To reduce global warming the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) must be net zero in 2050, Paris agreement. In the Netherlands the building sector is responsible for 38% of total GHG emissions, 27% being operational carbon (related to energy use) and 11% embodied carbon (related to the use of materials). A large portion of the GHG emissions in this sector originates from existing residential buildings and is for the majority related to energy for heating.

Renovating existing buildings is a key step in reducing operational carbon emissions related to heating. Due to the environmental advantages of renovation, it acts as the first step to reduce carbon emissions. The general strategy to reduce carbon emissions, first focuses on the operational carbon by transitioning from non-renewable depletable energy sources to renewable, sustainable energy sources, also known as the energy transition, starting with replacing natural gas for heating and cooking. In the Netherlands the target is to reduce 49% of GHG emissions compared to 1990 by 2030, and 95% by 2050. In practical terms this requires a renovation of 1.5 million residential buildings by 2030 and 5.5 million residential buildings by 2050.

As operational carbon decreases, reducing the embodied carbon becomes more important. Unlike operational carbon which is only present during the in-use stage of a building, the embodied carbon is present in all stages of a building’s life cycle. Clear standards on the assessment of carbon emissions over the full life cycle of a building are missing. Due to this current strategies are not selected to reduce carbon emissions on the complete spectrum of carbon emissions. The risk is that the overall carbon reduction of the building stock is less than expected.

Renovation changes the life cycle of a building and thus its long term performance. Renovations with high energy saving often can’t be performed in a single step due to high investment costs. Therefore renovation is often executed in multiple steps. Understanding the effects of different use-phase scenarios can help reduce carbon emissions on the long term.

Furthermore, assessing the performance of all generated renovation solutions, at an early design stage, can be time consuming and requires a high level of information. This limits the number of renovation options explored and indirectly influences the effectiveness of a renovation.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how assessment of renovation strategies can be simplified to support decision making in renovation. The thesis investigates different renovation strategies and scenarios for the in use stage of a terraced house, to improve decision/making in renovation, by looking at the level of renovation, renovation measures, renovation execution and decision making criteria. The data gathered is used to create a tool, supporting decision-making for renovation strategies. Data is obtained using various tools, and by performing among others a simplified Life cycle analysis (LCA) and life cycle costs (LCC) assessment. The performance of the renovation strategies are evaluated based on energy performance, environmental performance and costs.

The building industry accounts for almost 40% of the total carbon emissions that are directly responsible for climate change. So far, we have been following a linear economy model which follows a concept of “take-make-use-dispose” and causes a significantly large burden on the natural environment. For this reason, transition to a circular economy is important in order to keep the resources in the economy for as long as possible, and thus reduce this burden. With a rising building stock reaching its end of life, the number of renovations in the coming years will increase significantly. They are expected to reach 35 million in 2030. The main focus of these renovations will be to make buildings energy efficient. While we have been successful in reducing the operational carbon of buildings, there is still scope to reduce the embodied carbon. This is also the main motivator for circularity goals.

It is estimated that the façade may account for between 13 and 17% of the total embodied carbon associated with a building. There is however not a strategic process to designing a circular facade. The methodology followed is the research-through-design methodology.

This project develops a design framework through studying existing literature, taking into account existing examples and pilot research projects - Circl Pavilion, CRL. The process uses the 10R strategy - particularly the cases of Reclaim, Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. This is then applied to the case of Building 22 at the TU Delft campus, and 4 options are developed. The evaluation through a life cycle assessment and building circularity approach is conducted on the platform OneClickLCA. It was found that for a circular design, material selection is very important. Overall materials with a lower embodied carbon should be selected. Moreover, materials with a higher volume of reused content should be prioritized first and a higher volume of bio-based content should be prioritized second. There is also a need to document and create more technical information for circular materials.

The Paris agreement’s mechanisms for 2050 represent a challenge for the world to achieve Net-zero emission and climate resilience. Retrofitting the existing stock is a critical step in every nation to achieve these goals. The building sector has a significant role in the Net-zero emission transition. The ambitions for retrofitting the Netherlands´ by 2030 and 2050 bring the need to explore new products taking sustainability and circular economy as the basis of design. This research explores the application of a “cradle to cradle” design approach to redesign a sandwich panel currently used as a renovation strategy to wrap existing dwellings in The Netherlands. The research in performed from the perspective of a façade company in the national market.

The current product manufactured by the company is not studied with the end of its service life in mind and is designed mainly with fossil fuels related products. Also, the time component is detached from the product, and scenarios where the materials are “processed and disposed” or “mined and reused” are not considered. The research explores three different façade concepts that contrast with a traditional linear production based mainly on fossil fuels. The analysis brings a set of 24 options, each with three circularity scenarios. The conclusions reveal that the environmental impacts and success of a “cradle to cradle” design strategy has a close relationship with the number of years the existing dwellings will be used. By reusing the existing dwellings for prolonged times (50 and 100 years), the best option for the company is to develop a biobased sandwich panel relying on renewables and materials with low environmental impacts but as an efficient “cradle to grave” strategy. However, for a shorter span of usage in the existing stock (25 years), the best option is a “cradle to cradle” strategy where the resources are taken back to the technical cycle combined with reduced usage of materials for the cladding system.

Some of the technical recommendations suggested are to test the biobased panel for a mechanical test. Afterward, develop the construction details for connections in foundation, windows, and doors to finally build a 1:1 mock-up to be tested for meteorological degradations and durability. Also, further analysis is needed for a financial case for the scenarios where materials are used after a first cycle. Finally, further research is needed to develop fully biobased matrixes to biocomposite fully biodegradable, allowing them to get back into a biological cycle.

Users in traditional office buildings often experience discomfort with the indoor environment and have issues with how this is being regulated. Research has shown that users’ satisfaction in an office building, which consists of their comfort and health, reflects on their work productivity. Therefore, necessary measures need to be taken in order to be able to suffice the office users’ needs. Also, due to the fact that the building sector in Europe is responsible for an energy consumption of 40% of the final energy use and this leads to high carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, the European Commission has stipulated regulations, where it is stated that all new buildings have to be nearly zero-energy by the beginning of 2021. Due to the fact that the façade is one of the buildings’ components which has high impact on the indoor comfort and energy use of the building, taking the user’s comfort needs and designing this from the conceptual design phase, can help achieve user satisfaction and enhance work productivity, while also helping achieve nearly energy neutrality.

This research aims to investigate the relevant factors of user satisfaction that could be implemented into façade design, while also investigating state of the art interactive/adaptive façade technologies (passive and active) and energy efficient façade design methods, in order to provide design solutions which optimally satisfies office users’ needs of comfort, and therefore increases work productivity, and also supports nearly energy neutrality of office buildings. This leads to the research question of, “How can an interactive/adaptive office building façade element be designed to optimally satisfy its users in order to increase work productivity and to support nearly energy neutrality of office buildings?”. Optimal indoor satisfaction is defined as office users being thermally comfortable, experiencing comfort in the air quality indoors, the acoustics, and the lighting, and also when other human preferences are met such as, having control of their environment, having a view, and having an appealing place to work.

Based on literature review regarding user satisfaction, façade design, state of the art interactive/adaptive technologies, and energy efficient design methods, the design considerations were stipulated. These are user comfort, user control, energy efficiency, and user preferences. The user preferences is the most subjective criteria, because it expresses the preferences and desires of specific type of people. Therefore, this research presents office façade designs for specific type of users, namely the Energy Efficient archetype, the Self-Adaptive environment archetype, and the Full-Control of their environment archetype. The evaluation of these design configurations show that it is almost impossible to have one interactive/adaptive façade design that complies with all of the user
preferences of all types of users, because every type of user has different preferences and some might contradict each other. Nevertheless, this research concludes on design characteristics derived from the presented design
configurations, which show how the most optimal officer-user oriented façade design should function, that can ensure user satisfaction for different types of users and can help its building become nearly energy neutral.

The building industry accounts for almost 40% of the total carbon emissions that are directly responsible for climate change. The buildings are now deploying energy-efficient solutions to lower carbon emissions from the operational phase. This adversely affects the share of embodied carbon emissions of building materials. The graduation thesis aims to study and compare the life cycle impact of different materials in building applications. The life cycle assessment method was adapted using certain assumptions to account for circular design approaches. End-of-life scenarios for all the materials were formed and compared using the assessment method. The analysis of materials in different building applications presented a significant difference between bio-based materials and other conventional materials such as steel, aluminium, and concrete. A reduction of almost 120% in the total carbon emissions of the studied building was estimated when bio-based materials were used over the existing materials. The proposed materials, along with energy recovery potential at their end-of-life, even showed the potential to achieve a carbon negative structural system. The proposed scenario of using bio-based material solutions in a building with a longer life span displayed better potential than a circular building construction. The role of biomass in mitigating climate change was thus highlighted.

Within the context of Hong Kong, it is discovered that the extremely compressed landscape of Hong Kong gives rise to a potential that people would negotiate and define their territories through their habits. In a sense, the conventional practice of architecture in Hong Hong has been transformed and adapted to the notion of compression. Whereby, the whole discussion has been shifted from the architecture “itself” towards the “explicit interiority”. When everything is being “interiorized”, the conventional territory between “interiority” and “exteriority” should also be destructed and redefined. With a goal of compressing the explicit interiority as the architectural expression, the projects focuses on the relations between the individual desire (point of views) and the environment. That is, the affordances and affects of spaces and architecture. The project explores how does architecture accommodates the diverse point of views through the negotiation of territories between the “private” and the “public”. Besides from making use of existing architectural thresholds elements, the project re-think the meaning of thresholds: How does a threshold become a constraint; and how can a constant become a threshold?

Increasing lack of space in the Netherlands drives us to new interpretations of the multifunctional building. To reduce vacancy and increase effective use of existing buildings the Bruggebouw-Oost in The Hague is transformed. The integration of multifunctional concepts in the design of this building results in a new relation between functions. By combining shops, housing, working, sports and restaurants new flows and opportunities are created but new challenges emerge. Creating a new way of living between working and living where the two van benefit from each other. This by horizontally and vertically linking and overlap them getting the most out of the square meters. To make the building suitable for the future it needs to be adaptable. Therefore the building consisits out of prefabricated units being housing, working and shops that can be altered throughout the years to comply with future demand. This all to strive to efficient use of the built environment.

The project act as an example of how biophilic design can be applied into the rehabilitation area of a hospital.The aim of the project is to achieve a faster recovery rate of patients, a better performance of staff and to create a unique experience for the visitors in AMC . Many researches have showed the benefits of using biophilic design in hospital building. Therefore, biophilic design principles were taken as the key strategies for the project. In the research phase the linkage between biophilic design solutions and energy efficiency was being studied. In the design phase the site constraints and operational requirements of AMC were considered. The chosen biophilic design solutions was modified to create the optimum biophilic environment in the rehabilitation area of AMC.

The building sector uses 40% of the primary energy worldwide. Energy demand in a non-residential existing building is rising due to higher comfort conditions, population growth and the enhancement of the building services. On the other hand, renewable energy technologies are every time more accessible for the built environment, especially the ones that use the sun as their primary energy source. The difference between that energy demand and that production of energy in existing buildings is causing a mismatch of energy that needs to be solved if problems such as an increase in the electricity bills, an oversized energy grid or the dependence on fossil fuels want to be avoided. Currently there is not research on how to reduce the mismatch in non-residential existing buildings; therefore, this research aims to be the beginning of the exploration of this topic. By matching the energy demand and the energy produced at any point of time within the building boundary, the building will be energy flat. During this research, the renovation of a case study building towards energy flatness was proposed. A three steps strategy was proposed to reduce energy demand, produce renewable energy and integrate a complementary energy system in existing buildings that want to be renovated towards a full energy balance and a renovation proposal of a case study building towards energy flatness. As a result, energy flatness in the renovation of non-residential existing buildings is limited to the extent of their physical and functional parameters which restrains the energy demand, production and distribution. Furthermore, the three steps strategy helped to reduce the energy mismatch and is relevant because the energy mismatch problem is going to be every time more visible in the built environment.

In the times of growing attention towards renovation for energy efficiency in the built environment, the building stock particularly associated with heritage value deemed monumental or protected is currently exempted under the Dutch law to comply with the energy performance guidelines.
Limitations with regards to protecting the aesthetics of these heritage buildings make interventions for energy saving restricted to interior application. While it is necessary for these buildings to be more efficient, the process of interior energy renovation is complex in terms of financing, space, thermal performance and managing stakeholders.
This thesis researches into ways to simplify and streamline the process of interior renovation with a focus on application of thermal insulation to the envelope to reduce transmission losses. The present challenges are addressed by three interventions in the workflow of the renovation process starting with a shift to super insulation material for better performance and space saving. Digital data capture and processing create opportunity of an integrated process of digital design to production. Lastly prefabrication of insulation ensures reduction of onsite time.
The result is a globally adaptable approach towards an optimized renovation workflow that creates an synergy between energy efficiency, performance, production and preservation of the architectural heritage while keeping the occupants central.

This study analyzes the impact of the facade design on the energy performance, daylight and thermal comfort of residential high-rise buildings in temperate climates, with the help of energy simulations. The advantages of different facade design strategies are assessed based on the Cooltoren building in Rotterdam by V8 Architects. The aim is to find the most optimal facade parameter combinations in terms of performance and indoor comfort and to provide facade design guidelines for Architects and Engineers to consider similar passive design solutions in the design of nZEB residential high-rises in temperate climates.
The following facade parameters are considered as variables for the optimization process: window to wall ratio, glazing type, shading system, natural ventilation strategy, thermal insulation and energy generating systems. These variables lead to 480 possible facade design combinations which are assessed using Grasshopper components and compared with Design Explorer. Based on the results, a facade redesign is proposed for the analyzed case study and general design guidelines are provided for similar residential high-rises.
This study proves that the facade design plays an important role to reduce the energy demand, produce energy and improve the indoor comfort conditions. Based on the results of the optimization process, the primary energy demand of a high-rise building located in a temperate climate can be reduced with up to 30 kWh/m2 with an optimized facade design alone.

The post-war building stock represents 33% of all residential buildings. A common characteristic is that they are poorly insulated compared to the current Dutch building regulations. This research will focus on post-war walk-up apartments, they account for approximately 8% of the total residential building stock. 70% out of this 8% is social housing. All housing corporations agreed that in 2020 the residential portfolio should have an energy label which is at least B. The refurbishment of post-war walk-up apartments is really needed to achieve this energy label. The 2ndSKIN approach is a prefabricated system for the renovation of walk-up apartments. This approach contains a zero-on-the-meter concept, where building services are integrated into the façade. The 2ndSKIN approach is still too costly and the zero-energy target is only met in specific conditions. To optimize the retrofit of residential buildings different energy systems should be applied. The approach can then be used in different urban contexts, which will result in upscaling the refurbishment of walk-up apartments.
Literature research on several existing renovation approaches and different energy systems has been conducted. Together with the analysis of post-war walk-up apartments, it resulted in four main energy systems. These concepts have been simulated with the software Uniec2.2. The goal of the simulation was to achieve the BENG regulations (Bijna Energie Neutrale Gebouwen [Almost Energy Neutral Buildings]). In order to achieve the BENG regulations, a low and high impact variant have been designed. These variants differ in insulation value and how ventilation is provided. The conclusion of the simulation provided direct input for the design phase. A case-study is used to apply the outcomes of the simulations in detail and to design an approach where it is possible to accommodate different energy systems.
The outcome of this research is a prefabricated renovation approach for post-war walk-up apartments that is applicable to accommodate energy saving measures with different energy systems. Building services are integrated into the façade and different building services units can be placed in the backyard to have different energy systems in the building. With the new building services and the increased insulation value of the building envelope, it is possible to fulfil the BENG regulations with a post-war walk-up apartment building. Except for one concept, all other concepts are even zero-energy.
The different energy concepts and variants for the building envelope have been included in a decision-making diagram. With this diagram, housing corporations or homeowners associations can choose between the different concepts, based on three different goals. Also, some considerations concerning the choice between the low and high impact for the building envelope are made.

“The Dutch built environment - both residential properties of private owners, corporations and investors, as well as offices, schools, shops and commercial real estate – is largely outdated and not energy efficient” (Platform 31, n.d.). 
This research is about making the built environment more sustainable by refurbishing the building envelope in a smart energy efficient way. A focus is placed on post-war walk-up apartments of which 635.000 were constructed in the Netherlands. Renovation (zero-energy) methods for this specific building type are still missing. In this described context the ‘2ndSKIN’ project already conducted research for a new renovation method that integrated building services in the building’s envelope and was therefore used as a starting point. However, in the end the 2ndSKIN project was not efficient enough in terms of costs and space. Therefore, the goal of this research is the design of a new zero-energy renovation method that improves the current method. The approach they used is still promising and it is often seen in other renovation projects. Therefore, it will be used as the base for the new renovation method in this thesis. In addition to the research on the 2ndSKIN project, other renovations methods that involve upgrading the envelope were investigated together with building services and the post-war walk-up apartment typology, forming the first part of this research: the literature review. From the review, different conclusions were found that formed parameters for the design process. There are fixed parameters like, building layout, structure type, size and orientation but also variables such as ventilation systems and heating systems. The parameters form the base for different concepts, that are introduced in the design phase and that lead to the conclusion of this thesis: the design of a new prefabricated zero-energy renovation concept for post-war walk-up apartments, that integrates the building-services in a space and cost-efficient way.

Problem Definition and main objective: Current prefabricated building envelope systems utilised for energy reduction renovations are expected to be a long-lasting solution. In practice, the building envelope systems are not adapted to facilitate future updates due to changing regulations or changing standards. Furthermore, in most renovation systems the material or component with the lowest service life dictates the service life of the complete system, leading to materials being disposed of before they reached the end of their potential service life. The goal of the thesis is to design a system that is adapted to these issues by being a flexible system that separates functionalities in separate boxes and layers, and therefore is able to upgrade or replace individual components when necessary to ensure the system’s long-term functionality. Study Design: Literature review, followed by the formulation of a strategy and a design. Design effectiveness is confirmed through application on a case study. Long-term functionality is confirmed through transformation of the case study application based on formulated scenarios. Setting: The thesis is part of a series of ongoing research projects associated with the 2ndSkin project. The case study is an apartment block located at the Soendalaan in Vlaardingen. Results: A design concept for an external building envelope system for energy reduction renovation of Dutch post-war apartments elaborated in a 1 to 5 detail scale. The final design incorporates an adaptable aluminium frame system with module boxes containing different functionalities, which can be slid into the main frame. The system is finished with a clamp system with cladding, functioning as the protecting layer for the system.

The Netherlands faces climate change due to global warming and earthquakes due to gas production. To decrease both earthquakes and CO2 production, the government aims to half the gas production in the coming four years and aims for an entire stop by 2030. Over 80% of Dutch houses are heated with gas; 20% were built in the late post-war era (1960-1974) and these houses consume the most gas due to low levels of insulation. As most of these houses are very similar in construction they have a high potential for large scale refurbishment strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to create three strategies with each a different level of improvement, applicable to multiple building types of late post-war era houses.
A row house was used to develop and test the strategies and a semi-detached and a free-standing house were used to test the versatility. Testing was performed with Design Builder and Uniec 2.2, both energy performance programs. Based on a literature review and analysis of the case study, the strategies developed were a basic insulation strategy (A), Energy Performance Coefficient (EPC) ≤ 0,4 strategy (B), and a Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) strategy (C). Strategy A consists merely of basic insulation techniques and the upgrading of old heating systems, which lowers gas consumption with roughly 50% and has a payback time of roughly 15 years. The second strategy aims to lower the EPC to 0,4 or less as is required for newly built houses and consists of higher-level insulation techniques and the use of solar power for heating and electricity. This decreases gas consumption with roughly 75%, electricity consumption with over 45%, has a payback time of roughly 15 years, and a better balanced investment vs. yearly savings. Strategy C adds exterior insulation and installs a hybrid electric boiler, an air heat pump, and solar collectors resulting in a (nearly) NZEB and gas-free house. A very large investment is required for this strategy but the approximate 20 year payback time makes it worthwhile.
The free-standing house was very similar in construction and the three strategies can easily be applied. Strategy A showed similar results, and remarkably both B and C showed both a higher reduction and shorter payback time than with the row house. With strategy C a NZEB could easily be achieved. The semi-detached house has an a-typical construction, monumental status, and air heating system and would require a specific strategy focussing on internal insulation and complete replacement of the heating and ventilation system.
In conclusion, typical post-war era houses can easily be refurbished with these three strategies whereas a-typical houses will require a specific strategy. From a long-term societal perspective, I recommend the NZEB strategy. From the homeowner’s perspective, the EPC ≤ 0,4 strategy is probably the best achievable given the required investments. If we really want to reduce global warming and reduce gas consumption, major steps still have to be taken by the government and industry.

The coming years will see automation and demographic shifts cause a dramatic change in the economics and society of the Netherlands. A Universal Basic Income will be unavoidable. This will result in a large segment of the population existing without a sense of competition to provide fulfilment in people’s life. The provision of arbitrary conflicts through games will be an important strategy to pacify the masses. This is a principal that can be seen throughout history, and is epitomised in Rome’s coloseum as a principal mediator for leisure for the masses and the casino’s of Las Vegas today. As Amsterdam continues to grow, and Schiphol and the Zuidas will further densify and intensify, the Nieuwe Meer and its surroundings, too will be used more intensively. Particularly the north shore of the lake will be developed heavily and feature a number of leisure and entertainment facilities. Here, thoroughly captivatingentertainment is made available to the masses through the hosting of spectacles showing primal, visceral, and real experiences. The inclusion of the spectator as a participant in the spectacle further contributes to the creation of arbitrary conflicts that provide fulfilment to people’s lives. Consequently, potential unrest is pacified and order is maintained, without any use of force, censorship, or the restriction of any freedoms imposed on society.

The Netherlands has a high percentage of post-war walk-up apartments, in Dutch 'portiekflats' which do not rise up to the current sustainability standards anymore. These neighborhoods are often monotone and have many social problems. By example of mother nature and her ecosystems we can redesign these places in a more diverse and local way to make them more resilient towards future changes. The walk-up apartments that will be addressed in this graduation project are situated in Carnisse, Rotterdam, designed by Jo van den Broek. This project takes the renovation of these apartments a step further than just renovating them. What is the status of the local flows (water, energy, waste, material, nutrients) in Carnisse, how can we create locally closed loops of these flows and what interventions are needed to be able to connect the walk-up apartments to these flows? The design is based on four principles that arose from the research of the questions mentioned before; close local flows, improve the public space, diversify and upgrade the walk-up. A new construction was designed that enabled greenhouses to be built on top of the existing buildings, but also creates the possibility to extend the dwellings or the option to make them life cycle proof, creating a more diverse neighborhood that is less dependent on external resources, making it more resilient and ready for the future.

Durability of buildings, the capacity to provide functional usable space for a certain time, as a concept of sustainable architecture forms the starting point and motivation for this project. As part of this main approach, the future function strategy should be introduced. This strategy contains an existing building which will be redesigned in a way that it can serve multiple functions during time and at the same time, with minimal interventions needed to accomplish a function change. The future function strategy is intent to be independent from a location to be widely usable. However, in the end the location will demand the desirable functions. At this project, the choice of the selected functions is determined by the particular case of the marine terrain, where various buildings will need a new function after the marine establishment has left in 2018. Specific for the marine terrain, residential and commercial space are the two functions which the building minimally should be able to accommodate. Designing a building applicable for multiple functions means that it should be able to meet the requirements of these different functions. 

The project concerns the refurbishment of post-war housing, specifically the Camera Obscura in Utrecht. The proposed plan is based upon: 1) technical parameters for energy neutrality, 2) the problems specified by the building analysis and 3) four types of flexibility, to enable inhabitants to influence their dwellings.