Search

The paper is related to a research project focused on tools for an evaluation and preservation of the historical value and function of arch and vaulted road bridges. It deals with the beginning of use of concrete vaulted and arch bridges in the area of the Czech Republic from the first structures built at the end of the 19th century up to the time just before the WWII. The paper includes examples of built structures as well as a general summary and development of the used technical solutions. Important part of the paper is a proposal of criterions for evaluation of their structural and historical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy and associated carbon emissions from the built environment is fundamental to meeting our climate goals. Retrofit of existing buildings is therefore a key strategy. Heritage buildings present particular challenges for retrofitting because of their traditional construction and need to retain historic values. Replacing windows is often a critical element of a low energy retrofit, but for heritage buildings this can be problematic. This paper explores the values that residents invest in their windows, and the opportunities and challenges for retrofitting heritage fenestration. Qualitative data from 16 case studies of heritage buildings in the county of Cumbria, UK, is examined to gain a greater understanding of residents' views, which are often neglected in policy approaches. Findings show that residents, in both designated and undesignated heritage buildings, value their original windows and appreciate the thermal benefits of traditional features such as shutters or curtains. Residents generally considered complete window replacement unacceptable but were more positive about options such as secondary glazing or internal shutters. Challenges, including costs and finding skilled tradespeople to produce shutters or undertake restoration were identified. The paper concludes with the implications of these findings for retrofitting heritage fenestration for carbon reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railway transportation faces many of the issues that are related to standard brownfields - due to changing technologies and industries, more effective systems (of traffic control in this case) and evolving needs many of the areas are actually no longer necessary for proper function of the railway. That is especially prominent in the case of railway stations, where a significant number of the stations use just a portion of their available tracks, buildings and areas (for example for unloading or repair). The remaining areas are sometimes sporadically used, but more effective and conscious management of the station could fairly easily lead up to the release of these areas for another, more useful function for both the city and the station. This paper will explore the differences between "standard" brownfields and unused railway areas like the typical ownership structure, particular location within the city and the effect station has on the city structure, composition and topography of the areas or the fact that railway areas are most often never really fully abandoned and they do continue to serve in some, albeit diminished capacity. Paper also aims to map out how much of the railways areas are underused or unused in Czech Republic (country with highest rail network density in the world). This paper will then recommend the best ways to use and revitalize them and it will show some successful examples of revitalization projects from all around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International project PoroPCM involves partners from Germany, Czech Republic, Spain and Japan with the objective to develop new multifunctional Phase Change Materials modified porous cementitious nanocomposite (PoroPCM). Such material can be utilized for storing heat energy in the insulation layer of buildings compared to commonly used insulation materials since the phase change increases heat capacity. This enhanced feature reduces the amount of energy necessary for running the heating/cooling system. For the testing of the newly developed phase change cementitious composite a demonstration wall will be developed and tested for its thermal as well as mechanical performance. The topic of the paper is the description of the properties of the new phase change cementitious nanocomposite. The main emphasis of the paper is the description of the demonstration wall behaviour under typical environmental conditions. The wall design is supported by numerical simulation of the wall physical parameters. The numerical modelling involves the definition of suitable numerical models for the simulation of the thermal properties of the new phase change nanocomposite. The numerical model is then used to demonstrate the performance of the wall layer design. The presented pilot results show efficiency increase of the insulation material in the range 15-70 %. Also modelling of wind resistance of the layered structure is included. The developed wall design and PoroPCM material will be tested and verified by a large scale test in the final year of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, it has become essential to consider the total carbon footprint of a construction project. Commonly, the question has been: ’What is the best material to be used in this context?’ In this paper we argue that this question is incomplete, not taking the complexity of design choices into consideration. This paper intends to share light on how to analyse some factors that influence the construction of buildings in order to contribute to climate change mitigation, taking this complexity into consideration. Calculation of fossil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for two load-bearing structures for office buildings in 4, 8 and 16 storeys with equal functional requirements; e.g. load bearing capacity, acoustic performance, fire resistance and adaptability are addressed. The main materials for the load-bearing structures are cross laminated timber (CLT) elements and precast concrete elements respectively. The result show that one cannot on a general basis conclude that either type of load-bearing structure cause less fossil GHG emissions. It is always important to consider the building design, functionality as well as external conditions such as location when considering different load-bearing structure materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The doubling of the global use of raw materials in the last century is an established environmental emergency due to an all too common "take - make - dispose" linear development model. Strategic plans within the Green Deal, such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, highlight the key role of building design as an enabling driver for process cyclicality. Against this backdrop, the paper describes the results of an experimental research project aimed at the technological design of a "circular" housing model. The integration of circular economy principles into the design process was pursued through the technology transfer of Additive Manufacturing principles as an enabling technology of Industry 4.0. The research is based on the first phase of critical analysis of two types of case studies: one referring to Circular Buildings, the other referring to 3D printed buildings, through a common reading method based on "circular" indicators extrapolated from the current literature. The evaluation of the results obtained determined the prerequisites for designing a replicable Circular Building model by 3D printing using a lignin-based biopolymer. The adoption and combination of these seemingly opposing themes was a key strength and asset to the project in terms of benefits such as energy savings, lead time, and cost savings at all life cycle stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing consumption of primary raw materials, the need for recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW) arises. According to international and national regulations, any waste must be tested for ecotoxicity using a leaching test followed by chemical analysis and a set of aquatic toxicity biotests. Standardized leaching procedures have also been developed for construction materials and products and are used in common practice. On the other hand, studies aimed at direct determination of ecotoxicity are still lacking. Acute toxicity tests with unicellular algae, freshwater crustaceans, and marine bacteria are among the most popular for determining the ecotoxicological potential of recycled aggregates or concrete samples. The article deals with the perspective of semichronic and chronic tests with extended exposure, as well as testing of leachates obtained from leaching events for more than 24 hours. Results of performed experiments were compared and evaluated. From the point of view of sustainability, it is necessary to develop an optimal experimental design for the ecotoxicological evaluation of recycled aggregate and concrete. The conclusion of the paper is the evaluation of possible methods and their combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One Planet Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme (SBC), led by the Ministry of the Environment, Finland and co-led by RMIT University and UN Environment Programme was initiated in 2015. Work on circular built environments commenced in the second iteration of the programme's work plan. SBC was the first global programme that worked on circularity and responsibly sourced materials in the buildings and construction sector. In 2020, the SBC programme published a range of reports focusing on the state of play for circular built environments across specific regions, tied together with a global report. The present focus of the programme is on Africa, Asia and Latin America, where case studies are collected following a common framework. These case studies together with a global survey provide reliable performance data for responsibly sourced building materials in the Global South. The underpinning premise through this process is to support related SDGs across the social, environmental, and economic considerations and enable countries to achieve their targets under the Paris Agreement. This paper presents key findings from this study, largely derived through case studies in the Global South. The results show that not all stages of the building life cycle are addressed through local examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to provide some insights to professionals on the evolution of smart city, to present its concept and appropriate elements based on the author's 40+ years of experience in international building development projects. With the oil crisis in the 1970s, the use of alternative energy sources such as solar energy and energy saving measures were explored to combat the threat of fossil fuel supply. The concept of intelligent building to improve the productivity of the occupants and energy saving was then emerged in 1980s, followed by the focusing of the built environment like green building and sustainable construction in the 1990s. Various metrics were developed by different countries for assessing green building provisions e.g. LEED in a more structure manner. Building resilience has recently become popular for abating the increasing natural disasters. The features of intelligent building, green resilient building and smart city will be illustrated by making references to developments which were designed and project managed by the author. On a more macro scale, with the rapid advancement of ICT in recent years, the concept of smart city has been advocated. The various definitions of smart city would first be depicted. Based on these definitions, the attributes of smart building and the respective features were suggested. The appraisal of the designed provisions of a mixed development project in Southeast Asia was then illustrated with suggestions on further elements to enhance its smart city characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic capital and one of Pakistan's most important cities gain popularity due to the reputable Karachi port. Karachi was referred to as Korokala and Debal in ancient times; a city conquered by famous conquerors, including Alexander the Great and Muhammad bin Qasim due to its seaport importance. However, most of the port's tangible and material heritage were built by the British during the 19th-20th century. The Britishers conquered the city and started developing Karachi port because of the seaport. Due to the port, the area of Karachi grew from a small fishermen's village to a bustling metropolitan city. During the second industrial revolution in the late 19th century, the Britishers developed Indian industries so that they depended on British capital goods. To transport the goods, the British empire constructed railways and maritime routes in the mid and late nineteenth century, The port of Karachi was one of them. Karachi port remains the hub of Pakistan's main logistic transportation, but some of its heritage buildings have been neglected on this site. After the 9/11 tragedy in the US, due to security reasons, Karachi port trust restricted the port to the public. Now, the security situation is better, and the port can be reintegrated and made accessible to the public through sustainable adaptive reuse of abandoned or underused buildings. Karachi is a congested city with few places for recreation; reintegrating this site can open opportunities for tourism while showcasing the city's industrial heritage. This paper wants to articulate the potential of industrial heritage. But the latter in Pakistan is not yet recognized as part of a heritage discourse. The port offers a rich case study due to its layered history and various typologies of buildings on site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of standard practices and platforms for assessing refurbishment strategies towards Circular Economy (CE) and their impact in global warming constitutes a challenge for the decarbonization of existing building stock. Incorporating data and feedback from designers and practitioners since early design stages is important to feed a multi-criteria dynamic process with multiple dimensions, which must be assessed under a life cycle perspective. To tackle this issue, this paper introduces a new methodology to support the implementation of tailored refurbishment strategies for increased recovery, reuse and recycling of construction materials. The final objective is to build a methodological framework for sustainable refurbishment design in a BIM environment, which aims to facilitate standardized practices in the construction sector, regarding CE, with a positive impact in the mitigation of global warming and the decarbonization of the building stock. To test the development of this methodology, a case study building in Lisbon, corresponding to a 1919-1945 archetype is analysed, making use of its BIM model, where BIM standardization criteria and circularity indicators are discussed, in order to be implemented as a Plugin for Circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) in the building sector has become a widely used method for quantifying environmental impacts of a building over its entire life cycle. Currently, however, no standardized procedure exists for considering refurbishment measures. In addition, the LCA, according to the European standard EN 15978, is limited to building level only. This paper shows how a methodological LCA framework of refurbishment methods can be applied at three levels: single building, neighbourhood, and municipality. Initially, the proposed methodological approaches are introduced while the framework rules are defined for each of the three levels. The system boundaries of the LCA differ regarding the assessment levels within the given methodology and are adapted accordingly. In addition, the three levels of assessment are defined by the accuracy of measurement results, and data requirements, as well as by the specific value of the calculations and the ownership of the building stock. The assessment levels provide a specific quality and quantity of environmental indicator results. Thus, the complex interrelationships of the assessment levels are shown. The developed framework for the environmental assessment of refurbishment measures provides comparability at the building level. At the neighbourhood level, emissions from refurbishment measures are compared with the reductions of emissions through heating energy demand. Ultimately, the potential of refurbishment measures at the municipal level can be identified on a large scale and used as a decision-making tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing sustainable and, at the same moment, resilient buildings is a necessity to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, these two building design approaches - sustainability and resilience - are usually treated separately. Typically, resilience-improving strategies are placed only after a disruptive event and not at the design stage. It is clear that there is a substantial intersection between sustainability and resilience and this manuscript aims to determine more precisely the commonalities and contradictions seen in building design sustainable and resilient approaches as crucial elements for improving their cooperation in buildings. To accomplish this, the authors qualitatively analysed two case studies - respectively claiming to be sustainable and resilient - to understand if a sustainable building can also be considered resilient and vice versa. This paper is addressed to the private and public sectors that have a decisive role in building design and are determined to take tangible steps to influence decision-making and resilience-based solutions already at the design phase. In conclusion, once the commonalities of resilience and sustainability are highlighted, a building designed as sustainable or resilient will be in line with both long-term perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the use of GIS techniques and satellite data in order to analyze the impact of land use change on the local urban microclimate. Specifically, a case study is presented that concerns the city of Vienna. Thereby, satellite-based images were used to classify the city of Vienna into four zones toward the computation of land surface temperatures in two reference years. The classified maps were then statistically projected into the future, resulting in predicted land surface temperatures. The findings highlight the relationship between urbanization and temperature rise in the urban context. The study used data from Landsat 8 satellite in 2013 and 2020. Land cover maps were generated with QGIS for past and current conditions and future land cover maps were projected and corresponding land surface temperatures were predicted. The analysis of satellite data highlighted land surface temperature increase in the city of Vienna. This rise in land surface temperatures correlates with urbanization-driven change in land use and land cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage monuments are, to a large extent, public goods of collective consumption, and their preservation is in the public interest of the society as a whole. The benefits arising from the owner's investment and resulting from the existence and the use of a cultural heritage monument are usually not "consumed" solely by the owner, but, to a greater or lesser extent, by the whole society or a particular group. In the case of the renovation and remediation of cultural heritage buildings, the life-cycle costs are determined in the operational phase, before the intended renovation or remediation. They should be used to select an economically sustainable solution, with the maximum potential to preserve the cultural and historical value. The paper presents the application designed for the elaboration of plans for the renovation and remediation of cultural heritage monuments, developed in the form of a web interface. The application processes data at the level of individual structural elements. For faster and more comfortable users' work, a database of type objects is used, which combines primary data from the level of structural elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article will deal with the analysis of measured data on a plastic window with thermal insulating triple glazing, which is suitable for low-energy or passive houses. The window was installed in 2011 in the test laboratory of the Department of Building Engineering and Urban planning, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Žilina (Slovakia), where it was tested under standard indoor climate conditions and real outdoor climate conditions. Surface temperatures on the frame friezes and glass system and heat flux density were recorded at a five-minute time step. In 2020, the window was removed from the laboratory and subsequently tested in a climate chamber. This paper will present the results of these measurements in terms of heat flow density waveforms, heat transfer coefficient, and total solar transmittance through the glazing. Subsequently, a simulation model of this window will be created in the environment of a computational program and its verification based on the measurements will be carried out. A series of calculations will be performed on the tuned model and analyses of the results and comparisons will be presented under the same climatic conditions as during the real measurements recorded by the meteorological station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to climate change, together with the need to reduce the ecological footprint and the future resource shortages, a climate-resilient and resource-conserving architecture must be reinforced. Dealing with the issue of resources not only affects the materialisation of the building, but also the handling of resources on the building site. The interactions between the environment (sun, wind, precipitation), buildings, sealing, plants and people form a complex system in which small changes in few factors can influence the situation on a large scale. In this context, topics such as microclimate improvement around built infrastructure through greening and rainwater management, will gain in importance. The correct assessment of measures for a sustainable and resilient building is extremely complex and time-consuming and requires extensive, multi-layered know-how and experience. This paper analyses the project "House of Learning" (MAGK Architekten) and its immediate surroundings and focuses on its climate resilience and neutrality, proposing improvement measures based on the interaction of blue and green infrastructure and the building. The potential favourable conditions are evaluated through microclimate simulations and planning principles implying an integral approach which includes landscape gardeners, building planners and constructors, as well as decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupant behaviour is a field, that has always been of great interest to researchers. It could significantly modify the operation of the building and the user's energy needs, and it is also difficult to model it according to reality. Evaluation of measurements is a crucial step to calibrate dynamic simulations. Our goal was to analyse the indoor comfort conditions according to measurements, particularly in summertime, and find what solution closes the performance gap between the measured and simulated results. In this research, we investigated an apartment building that underwent an energy efficiency renovation. We have installed a weather station and monitoring sensors in selected apartments, with which we monitored the temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 values of certain rooms, the presence of the inhabitants and the window opening and the operation of shading. In this paper, we focus on the monitoring and simulation results of the topmost apartment. The results can help us better understand how buildings work and how to implement user behaviour in dynamic simulations, how to calibrate the model according to measurements and make suggestions to increase the comfort of the residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of green roof is a great choice in case of climate change mitigation and reduction of urban heat islands. Positive aspects of green roofs during winter or the whole year round balance are often overlooked. The surface of highly insulated flat roof is overcooled during the night by the long wave sky radiation. This radiative cooling increases the thermal losses that are reduced by the existence of additional layers. The green roof composition layers also have their thermal resistance, which is not usually included within the calculation of thermal resistance using the EN ISO 6946. The presence of snow on the roof can also increase the resistance. This paper analyzes the measurement results of various experimental green roof fragments in Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latent heat storage represents technology with significantly higher energy storage density. The thermal energy storage capacity of building structures and storage units integrated into building services contribute to the energy flexibility of buildings. This paper presents results from laboratory experiments focused on the compatibility of heat storage media represented by phase change materials (PCMs) with materials of container. Material compatibility of selected PCMs with the plastics and metals were tested by a long-term experiment. Two organic-based and two inorganic-based phase change materials were selected for tests of compatibility with selected metals (aluminium, copper and brass) and plastics (PP-H, PE-HD, and PVC-U). Plastic-PCM compatibility was determined by gravimetric method. For evaluation of metal-PCM compatibility, calculation of corrosion rate was applied. The less mass changes and lower penetration of PCMs to the matrix was observed for inorganic-based PCMs compared to organic-based PCMs. In case of compatibility between metals and PCMs, the highest values of corrosion rate were calculated for copper immersed in inorganic-based PCMs Rubitherm SP25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future climate change will affect many human activities and sectors. Among those, the built environment will face several challenges about the varying climate conditions, including increased demand for summer cooling and related heat stress indoor conditions. In this framework, the paper presents the results of a recent study that investigated the global warming impacts on energy demand and indoor climate comfort for an office building in Stockholm over the next 50-60 years. The future climate conditions were investigated in 2070 and 2080 with different climate morphing approaches. Three different passive cooling solutions to decrease the cooling demand (such as external roller shade, electrochromic glazing, and internally ventilated shading) have been preliminarily assessed about thermal and optical properties, then integrated into the building energy simulation software IDA-ICE to evaluate the building energy performances regarding different Swedish climates, and finally economically estimated with a simplified LCC analysis. The results indicated that an increment of the cooling demand from 3 up to 24 kWh/m2 and a reduction of the heating usage of 20-50% will be experienced in 50-60 years. The different weather data morphing approaches displayed the inherent uncertainties when future evaluations are performed, although similar weather patterns were found. The improvement of the solar and optical properties indicated a lower cooling and ventilation usage with reductions of about 10-16 %. The electrochromic technology reported the lowest cooling demand (decrease up to 24 %), while the internally ventilated shading option outperformed the others with an annual energy consumption 4-9% lower and the lowest LCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is currently one of the least digitised. However, due to recent technological developments, building information modelling and management (BIM) systems are increasingly being used to increase the efficiency of constructions and sustainable use of resources and increase the energy efficiency of buildings. In the case of new constructions or building renovations, properly designed hygrothermal behaviour of building materials, elements and structures are unavoidable to achieve the objectives mentioned above. Therefore, we can ensure the comfort of our users and healthy living space. BIM is the most suitable and widespread method for digital management of building stock and related data and integration. With the possibilities offered by BIM, it is possible to integrate building physical modelling right into the architectural design process. However, with standard BIM systems, we cannot embed detailed material properties, weather, or the effects of the natural and built environment in the BIM model for heat and moisture transfer (HAM) modelling for hygrothermal performance evaluation at present. Furthermore, the data exchange process is one-way mainly and unregulated between BIM and numerical simulation tools. In the presented paper, both a Closed BIM and an Open BIM based workflow are presented to bridge the gap between BIM and hygrothermal modelling of building components and constructions, that can contribute to the design of sustainable, economic and hygrothermal optimal building constructions and also could be a basis for artificial intelligence-based optimised design solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring climate data is a lengthy and technically challenging task. To record temperature data, small meteorological stations are located on the facade of the Research Centre building. Due to the position of the meteorological stations, which are mounted directly on the facade of the building, the temperature measurement sensor is not only affected by the solar radiation falling on the sensor housing, but also by the solar radiation falling on the facade of the building. The illuminated surface of the facade gradually heats up during the day and warms the air flowing near the facade. The temperature readings during the day may therefore be significantly distorted. To avoid this phenomenon, better-quality radiation shields have been purchased. The new radiation shield is characterized by a design that resembles eddy currents. The relationship between the shape of the outer and inner spiral is optimized, allowing vortices to form even in virtually windless conditions. In this paper, we would like to point out the differences in the measured air temperature data, according to the radiation shield used and the distance of the temperature sensor from the building facade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European building stock is in high need of refurbishment due to its contribution to excessive global energy consumption. In the North-Sea Region (NSR) alone there are 22 million houses built between 1950 and 1985 with an annual CO2 emission of 79 Mton. Current deep retrofits are carried out on a limited-scale production, which may result in climate targets not being met in time. To tackle the need for rapid renovations, prefabricated insulation elements with integrated intelligent technologies, manufactured in novel smart factories using mass customization, could offer a solution. This approach is also followed by the Interreg project INDU-ZERO. The project examines a far-reaching automated production and develops a blueprint for a smart construction factory in the NSR that can produce 15 000 renovation packages per year. This paper aims to quantify the acceleration potential of the supply chain by improving its production, logistics, and on-site mounting processes for Dutch single-family terraced houses. First, the design of the renovation packages and smart construction factories are introduced. Then, the procedure is elaborated on how the supply chain can be abbreviated. The results show that the renovation cycle time can be completed within two weeks through coordinated efforts between production, logistics, and mounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building performance simulation serves the derivation of the relevant building performance indicators (e.g., energy use, indoor-environmental conditions) given the assumptions of certain model input parameters (i.e., description of the building, boundary conditions, occupants' presence and behaviour). Simulation can be employed for multiple purposes, including but not limited to building design support, building systems configuration, and code compliance demonstration. It has been suggested that the level of detail and resolution of simulation models must match their deployment purpose. However, there is arguably a lack of definitive guidelines for the purpose-dependent selection of appropriate simulation models. To address this challenge, the present contribution suggests that the attributes of a simulation model in general, and the type of the adopted occupant model in particular, must correspond to the specifics of the building performance indicator under investigation. To make progress in this area, a typological classification of building performance indicators is proposed along three salient dimensions, namely the indicators' topical domain (e.g., energy use, thermal comfort, noise control), their spatial attributes, and their temporal attributes. Following a detailed analysis, the paper presents a high-level approach to derive the basic requirements concerning occupant models as a categorical function of the simulation purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is responsible for 40% of the energy consumption and 36% of the CO2 emissions, and buildings are responsible for a significant part of energy consumption in Europe. Thus, a growing concern regarding environmental impacts in the construction sector is in place. Reducing these impacts and optimise the design process is a major priority, and technology needs to be integrated along with the design to allow for better buildings performance. Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology is one of the technologies that is revolutionising how the supply chain delivers the construction projects, allowing for an overview of the whole life cycle, keeping track of the data along the process, and potentiating more advanced simulations and supported decisions. The tool proposed in this paper aims to integrate different types of sustainability analysis, namely Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Carbon Footprint, Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Level(s) framework with BIM. This involves defining adequate Product Data Templates (PDT) and a database structure for BIM objects, including the necessary parameters to enable designers to do holistic and dynamic assessments from early design stages to a complete LCA. Also, considering the importance of using BIM to visualise different scenarios, a graphical interface will be developed to show the key sustainability indicators and support decision-making for more sustainable buildings. The results achieved show that technology must be taken to meet Climate most ambition targets and reduce the impact of construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to other goods, buildings have a long lifespan. It is therefore the norm and not the exception that adaptation will be needed at some point in their life cycle to changing environmental conditions, technical progress and new/additional user requirements. The adaptation of existing buildings to future challenges in the form of refurbishment contributes to sustainable development. The proportion of refurbishments is increasing in both absolute and relative terms in the building sector in Europe. It is therefore surprising that the modelling particularities of refurbishment in the context of a life cycle-based environmental performance assessment are still neglected in the ENstandards. The paper deals with these particularities. Specifically, it presents a typology of approaches starting with a distinction between planned refurbishment as B5 and unforeseen refurbishment as an independent design and construction task / next life cycle, as well as the status of the discussion in selected countries. Recommendations for action for the life cycle assessment are given for specific decision-making situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon embodied in buildings is an important proportion of our emissions and needs to be radically reduced in order to support climate change mitigation. The highest proportion of embodied carbon is usually emitted during the product stage, and within the structural elements. Therefore, reducing the carbon embodied in the structural materials is likely to have a major impact. In most buildings, the majority of embodied carbon comes from steel and concrete. But although there are now hundreds of registered Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for cements and concretes, there has been very limited independent published information comparing the embodied carbon of different concrete mixes and raw materials. This lack of comparative data limits the potential to make appropriate decisions at early design stages leading to low carbon buildings. The authors have recently conducted a review of verified EPD for concrete mixes and for concrete’s key constituents, including cement, identifying the range of carbon coefficients. This paper provides guidance on making use of the coefficient ranges provided in that research: to support the verification of EPD for concrete and its raw materials; in material selection; in assessing building level embodied carbon; in benchmarking; and in the setting of reduction targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]