Combining seismic retrofit with energy refurbishment for the sustainable renovation of RC buildings: a proof of concept

TLDR

The paper proposes an integrated, sustainable, safe, and resilient renovation framework for post‑World War II RC buildings in urban outskirts, aimed at guiding engineers, technologists, and architects toward holistic interventions. The approach enhances the common camouflage practice by adding a self‑supported double‑skin exoskeleton that simultaneously improves energy efficiency, architectural restyling, structural safety, and resilience, while employing life‑cycle thinking, material selection, and dry technologies to minimize costs, environmental impacts, and enable adaptability, reparability, and end‑of‑life recyclability, all performed externally to avoid occupant relocation. As a proof of concept, the strategy was applied to a reference building, demonstrating the benefits of integrating structural safety measures within an intervention that combines energy refurbishment.

Abstract

In this paper, an integrated approach targeting sustainability, safety and resilience is envisioned for the renovation of the post-Second World War RC buildings clustered in urban outskirts. The solution stems as an enhancement of the widespread camouflage practice, which targets energy efficiency and architectural restyling by complementing the building with a technological double skin, self-supported on an independent exoskeleton. Based on this integrated approach, the exoskeleton can be further engineered to also enable structural safety and resilience. Life cycle thinking is addressed to re-conceive traditional structural design approaches, guaranteeing safety, while minimising costs and environmental impacts over the building life cycle. Accurate selection of materials and dry technologies enables adaptability, reparability and maintenance, and total recyclability/reuse at end-of-life. The intervention is carried out from outside, avoiding relocation of the inhabitants and possible building downtime. The paper introduces a possible framework for engineers, technologists and architects to design new holistic renovation interventions, for which innovative solution sets are required. Possible structural techniques to be coupled with energy refurbishment are proposed. As a proof of concept, the envisaged holistic renovation strategy is applied to a reference building, and benefits entailed in combining structural safety measures within an integrated intervention are commented.