of house construction, energy system usage, and occupant characteristics on the incidence of elevated temperatures and thermal discomfort. The warmest homes were amongst the 13% that were heated. Significantly more of these had occupants aged over 70 years who are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures. The national heatwave plan might usefully caution against summertime heating. Temperatures in the 230 free-running homes were analysed using both static criteria and criteria associated with the BSEN15251 adaptive thermal comfort model. These indicated that flats tended to be significantly warmer than other house types. Solid wall homes and detached houses tended to be significantly cooler. It is argued that adaptive criteria provide a valuable and credible framework for assessing internal temperatures in free-running UK homes. However, the temperatures in the Leicester homes were much lower than anticipated by the BSEN15251 model. Numerous possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Il est rendu compte des températures estivales intérieures mesurées dans 268 logements de Leicester, au Royaume-Uni. Les données horaires ont été recueillies dans les salles de séjour et les chambres pendant l'été 2009. Il a été procédé à des entretiens dans un certain nombre de foyers. L'échantillon de logements était statistiquement représentatif des caractéristiques sociotechniques du parc de logements de la ville. Les données fournissent des enseignements sur l'influence qu'exercent la construction des logements, l'utilisation du système d'énergie et les caractéristiques des occupants sur l'incidence des températures élevées et de l'inconfort thermique. Les logements les plus chauds ont été trouvés dans les 13 % qui étaient chauffés. Un nombre sensiblement plus important de ceux-ci avaient des occupants de plus de 70 ans qui sont particulièrement vulnérables aux températures élevées. Le plan national canicule pourrait utilement mettre en garde contre le chauffage en période estivale. Les températures dans les 230 logements permettant une gestion autonome du chauffage ont été analysées en utilisant à la fois des critères statiques et les critères associés au modèle de confort thermique adaptatif BSEN15251. Ceux-ci ont indiqué que les appartements avaient tendance à être nettement plus chauds que les autres types de logements. Les logements à murs pleins et les maisons individuelles avaient tendance à être sensiblement plus frais. Il est fait valoir que les critères adaptatifs fournissent un cadre utile et crédible pour l'évaluation des températures intérieures dans les logements britanniques permettant une gestion autonome du chauffage. Cependant, les températures des logements de Leicester étaient nettement inférieures à celles anticipées par le modèle BSEN15251. Il est discuté des nombreuses raisons pouvant expliquer cette différence. Mots clés:adaptation, changement climatique, stress thermique, vague de chaleur, logements, surchauffe, été, mesure de la température, confort thermique, R-U [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global temperatures may increase due to climate change, so would energy use for building heating and cooling. Additionally, energy prices fluctuate in relation to climate change socio-economic impacts and related policies, which in turn further influence future building operational costs. A new method is presented to consider climate change and future energy price scenarios for institutional building owners to compare investment options for various energy conservation measures related to heating and cooling. Heating and cooling energy use are predicted for office buildings in Boston (Massachusetts) and Phoenix (Arizona) using a range of different climate change and energy price scenarios. The results allow building owners (1) to understand building performance under a spectrum of possible futures, and (2) to determine the associated risk ranges present when choosing between design solutions. For the example buildings, it is shown that a financial payback of 15 years is possible for an advanced retrofitting strategy in Phoenix; this compares favourably with the 18-year payback calculated while ignoring climate change. Cumulative energy costs over 70 years and peak loads by 2050 are predicted to more than double for the Phoenix baseline model, whereas the advanced design all but eliminates that cost increase. Dès lors que les températures mondiales augmenteraient en raison du changement climatique, il en irait de même de la consommation dénergie pour le chauffage et le refroidissement des immeubles. En outre, les prix de lénergie fluctuent en fonction des incidences socioéconomiques du changement climatique et des politiques connexes, qui à leur tour influent davantage encore sur les coûts dexploitation futurs des immeubles. Une nouvelle méthode est présentée pour prendre en compte les scénarios relatifs au changement climatique et aux prix futurs de lénergie afin que les propriétaires institutionnels dimmeubles puissent comparer les options dinvestissement en fonction des différentes mesures déconomie dénergie relatives au chauffage et au refroidissement. Des prévisions sont établies concernant la consommation dénergie pour le chauffage et le refroidissement dans des immeubles de bureaux situés à Boston (Massachusetts) et à Phoenix (Arizona) en utilisant un éventail de scénarios différents en matière de changement climatique et de prix de lénergie. Les résultats permettent aux propriétaires dimmeubles (1) de comprendre les performances de leurs immeubles en fonction dun éventail de futurs possibles, et (2) de déterminer les plages de risques associés présentes lorsquils ont à choisir entre les différentes solutions de conception. Sagissant des immeubles pris en exemple, il est montré quun retour sur investissement financier de 15 ans est possible avec une stratégie de rénovation avancée à Phoenix; cela soutient favorablement la comparaison avec le retour sur investissement de 18 ans calculé en faisant abstraction du changement climatique. Il est prévu que les coûts énergétiques cumulés sur 70 ans et les pointes de consommation dici à 2050 feront plus que doubler pour le modèle de base de Phoenix, alors que la conception avancée éliminera pratiquement cette hausse des coûts. Mots clés:économie du bâtiment, performances des bâtiments, rénovations dimmeubles, changement climatique, modélisation énergétique, options réelles, incertitude [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swarm planning is a theory and practical approach to deal with uncertain futures. By anticipating scenarios such as a ‘post-carbon’ world and a ‘pre-adaptive’ landscape, it offers an alternative pathway to prepare for medium-term incremental and step changes. The focus is on the regional scale with a planning process to move from an unstable state (i.e. due to external impacts of climate change) towards a state of higher adaptive capacity. It increases the flexibility of spatial systems in two ways: assisting change in spatial land use over time; and catalysing the emergence of autonomous and more resilient developments. Swarm planning theory is used in two pilot designs and compared with regular planning processes. The results are presented in the form of new landscapes: the ‘Zero-Fossil Region’, where the design provides a spatial framework for a complete renewable energy supply, and the ‘Net Carbon Capture Landscape’, in which adaptation and mitigation strategies are designed to become carbon positive. The comparison illuminates the potential advantage of swarm planning to tackle climate change threats. La planification en essaims est une théorie et une approche pratique visant à traiter des avenirs incertains. Au moyen de scénarios prospectifs tels que celui d'un monde « post-carbone » et d'un paysage « préadaptatif », elle offre une voie alternative pour se préparer à des changements progressifs ou radicaux à moyen terme. L'accent est mis sur l’échelle régionale, avec un processus de planification permettant de passer d'un état instable (c'est-à-dire dû aux incidences extérieures du changement climatique) à un état présentant une plus grande capacité adaptative. Cela accroît de deux manières la flexibilité des systèmes spatiaux : en favorisant le changement dans l'utilisation spatiale des terrains au fil du temps; et en catalysant l’émergence de développements autonomes et plus résilients. La théorie de la planification en essaims est utilisée dans deux conceptions pilotes et comparée aux processus de planification habituels. Les résultats sont présentés sous la forme de nouveaux paysages : la « Région Zéro Energie Fossile », dans laquelle la conception fournit un cadre spatial permettant un approvisionnement énergétique entièrement renouvelable, et le « Paysage à Séquestration Nette de Carbone », dans lequel des stratégies d'adaptation et d'atténuation sont conçues pour assurer un bilan carbone positif. Cette comparaison se révèle éclairante quant à l'avantage potentiel de la planification en essaims pour s'attaquer aux menaces posées par le changement climatique. Mots clés: adaptation capacité adaptative cadre bâti résilience conception spatiale planification en essaims incertitude [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the economic and environmental life cycle impacts of long-lasting construction projects presents numerous methodological challenges. Three advances over established methods are presented for the life cycle evaluation of construction projects. First, future uncertainty during the project life or study period is explicitly accounted for. This involves moving from a deterministic approach requiring precise data to a probabilistic approach where uncertain variables are defined by ranges. The outcome of life cycle evaluation is then given by probability distributions, generated by Monte Carlo simulation. Second, flexible strategies are considered that allow for adaptation to changing conditions during the project life. Flexible strategies (also modelled by Monte Carlo simulation) incorporate specified ‘life cycle options’ which are exercised if it is advantageous to do so, otherwise they remain unexercised. Third, cost-based life cycle costing (LCC) and environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) are linked in a single LCC+A evaluation tool. There are still differences between cost and environmental evaluation, but the use of a shared framework enables the two aspects to be compared systematically. The two-dimensional ‘ecoportfolio’ diagram presents one way of analysing results. The innovations are demonstrated in a case study that assesses both economic and environmental impacts while accounting for future uncertainties. L’évaluation des incidences économiques et environnementaux du cycle de vie des projets de construction de longue durée présente de nombreux problèmes méthodologiques. Il est présenté trois avancées par rapport aux méthodes établies concernant l’évaluation du cycle de vie des projets de construction. En premier lieu, est explicitement prise en compte l'incertitude future pendant la durée de vie du projet ou la période d’étude. Ceci implique de passer d'une approche déterministe nécessitant des données précises à une approche probabiliste dans laquelle les variables incertaines sont définies par des plages. Le résultat de l’évaluation du cycle de vie est ensuite donné par des distributions de probabilités, générées par la méthode de simulation de Monte-Carlo. En second lieu, il est envisagé des stratégies flexibles qui permettent l'adaptation à des conditions changeantes pendant la durée de vie du projet. Ces stratégies flexibles (également modélisées par une simulation de Monte-Carlo) intègrent des « options de cycle de vie » spécifiées qui sont levées s'il est avantageux de le faire, et qui sinon demeurent non levées. En troisième lieu, l'estimation du coût du cycle de vie (LCC) basée sur les coûts et l’évaluation environnementale du cycle de vie (LCA) sont liées dans un outil unique d’évaluation LCC+A. Il existe encore des différences entre l'estimation du coût et l’évaluation environnementale, mais l'utilisation d'un cadre partagé permet de comparer systématiquement ces deux aspects. Le schéma bidimensionnel de « l’éco-portefeuille » présente une manière d'analyser les résultats. Les innovations sont montrées dans une étude de cas qui évalue les incidences à la fois économiques et environnementales tout en rendant compte des incertitudes futures. Mots clés: adaptation économie du bâtiment stratégies de conception flexibilité évaluation du cycle de vie coût du cycle de vie options réelles incertitude [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downscaled (local) estimations indicate that, when including isostatic uplift, the sea level in Norway could rise from 16 to 116 cm by the year 2100, relative to the year 2000, depending on location and a variety of uncertainties. This estimated sea level rise could cause major damage to existing buildings along the Norwegian coastline. The impact of this anticipated sea level rise is assessed for Norway's building stock leading up to 2100. Approximately 110 000 buildings are situated less than 1 m above normal sea level. Norway's building stock is disaggregated into various categories. Some of the categories at risk are: garages, temporary houses and boathouses (approximately 63 000 structures), houses (6000), cabins (18 000), office buildings (1600), hotels and restaurants (2000), and buildings for fishing and agriculture (9000). For these latter building categories, the economic, environmental and social consequences could be quite dramatic. A risk map is created at the country level to assess high, moderate or low consequences for the building stock. The total costs for Norway on constructional measures to buildings alone (excluding coastal defences and infrastructure) are estimated to be as much as €725 million. Des estimations aux échelles inférieures (locales) indiquent que, en incluant le relèvement isostatique, le niveau de la mer en Norvège pourrait s'élever de 16 à 116 cm d'ici l'année 2100, par rapport à l'année 2000, selon le lieu et diverses incertitudes. Cette élévation estimée du niveau de la mer pourrait entraîner d'importants dommages aux bâtiments existants situés le long de la côte norvégienne. L'impact de cette élévation prévue du niveau de la mer est évalué pour le parc bâti de la Norvège jusqu'en 2100. Environ 110 000 bâtiments sont situés à moins d'un mètre au-dessus du niveau normal de la mer. Le parc bâti de la Norvège est ventilé en différentes catégories. Certaines des catégories à risque sont: les garages, abris temporaires et hangars à bateaux (environ 63 000 structures), les maisons (6000), les cabanes (18 000), les immeubles de bureaux (1600), les hôtels et restaurants (2000), et les bâtiments servant à la pêche et à l'agriculture (9000). S'agissant de ces dernières catégories de bâtiments, les conséquences économiques, environnementales et sociales pourraient être tout à fait spectaculaires. Une carte des risques est créée au niveau du pays afin d'évaluer les conséquences élevées, modérées ou faibles pour le parc bâti. Le coût total pour la Norvège des mesures de construction pour les seuls bâtiments (à l'exclusion des défenses et des infrastructures côtières) est estimé atteindre 725 millions d'euros. Mots clés: adaptation, parc bâti, bâtiments, changement climatique, incidences climatiques, élévation du niveau de la mer, vulnérabilité [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing buildings present the best opportunity for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developed economies, given that only 2-3% of the building stock is newly built each year. Insights from a post-occupancy evaluation of a large-scale refurbishment project of a head office building in Sydney, Australia, are presented to inform future refurbishment strategies. The study evaluates occupant satisfaction and energy performance, and elicits influencing factors arising from the design process and interventions, ongoing building management, and operational performance. Occupants returned a high level of satisfaction across the range of environmental variables for overall comfort, temperature, lighting, and air quality as well as perceived productivity and health. These outcomes highlight the importance of improving indoor environmental quality for occupants particularly through increased fresh air, daylight, glare control, access to views, and noise management. The positive results reinforce the value of an integrated and user-responsive approach that was adopted for building design, development, and management. The reduction in operational energy (in this project, coupled with carbon reduction) as a consequence of refurbishment and positive user feedback demonstrates the potential to future-proof existing buildings in the context of climate change. Les batiments existants offrent la meilleure possibilite de reduction des emissions de gaz a effet de serre dans les economies developpees, etant donne que les constructions neuves ne representent chaque annee que 2 a 3% du parc bati. Les enseignements retires d'une evaluation apres occupation d'une operation de renovation a grande echelle realisee dans l'immeuble d'un siege social de Sydney, en Australie, sont presentes afin d'inflechir les futures strategies en matiere de renovation. L'etude evalue la satisfaction des occupants et les performances energetiques, et met au jour les facteurs d'influence qui decoulent du processus de conception et des interventions realisees, de la gestion en cours du batiment et des performances de fonctionnement. Les occupants ont exprime un degre de satisfaction eleve sur l'ensemble des variables environnementales concernant le confort global, la temperature, l'eclairage et la qualite de l'air, aussi bien que la productivite et la sante telles qu'ils les ont percues. Ces resultats mettent en evidence le fait qu'il est important d'ameliorer la qualite environnementale interieure pour les occupants, tout particulierement en apportant davantage d'air frais et de lumiere du jour, un plus grand controle de l'eblouissement, un acces accru a des panoramas et une gestion renforcee du bruit. Ces resultats positifs renforcent l'utilite d'une approche integree et sensible aux besoins des utilisateurs, telle qu'elle a ete adoptee pour concevoir, amenager et gerer ce batiment. La reduction de l'energie de fonctionnement (dans cette operation, conjointement avec la reduction du carbone) en consequence de la renovation et du feedback positif des utilisateurs demontre le potentiel de cette approche pour permettre aux batiments existants de bien affronter l'avenir dans le contexte du changement climatique. Mots cles: adaptation, changement climatique, confort, energie, qualite environnementale interieure, conception integree, occupants, evaluation apres occupation, renovation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Building Research & Information is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As the needs of owners and occupants change, buildings must be frequently renovated, resulting in significant cost and lost use of the buildings during the construction. This research develops a systematic approach to examine the nature of changes that can be expected to occur in built facilities, and analyses specific design strategies that can significantly increase the building flexibility, or ability to accommodate change. The three types of changes in a building are in its functions, the capacity of its systems, and the flow of the environment and people within and around the facility. Analysis of renovation projects reveals that buildings require more changes to all systems (i.e. structure, enclosure, services and interior finish) than is commonly assumed, and that the difficulty of these renovations is determined by the inter-relationships among the systems. The design strategies can provide a specific means to modify these interactions among the systems, and to more easily and efficiently accommodate changes during subsequent renovations. These design strategies increase the initial construction cost by less than 2% on average and usually decrease the original construction duration, and the majority of the strategies provide cost savings of 2% of the initial construction cost within the first renovation. Avec l'évolution des besoins des propriétaires et des occupants, les bâtiments doivent être rénovés fréquemment, ce qui est à la fois une source de dépenses importantes et une perte d'usage pendant les travaux. La présente étude propose une approche systématique visant à examiner la nature des changements dont on peut s'attendre à ce qu'ils se produisent dans les parties déjà construites et à analyser des stratégies de conception propres à augmenter sensiblement la souplesse d'exploitation des bâtiments ou leur aptitude à s'adapter à des changements. Les trois types de changements pouvant affecter un bâtiment sont ses fonctions propres, la capacité de ses systèmes et l'environnement ainsi que le flux des personnes à l'intérieur et autour du bâtiment. L'analyse de projets de rénovation fait apparaître que les bâtiments nécessitent davantage de changements de tous les systèmes (c'est à dire, structures, enceintes, services et finition intérieure) qu'on ne l'imagine généralement et que la difficulté de ces rénovations est liée aux interconnexions entre les systèmes. Les stratégies de conception peuvent constituer un instrument spécifique à utiliser pour modifier ces interconnexions entre systèmes et pour faire acceptor plus facilement et avec davantage d'efficacité les changements pendant les travaux de rénovation ultérieurs. Avec de telles stratégies, l'augmentation du coût initial de la construction ne dépasse pas 2% en moyenne et la durée des travaux se trouve réduite; dans l'ensemble, ces solutions permettent de réaliser des économies de 2% sur le coût initial de la construction lors de la première rénovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]