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Due to the heritage value of historical buildings, the external facade can often not be modified. Therefore, heritage buildings require interior insulation when undergoing an energy renovation. However, interior retrofitting drastically changes the hygrothermal behaviour of a wall and can potentially cause moisture-related problems. Besides an interior retrofit, a changing climate might also trigger some of these damage mechanisms since parameters such as temperature and precipitation will change over time. It is proven that hygrothermal models can provide relevant insights into the risk of deterioration associated with these damage phenomena. Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) tools are commercially available but rarely used in the building industry to study deterioration risks. Translating research into practical tools and guidelines is a challenge across the whole field of building renovation. This paper aims to tackle that challenge, by means of creating a hygrothermal risk assessment tool based on 48,384 HAM-simulations for the climate of Brussels, Belgium. Seven different performance criteria are addressed and discussed: freeze-thaw damage, mould growth, wood rot, corrosion, moisture accumulation, salt efflorescence and bio-colonisation. Subsequent to a sensitivity analysis, the study further investigates how these results can be translated into practice, providing building practitioners the most suitable insights and recommendations.

Since the external facades of our architectural heritage are protected and not allowed to be modified, our patrimony will have to be insulated from the inside during the renovation wave. However, interior retrofitting drastically changes the hygrothermal behaviour of a wall. These new conditions can induce different moisture-related problems such as freeze-thaw damage, mould growth, wood decay, condensation and corrosion. Whether or not damage will occur is dependent on many different parameters. Heat Air and Moisture simulations (HAM) can provide relevant insights for interior retrofitting practice but are rarely addressed. By creating a methodology to convey the results and insights from hygrothermal simulations to the building industry, decision-making for building practitioners will improve regarding risk management when interior retrofitting.

Cuba, and more specifically Havana, is known throughout the world for its rich architectural heritage. The 214 ha centre of Havana, consisting of primarily housing, is inscribed as UNESCO world heritage. Nevertheless, is Cuba suffering from a major housing crisis. 70% of the built environment requires major repairs and 7% of the housing context has been declared uninhabitable. In order to tackle the degradation problem, while simultaneously protecting the historical heritage, there is an urgent need for tools and practical guidelines. These should provide insight into the approach to conserving Havana’s heritage and the risks that could entail. The reasons for this deterioration and damage include different moisture-related problems due to the hot and humid climate of Cuba: mould growth, salt efflorescence and the rotting of wooden beam heads embedded in the masonry of the façade. Heat Air Moisture (HAM) models have been found a valuable tool to assess the risk on deterioration and premature failure of building components due to moisture-related problems. This paper demonstrates the process from hygrothermal simulation to practical guideline. The study focuses on the potential of the practical applicability of simulation output from Delphin 6, to produce practical schemes using classification trees. These results will improve decision-making for building practitioners and clarify which parameters have the biggest impact on the risks of deterioration, thus providing insights into the conservation of heritage buildings of Havana, Cuba.

This report includes an introduction to the decision-making process and a discussion of the common shortfalls and conflicts found in the case of historic buildings, and a review of tools supporting the whole building retrofit planning approach.

This handbook follows the systematic approach outlined by the European standard EN 16883:2017 Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings. It describes how the standard can be applied in practice with chapters on heritage value assessment, building survey and holistic assessment of energy efficiency measures. The book draws on the experience from a team of international leading experts in the field of energy efficiency in historic buildings.The intended audience for the handbook is professionals working with the refurbishment of existing buildings: architects, engineers, heritage consultants, building surveyors and professional property owners. It points at the possibilities to lower the energy use in existing buildings without compromising their heritage values, and provides practical guidance on how to identify, assess and select energy retrofit measures through a multidisciplinary planning process.Throughout the book you will follow case studies that illustrate how the different stages of the planning process can be carried out in practice. The text is accompanied by best practice examples, illustrations and links to written and online resources. This handbook follows the systematic approach outlined by the European standard EN 16883:2017 Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings. It describes how the standard can be applied in practice with chapters on heritage value assessment, building survey and holistic assessment of energy efficiency measures. The book draws on the experience from a team of international leading experts in the field of energy efficiency in historic buildings.The intended audience for the handbook is professionals working with the refurbishment of existing buildings: architects, engineers, heritage consultants, building surveyors and professional property owners. It points at the possibilities to lower the energy use in existing buildings without compromising their heritage values, and provides practical guidance on how to identify, assess and select energy retrofit measures through a multidisciplinary planning process.Throughout the book you will follow case studies that illustrate how the different stages of the planning process can be carried out in practice. The text is accompanied by best practice examples, illustrations and links to written and online resources.

This report 1) describes basic aspects of the procedure and technical aspects of the energy retrofitting of historic walls, 2) contains the documentation of a wide variety of thermal refurbishment solutions for external walls, 3) contains an evaluation method for the renovation solutions for external walls. For this purpose, the assessment categories according to EN 16883 were taken as a basis and adapted in detail for walls.

This handbook follows the systematic approach outlined by the European standard EN 16883:2017 Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings. It describes how the standard can be applied in practice with chapters on heritage value assessment, building survey and holistic assessment of energy efficiency measures. The book draws on the experience from a team of international leading experts in the field of energy efficiency in historic buildings.The intended audience for the handbook is professionals working with the refurbishment of existing buildings: architects, engineers, heritage consultants, building surveyors and professional property owners. It points at the possibilities to lower the energy use in existing buildings without compromising their heritage values, and provides practical guidance on how to identify, assess and select energy retrofit measures through a multidisciplinary planning process.Throughout the book you will follow case studies that illustrate how the different stages of the planning process can be carried out in practice. The text is accompanied by best practice examples, illustrations and links to written and online resources.

International audience; With the global need to improve building energy efficiency, numerous old dwellings representing a large part of the building stock need to be retrofitted. In the centre of the city of Cahors, France, old dwellings are considered as historical heritage and have to be internally retrofit to preserve the architecture value of the exterior façade. Such retrofits can lead to damage due to, for example, before the retrofit, a careful hygrothermal study must be run to predict the moisture behaviour of construction assemblies. However, most models assume a stand-alone building without taking into account surrounding buildings, whereas in reality buildings will be influenced by their neighbouring environment. In our case study, historical buildings are located in a very dense urban environment, as typical medieval pattern where urban morphology cannot be neglected. In this study, the urban environment modification of the exterior boundary conditions (mainly solar radiation and convective heat transfer coefficient) and consequent hygrothermal performance of the wall was investigated. The model is implemented by coupling the hygrothermal model Delphin to the whole-building simulation model EnergyPlus and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tool ArcGIS. The goal is to predict exterior boundary conditions in the real geometry of the dense urban area as well as hygrothermal transfer in building envelopes. An open insulation system based on bio-sourced materials is studied. The simulation results indicate a quantitative correlation between urban morphology features and the hygrothermal performance of the fabric and the impact of the insulation system on the fabric decay.