Integrated Design Process library: new tool available for shopping centres retrofitting!

Author of the page

Roberta D'Angiolella

1800 Last modified by the author on 24/03/2017 - 09:43
Integrated Design Process library: new tool available for shopping centres retrofitting!

The CommONEnergy project aims at identifying this potential through deep retrofitting, developing a systemic approach made of innovative technologies and solution sets as well as methods and tools to support their implementation and to assess their environmental and social impact in a life-cycle approach.

The basis for every retrofitting is a detailed analysis of the building and its context peculiarities. With such information, from basic data to building envelope and HVAC technologies, it is possible to develop retrofitting concepts, further investigate through accurate numerical models of the shopping centres, enabling to predict possible performance enhancement.

This information is contained in the new tool developed by CommONEnergy, the Integrated Design Process library (IDP), an online repository conceived to provide designers, owners and managers with relevant information to start a shopping centre retrofitting process, and displayed in a user-friendly way.

In particular, the tool collects information about shopping centres’ archetypes and specific technology features, as well as climate, social and urban contexts connected to the reduction of energy needs and increase of energy efficiency.

The identification of peculiarities for each building is the starting point for the identification of the most suitable retrofitting solution-set.

Building energy simulation models are used to identify the most suitable and economical solution-set for a shopping centre retrofitting and to estimate the relative energy savings, in order to ensure an effective investment, while effectively exploit, for each case, local natural sources and infrastructures.

The CommONEnergy project will end in 2017, and the closing chapter will be the final conference, “Cost-competitive deep renovation of shopping centres: technologies and drivers for EU policies”, that will give a clearer picture on retail buildings in the EU and summarise the achievements of the project. It will be followed by the Sustainable Building Challenge award ceremony, awarding the Best Sustainable Shopping Centres for two categories (hyper and super buildings).

If you are interested in contributing to the tool and feed the library with your retrofitted shopping centre’s data, please get in touch with the project, you will receive a link to fill in directly the form.

reference document, including the methodology behind the tool and more, is available.

Tool: http://commonenergyproject.eu/malls.html

Share :