Making existing buildings more sustainable involves a significant level of investment which more often than none, requires the consideration of a long-term view in terms of returns. Several options exist and whilst technology continues to improve the ability to conceptualise, design and...

Among the various forms of social innovation, the regeneration of the communities’ assets by social enterprises is actually playing an increasing role. The renovation of buildings and public spaces to be allocated to social services, cultural activities, protected shelters, and social tourism...

The past years have seen widely noticed critiques of historic preservation by “one of our leading urban economists,” Edward Glaeser, and by star architect Rem Koolhaas. Glaeser, an academic economist specializing in urban development, admits that preservation has value. But he argues in his...

In order to achieve the climate protection goals in the building sector, a higher rate of building refurbishment is necessary to improve the energy standard of residential building stock in the European Union. Although subsidisation seems to be necessary, optimal measures concerning cost...

The building sector is a key focus area of the Energy Concept of the German Federal Government, among other reasons because it has the potential to avoid a large share of CO2 emissions while also saving costs. Thus far, however, only a small percentage of residential building owners have...

Die Politik hat mit ihrem Energiekonzept anspruchsvolle Energie- und Klimaziele vorgegeben. Nach Energiewirtschaft, Industrie und Verkehr gerät nun der Hauswärmebereich als nächstgrößter Energieverbraucher und CO2-Emittent in den Fokus. Seit Mitte 2011 wird von der Legislative über...

Der Gebäudesektor ist ein Schlüsselsektor des Energiekonzepts der Bundesregierung, unter anderem da sich in diesem Sektor ein Großteil der CO2 Emissionen mit Gewinn einsparen lässt (Levine et al. 2007). Bisher führt allerdings nur ein geringer Teil der Wohngebäudebesitzer umfassende...