A systematic methodology for retrofitting ageing urban residential buildings in China: a case study based on integrated approaches

Han, S., Yao, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4269-7224 and Essah, E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1349-5167 (2026) A systematic methodology for retrofitting ageing urban residential buildings in China: a case study based on integrated approaches. Journal of Building Engineering, 117. 114608. ISSN 2352-7102 doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2025.114608

Abstract/Summary

Ageing urban residential buildings have significant potential for energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, enhanced indoor thermal comfort, and quality of life improvements. Yet, the current residential building retrofitting projects are proceeding on a pragmatic building-by-building scale; hence, the lack of a systematic approach and theoretical basis has significantly hindered the progress of Retrofitting Ageing Urban Residential Buildings (RAURB) in modern cities. Therefore, this research develops an innovative and coherent approach for the design and assessment of RAURB based on the new Systematic Retrofitting Theoretical Framework (SRTF) developed by the new System Player Analysis (SPA) method. RAURB System players of residents, policymakers, designers, engineers, and scholars are identified and justified to respectively and cooperatively satisfy their individual retrofit demands. An urban case study area with 81 ageing residential buildings is implemented in Chongqing, China. The retrofit benefits and costs are simulated and assessed using the Analytic Network Process (ANP) method of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to evaluate the criteria priority of potential energy saving, investment costs, and improvements in accessibility, safety, and functionality to residents. Moreover, the priority results obtained from this research are analyzed and discussed to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the new SRTF of RAURB, providing useful suggestions to support the prediction of retrofit benefits and costs, decision-making, and future policymaking.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127321
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.jobe.2025.114608
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of the Built Environment > Construction Management and Engineering Science > School of the Built Environment > Energy and Environmental Engineering group
Publisher	Elsevier
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