A classification scheme for rehabilitated buildings. The Portuguese case

Abstract

Due to the effects of bailout of Portugal, the construction sector has been subjected to an unexpected adjustment process. The construction of new buildings has almost stopped and what is envisaged for the future is a moving from the new buildings construction to the rehabilitation of old ones, aiming to facilitate the renting market. In this context, and to assure some knowledge of buildings performance, a methodology to assess the overall acoustic quality of these rehabilitated buildings has been proposed. This methodology complements the one conceived for the new buildings, by extending the same concepts to the lower performance side of the buildings behavior, thus contributing for their classification in terms of acoustic comfort, and consequently for their acoustic sustainability. The proposed methodology has 5 classes (D+, D-, E, F, and G; the A, B and C are reserved for the new buildings or for those complying with the existing legal requirements), will allow users and renters to decide the best options based on the class of the apartment they want to rent. Whenever possible, this classification scheme was correlated with subjective data on the perception of noise inside the dwelling, obtained through socio-acoustic surveys.