Industrialized renovation of the building envelope: realizing the potential to decarbonize the European building stock

Abstract

Given the European building stock’s current size and state, its potential to be renovated up to an energy-neutral quality is getting much attention, contributing to energy transition and other sustainable and societal benefits. To tackle this potential, both the number of buildings that undergo renovation and the amount of the resulting energy savings need to increase. Industrialization and prefabrication of renovation are effective strategies to improve productivity, achieve high energy performance and minimize on-site construction time. This chapter investigates current practices and future potential for industrialized renovation of the building envelope. The definitions and application of industrialized techniques in the design and construction of renovation are discussed, particularly regarding the renovation process and design concepts. Finally, the chapter provides an outlook on essential aspects for the future implementation of industrialized building envelope retrofit. Understanding current practices and how to improve industrialized renovation is instrumental to the upscaling of renovation that leads to the decarbonization of the building stock.