A Characterisation and Evaluation of Urban Areas from an Energy Efficiency Approach, using Geographic Information Systems in Combination with Life Cycle Assessment Methodology

Abstract

The retrofitting of less energy efficient building stock represents one of the most significant challenges in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Nowadays, the housing sector represents about 40% of the energy consumption in the European Union. In this regard, the level of insulation installed in buildings is directly related to the energy efficiency of the building, and consequently to the urban area. In addition, several studies have shown that a comprehensive perspective of energy efficiency is needed, together with calculating the importance of introducing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to: first, measure the energy efficiency level of specific urban areas and their buildings using a geospatial model in an integral perspective; and second, the environmental impact caused by the refurbishment of these building façades using a LCA method.On the one hand, according to a bottom-up framework the quantitative and qualitative characterisation of the building stock façade at the urban scale is possible generating a georeferenced spatial data model of buildings using Geographic Information Systems. On the other hand, the environmental impact of the most usual constructive solutions to refurbishment building façades is calculated using the LCA methodology. The results obtained are merged and interpolated to the urban scale. The methodology is tested for the case study of blocks of flats in Barcelona using the open data of building stock from the Spanish Government. Firstly, this methodology provides more information in regard to urban areas as well as calculating their energy efficiency. Secondly, the study measures the renovation impact of the less efficient buildings. Finally, the results provide the basis for supporting decisions on building stock retrofitting for urban scale from a new approach, especially making the selection between various renovation scenarios much clearer.

Research Progress on Environmental Impact Assessment of Urban Construction Activities

“…Österbring M et al [39] constructed a geographic information system model based on a specific building for a multi-family residential building in Gothenburg, and used an exploratory LCA method to evaluate the environmental impact of the renovation. S. GARCÍA-PÉREZ et al [40] used geographic information systems combined with life cycle assessment methods to characterize and evaluate urban areas from the perspective of energy efficiency.…”

Towards Productive Cities: Environmental Assessment of the Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus of the Urban Roof Mosaic

“…Aerial imagery and geographic information systems can be used to retrieve useful information such as rooftop area, shape, or slope and also to manage information by creating multilayer maps (David and Haselmayr ; García‐Pérez et al. ).…”

Analysis of the pattern of energy consumptions and its impact on urban environmental sustainability in Jordan: Amman City as a case study

“…Existing challenges in urban environments is based on using innovative methods and creative ways to raise energy efficiency and improve user behavior [13], and these methods known as retrofitting or reformatting of existing housing and restructured the buildings to make them more efficient in energy consumption process to be increased as adviced by LCA that ultimately will be increased. In order to reduce Amman City energy consumption, a range of effective properties of carbon footprint reduction should be activated [27], such as thermal insulation process, specific height and size, and appropriate location's direction of houses in confronting the sunlight [28], in addition to the nature of the material used in the construction process to be environment friendly. In this context, the role of social learning and public awareness of the community towards efficient use and consumption behavior become very important [28].…”