Architectural Strategies for Long-Term Obedience to Increasing Building-Constructive Energy Performance Requirements

Abstract

Two findings in the building industry are considered: the ever increasing statutory energy performance requirements and the urge for ‘future-proofing’ buildings, both as part of the sustainability quest. It is argued that contemporary renovated and new buildings do not anticipate future building-constructive statutory energy performances. These buildings mean a dragging legacy for sustainability-related and more specific energy-related matters.

The paper advocates that a building-constructive ‘futures-thinking’ in view of the energy performance is needed. To facilitate, an explicit low-complexity framework of architectural strategies enabling building envelopes long-term obedience to increasing energy performance requirements is provided. Three strategies constitutes the framework: outperforming current statutory requirements; building with adaptive ability; and a mixed mode, partly outperforming and partly adaptive. For each architectural strategy, a tentative anatomy of design decisions and design amenities is introduced, leading to a knowledge map. Based on first reflections, hot spots for future research and development are identified.

Developed tentative framework is promising for: first, researchers to identify and position future research; and second, architecture students, early-career and unexperienced practicing architects to guide design decisions in view of aimed design amenities. As long as outstanding energy performances are not obliged, provided, verified and supplemented framework means an interesting and designated transitional.