Integrated seismic and energy retrofitting of buildings

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Synopsis

Our buildings are ageing, posing an urgent need for renovation to align with the goals of multidimensional European and international policies. In the EU, 80% of the building stock was built before the 1990's when modern seismic and energy provisions were put in practice. These buildings require upgrading to meet modern standards, to prevent significant human and economic losses from earthquakes and reduce their energy consumption. To achieve better cost-effectiveness, and hence incentivise renovation, integrating energy retrofitting with seismic strengthening is currently explored at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). From a life cycle perspective, the combination of energy efficiency measures with seismic renovation can preserve the structural integrity over a prolonged period and reduce repair works associated to damage.

Daniel Pohoryles will provide an overview of technologies for integrated retrofitting. Four main types of interventions can be identified in the scientific literature: (1) exoskeletons; (2) interventions on the existing building envelope; (3) replacement of the existing envelope; and (4) interventions on horizontal elements. The encountered solutions present different levels of technological maturity, ranging from a conceptual stage to technologies already tested and validated experimentally. Some practical examples will be presented, as well as an analysis of the potential of different retrofitting solutions, including their relative effectiveness, invasiveness, disruptiveness, costs, as well as their impact on the environment.

Konstantinos Gkatzogias will present a framework for regional prioritisation of building renovation, considering seismic risk, energy performance, and socioeconomic vulnerability, independently and in an integrated way. Results indicate that prioritisation of building renovation is a multidimensional problem. Depending on priorities, different integrated indicators should be used to inform policies and accomplish the highest relative or most spread impact across different sectors. The framework is further extended to assess the impact of renovation scenarios across the EU with a focus on priority regions. Integrated renovation can provide a risk-proofed, sustainable, and inclusive built environment, presenting an economic benefit in the order of magnitude of the highest benefit among the separate interventions. Furthermore, it presents the unique capability of reducing fatalities and energy consumption at the same time, and depending on the scenario, to a greater extent.

Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this presentation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.

About the speakers

Daniel Pohoryles

Daniel Pohoryles is a Scientific Project Officer at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) currently working on the development of a holistic rating system integrating sustainability, functionality, and aesthetics (New European Bauhaus). His research at the JRC focusses on the combined seismic and energy retrofitting of existing European buildings. Currently, Daniel is the scientific project leader of the PINN FLOED project, investigating the use of physics-informed neural networks for estimating the heating and cooling energy demand in buildings. His research background includes evaluating the seismic behaviour and retrofitting of structures, with expertise in full-scale experimental testing, as well as numerical modelling. Past experience include postdoctoral stays at the University of Toronto and the Universidad Católica de Chile, as well as a Postdoc and PhD in Seismic Retrofitting at the UCL EPICentre.

Konstantinos Gkatzogias

Konstantinos Gkatzogias is a Scientific Project Officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. His current research work focuses on regional impact assessment of building renovation scenarios considering seismic risk, energy performance, and socioeconomic indicators, as well as the development of a rating system for the New European Bauhaus addressing among others sustainability, functionality, emerging technologies and inclusiveness of buildings and living spaces. He has worked extensively in the development of performance-based seismic design methods for bridges using advanced nonlinear analysis and statistical processes to inform decision-making among alternative design schemes including structural control. He has delivered design projects for the restoration of cultural heritage at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, and he is an active member of various engineering societies and committees. He holds a PhD and an MSc in Earthquake Structural Engineering and a Civil Engineering Diploma.

Registration

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Further information

The talk is organised by SECED Young Members. For further information, please contact Marco Baiguera (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

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