Re-face : refurbishment strategies for the technical improvement of office facades

In succession of latest regulations and the constant rise of energy costs there will be an emerging demand for energy efficient buildings. The upcoming European Energy-passport will create sensibility for energy consumption especially on a level of saving running costs and thus become a big sales- or rent-argument and initiate refurbishment activity. While the building structure lasts for many decades, the envelope is subject to actual fashion. This often leads to demolition and re-erection of buildings with almost the same inner structure and just a new appearance: Another starting point for refurbishment. Whilst renovating a building one can quite easily add a surplus value to a project that can contribute to the financial plan. This project aims to find efficiency optimised façade constructions from the constructional, ecologic and financial points of view. Refurbishment of the façade provides the chance to integrate new building services with limited disturbance of working staff. My research is based on three pillars. Besides the technical aspects, I am going to classify buildings of the 60s, 70s and 80s and find out their most urgent demands. The third pillar is formed by an analysis of financial concepts for renovation in general, as well as finance and marketing possibilities of the building skin. For example there are companies that rent facades and fund themselves just by selling power they produce in PV modules. With this analytic background information the logical next step will be the development of systematic solutions for common problems in façade refurbishment. A major influencing factor on these systems will be the economic and social potential. Examples of these concepts will be validated in mock-ups and in realisation and evaluation of refurbishment projects. The practical orientated research involves not only various research institution within and outside TU Delft, but also the contractors and owners of buildings and quantity surveyors.