Thermo-retrofitting, refurbishment and re-use of traditional and historical building stock in Malta

Abstract

The main aim of this dissertation was to study traditional and modern Maltese building construction methods to assess their potential contribution towards thermal retrofitting alterations to local building stock, both old and new, and to establish the payback period for such retrofit jobs, often with a given budget. Three local case studies with similar site conditions were chosen. Detailed drawings and surveys of the existing building were studied and also the proposed alterations and extensions. The construction materials used and the proposed materials were assessed with respect to internal human thermal comfort. A 3D performance software using Integrating Environmental Solutions (IES) of the three buildings was created to simulate the current conditions as well as the new proposed conditions with s selection of design options, thus extracting which option will make the building more comfortable for the end user. The payback period for each alteration was eventually worked out and from the results obtained, it was noticed that roof insulation is the most cost effective option for retrofitting while external wall insulation, even though savings are considerable, is not always financially feasible to retrofit. lt was also noticed that footprint, geometry and boundary conditions play an extremely important role. However, when it comes to retrofitting, although it was confirmed that site parameters are extremely important for a cost-benefit analysis, the overruling thrust of such a retrofit should strive towards improved energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint of the newly revamped building. Therefore, an overall balance of cost-savings and energy efficiency should be reached for an overall truly sustainable building.