The building sector is one of the sectors that consume the most energy in Sweden. In order to deal with this problem Swedish government aims to reduce the energy consumption in the building sector 50% by 2050. Another ambitious goal set by the Swedish government is zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Most of the buildings in Sweden were built during 1950-1990 before the first energy regulations were voted in Europe. A high percentage of these buildings date to 1950 and the majority of them are multi family buildings. Apartments built during this period are now requiring major renovation and retrofitting measures in order to comply with the energy and indoor environment regulations. Despite the urgent need for retrofitting expressed above, the retrofitting ratio in Sweden was 0.88% in 2013, so the number of buildings that haven’t gone through any energy retrofitting is still high making it clear that the biggest opportunity for energy savings lies within the existing building stock and that the retrofitting ratio has to enhance in order to achieve the governments energy and emission goals for 2050. In this study a new patented innovative energy retrofitting method is studied within IDAICE simulation program in order to find the heat load and the energy savings after applying this method. The simulated building is a three story multi family building with building characteristics from 1950 and the simulation takes place in two different climate zones (Stockholm and Umeå). Three different insulation thicknesses were tested creating three different variant cases in order to investigate the difference in energy savings an increase of the insulation thickness will bring. This retrofitting method except installation of extra facade insulation includes roof insulation, replacement of the air handling unit with heat recovery ventilation whose pipe system runs through the insulation behind the radiators of each zone and replacement of the old windows with triple glazed low U-value windows. The results show a high reduction in heat supplied after the retrofit, 66.4% room unit heat reduction in Stockholm and 59.6% in Umeå and even higher energy reduction 68.3% in Stockholm and 68.9% in Umeå. The CO2 emission reduction was 58.4% in Stockholm and 60.9% in Umeå. The difference in room unit heat, energy consumption and CO2 emissions among the Variant cases varies between 1-2%. The explanation for such a small difference lies in the fact that the only difference among these cases is the insulation thickness of the facade. The thermal comfort was also investigated and has shown an increase in hours of dissatisfaction after the retrofitting and as the insulation increased due to overheating. However it must be stated here that the reason behind the increase in dissatisfaction is that no window shading or window opening schedules were taken into account in the simulation maximizing the solar heat gains of the building. The study concludes that the studied retrofitting method is very efficient and the studied building achieves higher energy reduction than the goal that the Swedish government has set for 2050. The results of this study bring this retrofitting method ahead of the 2050 energy reduction goals set by the Swedish government with significant reductions in CO2 emissions and heat load.

According to the Swedish Government's set targets for energy use and environmental quality imposed by the European Union, the total energy per heated unit area in residential and commercial buildings will have to be decreased by 20% in 2020 and 50% by 2050 in relation to the annual consumption of 1995. The building sector should additionally be completely independent of fossil fuels for energy usage, with the increasing sector of renewable energy continuously growing until 2020. In its current state, the number of multistory buildings and single-family houses in Sweden exceeds 4 000 000 units. In order to attain the set goals, renovation of the existing housing stock is a necessity given its current relatively slow turnover. As a result of the Swedish Million Unit Program undertaken during 1965−1974, about 750 000 apartments are currently in need of renovation in order to meet today's building standards. Simultaneously, new buildings are built with energy efficiency in mind. In this study an early stage methodology is developed for building refurbishment that takes advantage of a multi-faceted approach. The methodology comprises of multiple dimensions related to a techno-economic, environmental and building occupancy approach. The work presented herein includes a thorough literature review of decision making tools within the built environment and identifies major research efforts in sustainable refurbishment. The technical aspect of this study deals with the proper identification of high-efficient insulation materials that would serve one of the set purposes of energy efficiency when utilized within building envelopes. Further, results are shown for case studies, in which economic investments in Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) and a coupled heat and moisture transport for predefined configurations of VIPs with supplementary insulation of balcony slabs and wall cross-sections are considered. The developed methodology also examines simulations of the total energy consumption utilizing a set of different insulation materials such as mineral wool and VIPs, for a number of locations in Northern and Southern Europe. The research findings of this study identify several aspects of a new developed tool for decision making, to be used in sustainable renovation and refurbishment. / <p>QC 20120918</p>

Wood-framed buildings have generally performed well during earthquake events, resulting in low fatality levels. However, various degrees of damage is still observed in these buildings during previous earthquakes. Lessons learned from the performance of wood frame construction in these earthquakes is led to an improvement in the design codes and construction practices over the past decades. But, the existing buildings are still vulnerable, since they were designed based on the older codes or constructed using old construction practices. Wood frame construction is the most common construction type in Canada, especially for single family dwellings. Most of these buildings are old, built prior to any modern seismic requirement, and have not been retrofitted against the damaging effects of earthquakes. Therefore, with a number of Canadians living in areas of high or moderate earthquake risk, there is a need to develop tools to assess the seismic vulnerability of the exiting wood-framed buildings in Canada. In the following thesis, a risk-based visual seismic assessment model and a screening tool (CanRisk) is developed, to assess the seismic vulnerability of existing wood frame construction in Canada. The model is dependent on the seismic hazard, building vulnerability, and building importance/exposure, which are integrated using hierarchical fuzzy rule based modeling. In the proposed seismic assessment model, fuzzy logic is used as a computing technique to capture the vagueness and uncertainty of a seismic vulnerability assessment, caused by subjectivity involved in the evaluation process. The hierarchical fuzzy rule based modeling used in this seismic assessment method is implemented in a prototype Matlab based program (CanRisk), which incorporates the Canadian seismic design practice based on the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) and the Canadian site seismic hazard. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to test and verify the seismic assessment model and investigate the effects of various parameters on the outcome of the assessment. Also, in a case study, selected wood-framed buildings located in the city of Ottawa are evaluated using CanRisk, to demonstrate the applicability of the program.

No description available.

The global prominence of energy-efficient retrofit in the context of aging properties has garnered noteworthy attention. This surge in interest can be attributed to several advantages, encompassing economically viable carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction, diminished energy expenditures, and improved indoor air quality. Passive retrofits, such as thermal insulation and fenestration improvement, and active retrofits, such as heating setpoint temperature optimization, offer great potential for CO₂ reduction and energy savings. The central objective of this study is ascertaining the feasibility of attaining a 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions with the lowest cost and with constraints on heating setpoints temperature by finding optimal design parameters encompassing thermal insulation (including both single and double-layer), fenestration, and heating setpoint temperatures. This inquiry is substantiated through a case study of the Leblanc residence on the University of Ottawa campus. In pursuit of this objective, a thermal model of the Leblanc building was developed via EnergyPlus and subsequently subjected to a validation process following ASHRAE Guideline 14. After validation, an array of discrete optimization scenarios was executed using the NSGA-II model, facilitated by the JEPLUS+EA software. This approach aimed to identify the most suitable parameters for achieving optimal CO₂ reduction and cost outcomes. Notably, the results showcased 20 solutions, each boasting a reduction of 40% or more in CO₂ emissions and heating setpoint temperature higher than 18 °C. While the choice to prioritize either cost or CO₂ reduction remains at the user's discretion, four solutions have been discerned as the most effective. Furthermore, the findings suggest that implementing these optimal solutions can significantly decrease CO₂ emissions, ranging between 41.79% and 46.36%. The associated costs were also determined to fall within $36,262 to $57,934.

The building sector contributes substantial energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Energy efficiency is the main driver for the mitigation of climate change. Schools are placed with high energy consumption and GHG emitting. Most of the existing schools in Europe and Sweden need to be renovated by considering the environmental impacts and energy consumption. Most of the traditional retrofitting techniques have not been evaluated for environmental impacts as well as energy-saving. The project aims to conduct an environmental impact assessment for energy retrofitting options for the school building. Energy simulation and life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques are employed to achieve this target. IDA-ICE and SimaPro programs are used to simulate the retrofitting methods. Celsius high school in Uppsala is selected as a model to study LCA for retrofitting solutions. The retrofitting techniques are focused on three aspects, the demand-side aspect to reduce energy demand in buildings (thermal insulation and ventilation system operation), the supply-side aspect that uses a renewable energy source (solar photovoltaic), and energy consumption patterns (ventilation and lighting time according to schedule of the school days). Firstly, an energy simulation was conducted by IDA-ICE for retrofitting solutions. Adding insulation materials (Cellulose &amp; Glass wool) to the external walls and roof, changing the ventilation operation, from continuous to variable air volume, and installation of photovoltaic panels (PV), caused the energy to be reduced from 142 kWh/m2 to 97 kWh/ m2, with efficiency 32 percent. By the retrofitting methods, the district heating energy is decreased from 87.3 kWh/m2 to 68.8 kWh/m2 and electrical energy is reduced from 54.2 kWh/m2 to 27.8 kWh/m2. Installation of PV on the roof by this area (161 m2) can be produced electrical energy of about 1.5 kWh/m2. Secondly, is conducted life cycle assessment (LCA) for all the proposed retrofitting solutions by the SimaPro program. The system boundary included manufacturing and operation (cradle to operation) and demolition and end-of-life phase are excluded from the system boundary. Functional unit is the operation of the building during during 40 years at Celsius school in Uppsala. The assumption is the retrofitting materials are produced and transport in Sweden. Vattenfall is the supplier of the electrical and heating energy for Celsius school in Uppsala. The most percent of primary energy are waste solid. LCA is presented the retrofitting is decreased the GHG and some of the environmental impact categories. / Byggsektorn bidrar med betydande energiförbrukning och utsläpp av växthusgaser (GHG). Energieffektivitet är den främsta drivkraften för att mildra klimatförändringarna. Skolor är placerade med hög energiförbrukning och utsläpp av växthusgaser. De flesta av de befintliga skolorna i Europa och Sverige behöver renoveras med hänsyn till miljöpåverkan och energiförbrukning. De flesta av de traditionella eftermonteringsteknikerna har inte utvärderats för miljöpåverkan eller energibesparing. Projektet syftar till att göra en miljökonsekvensbeskrivning för alternativ för energirenovering av skolbyggnaden. Tekniker för energisimulering och livscykelbedömning (LCA) används för att uppnå detta mål. IDA-ICE och SimaPro-programmen används för att simulera eftermonteringsmetoderna. Celsiusgymnasiet i Uppsala väljs ut som modell för att studera LCA för eftermonteringslösningar. Eftermonteringsteknikerna är fokuserade på tre aspekter, aspekten på efterfrågesidan för att minska energibehovet i byggnader (värmeisolering och drift av ventilationssystem), aspekten på utbudssidan som använder en förnybar energikälla (solcellsenergi) och energiförbrukningsmönster ( ventilation och belysningstid enligt skoldagarnas schema). Först genomfördes en energisimulering av IDA-ICE för eftermontering av lösningar. Att lägga till isoleringsmaterial (cellulosa och glasull) till ytterväggar och tak, ändra ventilationsdrift, från kontinuerlig till variabel luftvolym, och installation av solcellspaneler (PV), gjorde att energin minskade från 142 kWh/m2 till 97 kWh/m2, med verkningsgrad 32 procent. Genom eftermonteringsmetoderna sänks fjärrvärmeenergin från 87,3 kWh/m2 till 68,8 kWh/m2 och elenergin minskas från 54,2 kWh/m2 till 27,8 kWh/m2. Installation av PV på taket vid detta område (161 m2) kan producera elektrisk energi på cirka 1,5 kWh/m2. För det andra genomförs livscykelanalys (LCA) för alla föreslagna eftermonteringslösningar av SimaPro-programmet. Systemgränsen inkluderade tillverkning och drift (vagga till drift) och rivnings- och uttjänt fas är exkluderade från systemgränsen. Funktionell enhet är driften av byggnaden under 40 år på Celsiusskolan i Uppsala. Antagandet är att eftermonteringsmaterialen tillverkas och transporteras i Sverige. Vattenfall är leverantör av el- och värmeenergin till Celsiusskolan i Uppsala. Den största delen av primärenergin är fast avfall. LCA presenteras eftermonteringen minskar GHG och några av miljöpåverkanskategorierna.

Acomodar adequadamente uma população urbana crescente terá implicações maiores não só para a indústria da construção, empregos e habitação, mas também para a infraestrutura associada, incluindo transporte, energia, água e espaços abertos ou verdes. Limitações da infraestrutura geralmente incluem o envelhecimento, subutilização e inadequação, assim como uma ausência de integração das estratégias de planejamento, projeto e gestão para o desenvolvimento futuro da cidade, em cenários de longo prazo. A exemplo do retrofit de edifícios, em que as intervenções ocorrem no âmbito do edifício isolado e seus sistemas constituintes, o retrofit urbano pode ser entendido como um conjunto de intervenções urbanas com vistas não somente à adequação da área urbana para atingir a sustentabilidade no momento presente, frente a problemas e demandas atuais, mas vislumbra a adequação para população e demandas futuras, fazendo a transição da situação atual da cidade para sua visão de futuro. Esta transição, o retrofit urbano em si, apresenta caráter abrangente e de larga escala, natureza integrada e deve ser mensurado por meio de indicadores e metas claramente definidos para monitoramento. Portanto, esta tese apresenta um método para implementação de retrofit urbano, na escala de cidades, para auxiliar a definição de metas de longo prazo e a tomada de decisão em processos de planejamento urbano. Utilizando as metas dos ODS - Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, os \"indicadores de serviços urbanos e qualidade de vida\" da NBR ISO 37120:2017 (ABNT, 2017a), análise de tendência por Média Móvel Simples e benchmarking por análise de agrupamento (clustering), o resultado é um painel visual (dashboard), adaptável e flexível, passível de agregações e filtros, tais como: seções e temas da ISO 37120, classificação de indicadores, diferentes escalas temporais e espaciais, entre outras. O dashboard é interativo e amigável, traz informações e resultados desta pesquisa e pode ser totalmente acessado em https://bit.ly/2EDnZ4J. Sorocaba, município de grande porte do Estado de São Paulo, é utilizada como estudo de caso, evidenciando os desafios e oportunidades gerados pelo rápido crescimento populacional e auxiliando a priorizar intervenções de retrofit para o desenvolvimento urbano na direção de cenários futuros. / Accommodating growing populations in cities will have major implications not only for employment, housing and the construction industry, but also for urban infrastructure including transportation, energy, water and open or green space. Infrastructure constraints currently include ageing, underutilized and inadequate existing built environment, as well as a lack of integration in planning, design and management strategies for future infrastructure development in long-term scenarios. As building retrofit, which interventions take place in isolated buildings and their constituting systems performance, urban retrofitting can be understood as a set of interventions designed to upgrade and sustain an urban area by providing a long-term practical response to its current problems and pressures. Such interventions must take into account the future population´s needs by ensuring that the present urban infrastructure provides a firm basis for launching and achieving a city\'s ambitions for the future. One of the main requirements for urban retrofitting is a clearly defined set of goals and metrics for monitoring purposes. This thesis presents a method for urban retrofit implementation at city scale using a visual tool to support decision-making and urban planning processes. Using Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, the 100 ISO 37120:2014 \'indicators for city services and quality of life\', Simple Moving Averages (SMA) trend analysis, clustering and city benchmarking, this method proposes creating an adaptative and flexible dashboard, that could aggregate and filter data, such as: ISO 37120 sections, indicators classification, time and spatial levels, etc. The resulting dashboard is interactive and friendly, and can be fully accessed in https://bit.ly/2EDnZ4J. We use Sorocaba, a medium sized, well-located city in São Paulo State in Brazil, as a case study, focusing on the challenges and opportunities arising from exceptional urban population growth, and ranking key retrofit interventions in Sorocaba as possible forerunners of future urban development scenarios.

Acomodar adequadamente uma população urbana crescente terá implicações maiores não só para a indústria da construção, empregos e habitação, mas também para a infraestrutura associada, incluindo transporte, energia, água e espaços abertos ou verdes. Limitações da infraestrutura geralmente incluem o envelhecimento, subutilização e inadequação, assim como uma ausência de integração das estratégias de planejamento, projeto e gestão para o desenvolvimento futuro da cidade, em cenários de longo prazo. A exemplo do retrofit de edifícios, em que as intervenções ocorrem no âmbito do edifício isolado e seus sistemas constituintes, o retrofit urbano pode ser entendido como um conjunto de intervenções urbanas com vistas não somente à adequação da área urbana para atingir a sustentabilidade no momento presente, frente a problemas e demandas atuais, mas vislumbra a adequação para população e demandas futuras, fazendo a transição da situação atual da cidade para sua visão de futuro. Esta transição, o retrofit urbano em si, apresenta caráter abrangente e de larga escala, natureza integrada e deve ser mensurado por meio de indicadores e metas claramente definidos para monitoramento. Portanto, esta tese apresenta um método para implementação de retrofit urbano, na escala de cidades, para auxiliar a definição de metas de longo prazo e a tomada de decisão em processos de planejamento urbano. Utilizando as metas dos ODS - Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, os \"indicadores de serviços urbanos e qualidade de vida\" da NBR ISO 37120:2017 (ABNT, 2017a), análise de tendência por Média Móvel Simples e benchmarking por análise de agrupamento (clustering), o resultado é um painel visual (dashboard), adaptável e flexível, passível de agregações e filtros, tais como: seções e temas da ISO 37120, classificação de indicadores, diferentes escalas temporais e espaciais, entre outras. O dashboard é interativo e amigável, traz informações e resultados desta pesquisa e pode ser totalmente acessado em https://bit.ly/2EDnZ4J. Sorocaba, município de grande porte do Estado de São Paulo, é utilizada como estudo de caso, evidenciando os desafios e oportunidades gerados pelo rápido crescimento populacional e auxiliando a priorizar intervenções de retrofit para o desenvolvimento urbano na direção de cenários futuros. / Accommodating growing populations in cities will have major implications not only for employment, housing and the construction industry, but also for urban infrastructure including transportation, energy, water and open or green space. Infrastructure constraints currently include ageing, underutilized and inadequate existing built environment, as well as a lack of integration in planning, design and management strategies for future infrastructure development in long-term scenarios. As building retrofit, which interventions take place in isolated buildings and their constituting systems performance, urban retrofitting can be understood as a set of interventions designed to upgrade and sustain an urban area by providing a long-term practical response to its current problems and pressures. Such interventions must take into account the future population´s needs by ensuring that the present urban infrastructure provides a firm basis for launching and achieving a city\'s ambitions for the future. One of the main requirements for urban retrofitting is a clearly defined set of goals and metrics for monitoring purposes. This thesis presents a method for urban retrofit implementation at city scale using a visual tool to support decision-making and urban planning processes. Using Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, the 100 ISO 37120:2014 \'indicators for city services and quality of life\', Simple Moving Averages (SMA) trend analysis, clustering and city benchmarking, this method proposes creating an adaptative and flexible dashboard, that could aggregate and filter data, such as: ISO 37120 sections, indicators classification, time and spatial levels, etc. The resulting dashboard is interactive and friendly, and can be fully accessed in https://bit.ly/2EDnZ4J. We use Sorocaba, a medium sized, well-located city in São Paulo State in Brazil, as a case study, focusing on the challenges and opportunities arising from exceptional urban population growth, and ranking key retrofit interventions in Sorocaba as possible forerunners of future urban development scenarios.

Typical reinforced concrete (RC) bridges built prior to 1970 were designed with minimum seismic consideration, leaving numerous bridges highly susceptible to damage following an earthquake. In order to improve the seismic behavior of substandard RC bridges, this study presents the seismic performance of reinforced concrete bridge bents retrofitted and repaired using Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRBs) while considering subduction zone earthquake demands. In order to reflect displacement demands from subduction ground motions, research studies were conducted to develop quasi-static loading protocols and then investigate their effect on structural bridge damage. Results suggested that subduction loading protocols may reduce the displacement ductility capacity of RC bridge columns and change their failure mode. The cyclic performance of reinforced concrete bridge bents retrofitted and repaired using BRBs was experimentally evaluated using large-scale specimens and the developed loading histories. Three BRB specimens were evaluated with the aim of assessing the influence of these components on the overall performance of the retrofitted and repaired bents. Additionally, subassemblage tests were conducted in an effort to study the response of these elements and to allow for refined nonlinear characterization in the analysis of the retrofitted and repaired systems. The results of the large-scale experiments and analytical studies successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing buckling-restrained braces for achieving high displacement ductility of the retrofitted and repaired structures, while also controlling the damage of the existing vulnerable reinforced concrete bent up to an operational performance level.

Geologists have indicated that the question is not if a catastrophic earthquake will occur in Oregon but when one will occur. Scientists estimate that there is close to 40 percent conditional probability that a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or above will strike Oregon in the next 50 years. In addition, the majority of Oregon's bridge inventory was built prior to the current understanding of bridge response and prior to current understanding of the expected earthquake demands. In order to minimize potential bridge damage in the case of an earthquake, one approach is to retrofit seismically deficient bridges. However, often times the decision maker is faced with the difficulty of selecting only a few bridges within the inadequate ones. Hence, the issue of prioritizing upgrading naturally arises. The goal of this study is to assess and refine bridge prioritization methodology to be utilized for ranking Oregon's bridge inventory. CFRP retrofit has been experimentally and analytically evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique and was found to be an efficient and economical option. A vulnerability assessment estimates that close to 30 percent of Oregon's highway bridge inventory will sustain moderate damage to collapse. However, retrofitting two most common bridge types in the inventory will reduce the number of damaged bridges by about 70 percent. A cost-benefit assessment that takes into consideration direct and indirect costs associated with damaged bridges and retrofitting of bridges shows that the benefit is up to three times the cost to retrofit. The same principle was applied to rank twelve highway segments for seismic retrofit considered important by Oregon Department of Transportation. One selected segment was considered to be retrofitted and vulnerability assessed. The benefit to cost ratios for each assessment was compared and the highway segments were ranked accordingly. The top five segments in the ranking happen to be located in the East-West corridor connecting I-5 to US-101.