Social sustainability: new methodology for retrofit assessment

While developing building retrofit solutions, it is crucial to considers the impact they may have directly on the residents and on the broader ecosystem of stakeholders involved in the life cycle of building renovation. As a first step, a survey was distributed to technology providers in the project. At a second stage, the same survey was distributed to stakeholders involved in the value chain of building retrofitting value chains in Europe. 

For a comprehensive analysis of the retrofit process, different stakeholders and both positive and negative effects must be considered. The newly published report “Novel methodology for social sustainability assessment” addresses this need by providing a step-by-step methodology offering a flexible framework applicable to diverse cases and practitioner needs.  

The framework developed by GreenDelta considers 16 steps, from the definition of the building context and specific indicators, to the impact assessment and recommendations. Specific indicators have been selected for the retrofitting impact on residents, identified for the use, maintenance, renovation works and design stages. For other stakeholders, the indicator selection has been based on the ones available in the PSILCA database.  

To validate the framework, the three demo sites in Slovenia, Italy and France have been used, focusing on the Italian demo case in Greve in Chianti. For this specific case, data was gathered through interviews with building managers, surveys and interviews with residents held during a two-day field work. 

Read the report here.