Energy and Seismic Renovation Strategies for Sustainable Cities

• Main Author: Margani, Giuseppe (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2019
• Subjects: Architecture; multifunctional component; seismic reinforcement; Eastern Sicily; urban planning; U-value; pre-diagnostic process; optimization; safety; energy efficiency; Annex 56; green infrastructure; energy retrofitting; apartment blocks; seismic vulnerability assessment; energy performances; combined interventions; damage mechanisms; sustainability; cultural value; risk analysis; parametric design; seismic retrofit; energy retrofit; building envelope; high-rise building; technological design; cost-effective; seismic improvement; energy savings; policy measures; historical masonry; historic urban fabric; seismic analysis; historic massive envelope; masonry building aggregates; innovative product; façade; exoskeleton; seismic retrofitting; building rehabilitation; nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB); dry-assembly system; BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic); translucent panel; seismic renovation; energy performance; architectural image; seismic and energy retrofit; historical building; ecosystem services; mechanical resistance; sustainability and aesthetics
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

The principle of sustainability should be strictly connected with safety, since both aim to conserve resources: in the case of sustainability, the resources are typically thought of as environmental, while in the case of safety, the resources are basically human. In spite of this common ground, discussions on sustainability usually give insufficient attention to safety. In the last years the EU has made large investments to increase the energy efficiency of the existing building stock, paving the way for a low-carbon future; however, less effort has been made to enhance its seismic resilience. Therefore, the safety and, consequently, the sustainability of towns situated in earthquake-prone countries remain inadequate. In such countries, energy renovation actions should be combined with seismic retrofitting. However, a number of barriers considerably limit the real possibility of extensively undertaking combined retrofit actions, especially for multi-owner housing and high-rise buildings. These barriers are of different kinds: technical (e.g., unfeasibility and/or ineffectiveness of conventional retrofit solutions), financial (e.g., high renovation costs, insufficient incentives/subsidies), organizational (e.g., occupants' disruption and relocation, renovation consensus by condominium ownerships), and cultural/social (insufficient information and skills, lack of adequate policy measures for promoting renovation actions). This book aims to overcome these barriers and to bridge the gap between sustainability and safety, so to conserve both human and environmental resources.