Refurbishment decision support tools: A review from a Portuguese user’s perspective

Abstract The importance of the refurbishment market in the construction industry has grown considerably in recent decades, especially in developed countries, where it sometimes represents nearly 50% of the market. At the same time, sustainability has become an imperative target for development, and therefore sustainable principles will have to be an integral part of refurbishment projects in the near future. However, financial resources are very limited and the ability of decision-support tools to embrace all these aspects needs urgent assessment. The aim of this paper is to review what has been done in terms of refurbishment decision support tools, from a user’s perspective. Thus, it first reviews the objectives and criteria of each tool to help users (architects, engineers and owners) to select the most suitable method for each particular situation. Their approaches and applicability are also discussed and classified on a simple scale to help users to choose the best algorithm from those tools whose objectives and criteria might meet their expectations. A complementary review is reported on what has been started in Portugal. Finally, the paper considers the likely options in terms of the main needs and areas of future research.

[1]  Jorge de Brito,et al.  Stains in facades' rendering - Diagnosis and maintenance techniques' classification , 2008 .

[2]  Daniel Castro-Lacouture,et al.  GA-based decision support system for housing condition assessment and refurbishment strategies , 2009 .

[3]  José Dinis Silvestre,et al.  Ceramic tiling in building façades: Inspection and pathological characterization using an expert system , 2011 .

[4]  Evangelos Grigoroudis,et al.  A multi-objective decision model for the improvement of energy efficiency in buildings , 2010 .

[5]  Nick Baker,et al.  The LT-Portugal software: A design tool for architects , 2013 .

[6]  Evangelos Grigoroudis,et al.  Decision support methodologies on the energy efficiency and energy management in buildings , 2009 .

[7]  Huey-Jiun Wang,et al.  A multi-objective decision-making process for reuse selection of historic buildings , 2010, Expert Syst. Appl..

[8]  Eduardo Peris Mora,et al.  Life cycle, sustainability and the transcendent quality of building materials , 2007 .

[9]  Jorge de Brito,et al.  System of inspection, diagnosis and repair of external claddings of pitched roofs , 2012 .

[10]  Andreas Uihlein,et al.  Options to reduce the environmental impacts of residential buildings in the European Union—Potential and costs , 2010 .

[11]  Vytautas Martinaitis,et al.  A two-factor method for appraising building renovation and energy efficiency improvement projects , 2007 .

[12]  Michael Wetter,et al.  Building design optimization using a convergent pattern search algorithm with adaptive precision simulations , 2005 .

[13]  Yimin Zhu,et al.  An LCA-based environmental impact assessment model for construction processes , 2010 .

[14]  Paul Cooper,et al.  Existing building retrofits: Methodology and state-of-the-art , 2012 .

[15]  Mark Gorgolewski.  Optimising renovation strategies for energy conservation in housing , 1995 .

[16]  Evangelos Grigoroudis,et al.  Towards a multi-objective optimization approach for improving energy efficiency in buildings , 2008 .

[17]  Xiaomin Yang,et al.  BEPAS—a life cycle building environmental performance assessment model , 2006 .

[18]  Efstratios N. Pistikopoulos,et al.  An energy systems engineering approach to the optimal design of energy systems in commercial buildings , 2010 .

[19]  Fariborz Haghighat,et al.  Multiobjective optimization of building design using TRNSYS simulations, genetic algorithm, and Artificial Neural Network , 2010 .

[20]  Constantinos A. Balaras,et al.  XENIOS—a methodology for assessing refurbishment scenarios and the potential of application of RES and RUE in hotels , 2004 .

[21]  Constantinos A. Balaras,et al.  Deterioration of European apartment buildings , 2005 .

[22]  J.-L. Genre,et al.  Building refurbishment: habitat upgrading , 2000 .

[23]  Jurgita Antucheviciene,et al.  Multiple criteria evaluation of rural building's regeneration alternatives , 2007 .

[24]  Joaquim Ferreira,et al.  In search of better energy performance in the Portuguese buildings—The case of the Portuguese regulation , 2011 .

[25]  Constantinos A. Balaras,et al.  TOBUS — A European method and software for office building refurbishment , 2002 .

[26]  Ignacio Zabalza Bribián,et al.  Life cycle assessment in buildings: State-of-the-art and simplified LCA methodology as a complement for building certification , 2009 .

[27]  S. Svendsen,et al.  Residential and commercial buildings , 2012 .

[28]  Anne Power,et al.  Does demolition or refurbishment of old and inefficient homes help to increase our environmental, social and economic viability? , 2008 .

[29]  Yeng-Horng Perng,et al.  Decision support for housing customization: A hybrid approach using case-based reasoning and genetic algorithm , 2006, Expert Syst. Appl..

[30]  Leslie K. Norford,et al.  A design optimization tool based on a genetic algorithm , 2002 .

[31]  Tassos G. Karayiannis,et al.  Multi-parameter building thermal analysis using the lattice method for global optimisation , 2001 .

[32]  Lawrence C. Bank,et al.  Use of system dynamics as a decision-making tool in building design and operation , 2010 .

[33]  Girma Bitsuamlak,et al.  Integrated life-cycle design of building enclosures , 2011 .

[34]  Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas,et al.  Method and system for Multi-Attribute Market Value Assessment in analysis of construction and retrofit projects , 2011, Expert Syst. Appl..

[35]  Robert H. Crawford,et al.  A comprehensive model for streamlining low-energy building design , 2011 .

[36]  Erik Brandt,et al.  MEDIC - a method for predicting residual service life and refurbishment investment budgets , 1999 .

[37]  Kari Alanne,et al.  Selection of renovation actions using multi-criteria “knapsack” model , 2004 .

[38]  Weimin Wang,et al.  Applying multi-objective genetic algorithms in green building design optimization , 2005 .

[39]  Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas,et al.  A multiple criteria decision support on-line system for construction , 2007, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell..

[40]  T. Konstantinou,et al.  Refurbishment of Residential Buildings: A Design Approach to Energy-Efficiency Upgrades , 2011 .

[41]  K. Stanecki,et al.  Global Population Profile: 2002. International Population Reports. , 2004 .

[42]  Charles J. Kibert,et al.  Sustainable Construction : Green Building Design and Delivery , 2005 .

[43]  Svetlana Pushkar,et al.  A methodology for design of environmentally optimal buildings by variable grouping , 2005 .

[44]  Varun,et al.  Life cycle assessment of buildings: A review , 2011 .

[45]  Luis C. Dias,et al.  Multi-objective optimization for building retrofit strategies: A model and an application , 2012 .

[46]  Wen-Hsien Tsai,et al.  Incorporating life cycle assessments into building project decision-making: An energy consumption and CO2 emission perspective , 2011 .

[47]  John Palmer,et al.  Energy performance indoor environmental quality retrofit — a European diagnosis and decision making method for building refurbishment , 2000 .

[48]  Inês Flores-Colen,et al.  A systematic approach for maintenance budgeting of buildings façades based on predictive and preventive strategies , 2010 .

[49]  Yi-Kai Juan,et al.  A hybrid approach using data envelopment analysis and case-based reasoning for housing refurbishment contractors selection and performance improvement , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[50]  Essia Znouda,et al.  Optimization of Mediterranean building design using genetic algorithms , 2007 .

[51]  Gene Bazan.  Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth , 1997 .

[52]  Robert H. Crawford,et al.  A comprehensive framework for assessing the life-cycle energy of building construction assemblies , 2010 .

[53]  Leif Gustavsson,et al.  Factors influencing energy efficiency investments in existing Swedish residential buildings , 2010 .

[54]  Constantinos A. Balaras,et al.  Heating energy consumption and resulting environmental impact of European apartment buildings , 2005 .

[55]  Gioacchino Nardin,et al.  Multi-criteria analysis for the selection of space heating systems in an industrial building , 2011 .

[56]  Otto Anker Nielsen,et al.  European Energy Futures 2030: Technology and Social Visions from the European Energy Delphi Survey , 2007 .

[57]  Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas,et al.  Crisis management in construction and real estate: Conceptual modeling at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels , 2011 .

[58]  Luis C. Dias,et al.  A multi-objective optimization model for building retrofit strategies using TRNSYS simulations, GenOpt and MATLAB , 2012 .

[59]  D Caccavelli,et al.  TOBUS — a European diagnosis and decision-making tool for office building upgrading , 2002 .

[60]  Mohamed El Mankibi,et al.  Development of a multicriteria tool for optimizing the renovation of buildings , 2011 .

[61]  Peng Gao,et al.  A hybrid decision support system for sustainable office building renovation and energy performance improvement , 2010 .

[62]  Sungho Tae,et al.  Development of a Life Cycle Assessment Program for building (SUSB-LCA) in South Korea , 2009 .

[63]  Daniel Castro-Lacouture,et al.  Housing refurbishment contractors selection based on a hybrid fuzzy-QFD approach , 2009 .

[64]  Anne Grete Hestnes,et al.  Energy use in the life cycle of conventional and low-energy buildings: A review article , 2007 .

[65]  Claude-Alain Roulet,et al.  TOBUS software — an interactive decision aid tool for building retrofit studies , 2002 .

[66]  Oscar Ortiz,et al.  Sustainability in the construction industry: A review of recent developments based on LCA , 2009 .

[67]  Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas,et al.  Multivariant design and multiple criteria analysis of building refurbishments , 2005 .

[68]  S. D. Probert,et al.  Energy-efficient renovation of high-rise housing , 1996 .

[69]  John D. Gilleard,et al.  Collaborative design: a process model for refurbishment , 2002 .

[70]  Ravi Prakash,et al.  Life cycle energy analysis of buildings: An overview , 2010 .

[71]  William W. Braham,et al.  Re(De)fining Net Zero Energy: Renewable Emergy Balance in environmental building design , 2012 .