Tectonic Sustainable Building Design for the Development of Renovation Scenarios – Analysis of ten European renovation research projects

Abstract

The investigation of 10 European building renovation research projects presented in this paper demonstrates that recent research in this field is currently centralized around quantifiable objectives i.e. development of energy efficient renovation scenarios, whereas the more qualitative objectives in renovation projects such as aesthetics, identity and/or social dimensions are rarely addressed. Furthermore, the result of this investigation together with the recent researches about the current practice of building renovation indicates that many of renovated buildings, which now are claimed to be sustainable are not addressing all aspects of a conventional definition of sustainability. Lastly, through the lens of tectonic architectural theory, there seems to be little use of design methodologies that includes all project stakeholders (i.e. architects, engineers, clients) in identifying truly sustainable solutions in a holistic perspective. To address these identified shortcomings in current approaches to sustainable building renovation, we propose the use of a design framework called ‘Tectonic Sustainable Building Design’, which draws upon the concepts Tectonics (an architectural articulation theory), Sustainability (the use of holistic design objectives) and a Holistic Multi-Methodology for Sustainable Renovation (an integrated design methodology). ‘Tectonic Sustainable Building Design’ deals with renovation projects as an architectural transformation, and intents to enable designers to form a strategy that establishes a link between the intentions of an architectural transformation and the way it is perceived by the user/owner of buildings. Once this is established, the framework is intended to serve as a platform for refining and improving the contemporary building industry seen in the light of sustainability, by supporting the decision-making in the development of holistic renovation scenarios.