Decision Criteria for the Assessment of Building Retrofit Integrating Innovative Façade Solutions

In the present environmental and political scenario, energy and carbon issues represent both ecological and economic challenges. The individuation of strategies capable to confront these complex circumstances by improving the quality of urban areas and, moreover, of buildings is considered a priority, as well as identifying paths and technical solutions capable to support this transition. A critical approach to building solutions, operating on existing buildings, could allow it to reach higher efficiency targets and possibly lead to a more aware occupancy. In this scope, adaptive façades enable the retrofit of existing buildings characterized by low energy performance and envelope pathologies, also offering a response to the level of comfort to be ensured for the occupants of the internal spaces. The technological unit of vertical closure influences several factors that form the energy consumption of a building, influencing it by more than 50%. The impact of façade systems on the needs for rational use of resources and user well-being and health opens the way to the implementation of advanced solutions, applied to existing buildings. In this contribution, a framework for the evaluation of eligibility of innovative façade solutions in building retrofit is proposed. A strategy considering these façade solutions can benefit from both established and innovative technologies, both in reaching ambitious targets by an effective and wide application and in providing a leverage to the local building sector in design approach and life-cycle management.