Balancing cultural and environmental values in buildings refurbishment: assessing integrity and energy

Abstract

Considering the current challenge of environmental efficiency, urban policies should aim to improve existent buildings’ environmental performance by improving their energy performance. Building energy refurbishment solutions should also be weighed against the preservation of the building’s integrity and cultural value. This paper discusses criteria for the assessment of the impacts of urban buildings refurbishment, considering the risks and opportunities for both their cultural values and environmental resources. After a brief review of the operational concepts and the technical and policy references, the paper presents an assessment grid, developed in the framework of the research project “Decarbonizing Cities: assessing urban and building rehabilitation impacts on urban metabolism and heritage”, focusing on the trade-off between cultural integrity and embodied energy preservation. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the use of the assessment grid