Integrated seismic and energy retrofitting of buildings

Synopsis

Our buildings are ageing, posing an urgent need for renovation to align with the goals of multidimensional European and international policies. In the EU, 80% of the building stock was built before the 1990's when modern seismic and energy provisions were put in practice. These buildings require upgrading to meet modern standards, to prevent significant human and economic losses from earthquakes and reduce their energy consumption. To achieve better cost-effectiveness, and hence incentivise renovation, integrating energy retrofitting with seismic strengthening is currently explored at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). From a life cycle perspective, the combination of energy efficiency measures with seismic renovation can preserve the structural integrity over a prolonged period and reduce repair works associated to damage.

Daniel Pohoryles will provide an overview of technologies for integrated retrofitting. Four main types of interventions can be identified in the scientific literature: (1) exoskeletons; (2) interventions on the existing building envelope; (3) replacement of the existing envelope; and (4) interventions on horizontal elements. The encountered solutions present different levels of technological maturity, ranging from a conceptual stage to technologies already tested and validated experimentally. Some practical examples will be presented, as well as an analysis of the potential of different retrofitting solutions, including their relative effectiveness, invasiveness, disruptiveness, costs, as well as their impact on the environment.

Konstantinos Gkatzogias will present a framework for regional prioritisation of building renovation, considering seismic risk, energy performance, and socioeconomic vulnerability, independently and in an integrated way. Results indicate that prioritisation of building renovation is a multidimensional problem. Depending on priorities, different integrated indicators should be used to inform policies and accomplish the highest relative or most spread impact across different sectors. The framework is further extended to assess the impact of renovation scenarios across the EU with a focus on priority regions. Integrated renovation can provide a risk-proofed, sustainable, and inclusive built environment, presenting an economic benefit in the order of magnitude of the highest benefit among the separate interventions. Furthermore, it presents the unique capability of reducing fatalities and energy consumption at the same time, and depending on the scenario, to a greater extent.