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Energy consumption in existing office buildings has been growing in parallel with the rise in occupant energy demand. As a result, many building owners have given smart retrofits (SRs) a higher priority. However, the utilisation of suitable SRs from a range of SRs has become a challenging task. The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision-making model to select the most suitable SRs for conventional office buildings and form a set of benchmarks for assessing the performance of SRs.

A qualitative approach with six case studies was used. Content analysis was carried out using NVivo to explore the factors considered for the selection of SR techniques. A decision-making model for selecting SRs in Sri Lankan office buildings was proposed. SR performance benchmarks were developed by referring to established standards and studies done in tropical office buildings.

Out of 18 identified SRs from literature, fan cycling, ventilation control and LED luminaires have been recognised as commonly used SRs in Sri Lankan office buildings. Analysis showed that HVAC retrofits saved more energy, while lighting retrofits could be easily implemented in existing buildings. The proposed decision-making model can explore further improvements to enhance the performance of SRs.

The selection of SRs is a comprehensive decision-making process. Metrics were established to benchmark the performance of SRs. The proposed model offers a tool for building owners and facility managers to optimise facility operations.

The concept of aging-in-place has gained notable significance in the last decade due to a dramatic demographic shift in global population dynamics that have considerably affected the ability of societies to adequately cater for their aging population. This paper examines some of the barriers to aging-in-place in the context of health needs, housing design and the role of retrofitting/smart home technologies in overcoming these barriers.

Using a narrative literature review approach, the authors undertook a comprehensive search of recent relevant literature focusing on five core thematic areas: health and aging, aging in place, barriers to aging in place, retrofitting and smart home technologies for successful aging in place. The authors entered appropriate keywords into interdisciplinary research databases and synthesized a coherent narrative discussing the thematic areas using the data extracted from the literature search.

There is a bidirectional relationship between aging and the home environment. Barriers to aging-in-place are mainly related to progressive decline in health, which alters the environmental needs of individuals. Appropriate building designs can significantly facilitate aging-in-place. The authors, therefore, highlight the role of retrofitting and smart home technologies as practical solutions to the challenges of the aging-in-place.

Forward planning in building design is essential to guarantee that the home environment is well adapted for the challenges of aging-in-place while also promoting healthy aging.

The paper shows the relationship between aging and the home environment and how building design considerations could enhance healthy aging-in-place.

This research paper is a literature review of the existing building retrofitting process. It proposes studying the functional, technical, and organizational issues of the green retrofit process. The purpose of this paper is to expand the domain of design framework for retrofitting existing buildings.

The paper provides a review of the model-based design process from enrollment to evaluation stages representing the green retrofitting process in selected publications. The paper opted to review the Green Retrofit Design (GRD) process model for achieving a systematic design model of GRD development in the future.

Functional and maintenance issues are mainly for new buildings, also in the field for renovation and demolishing. Publications also show that environmental, social, and technical issues are often examined separately in the decision process of GRD. Papers in the facility management scale would concentrate more on organization/legal issues. Publications with questionnaire design are devoted to the usage on life-cycle assessment on existing building, but not yet on the stakeholder management and design process and related issues.

The achievement of the study is to provide a new framework of design approach that is significant to the theoretical research, education, communication, and practical works in terms of GRD development.

The paper not only achieves a specific sequence of practical approaches, including awareness of problems, conceptual development, and design embodiment, to meet design objectives, but also conforms to academic practice-based research of creative design taking on GRD practice.

Buildings, which account for approximately half of all annual energy and greenhouse gas emissions, are an important target area for any strategy addressing climate change. Whilst new commercial buildings increasingly address sustainability considerations, incorporating green technology in the refurbishment process of older buildings presents many technical, financial and social challenges. This paper aims to explore the social dimension, focusing on the perspectives of commercial office building tenants.

Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted with seven residents and neighbours of the case‐study building undergoing green refurbishment in Melbourne, Australia. Responses were analysed using a thematic approach, identifying categories, themes and patterns.

Commercial property tenants are on a journey to sustainability. Tenants are interested and willing to engage in discussions about sustainability initiatives, but the process, costs and benefits need to be clear.

The findings, while limited by non‐random sampling and small sample size, highlight that the commercial property market is interested in learning about sustainability in the built environment.

The findings highlight the importance of developing a strong business case and transition plan for sustainability in commercial buildings. As sustainable buildings become mainstream, tenants predicted the emergence of a “non‐sustainability discount” for residing in buildings without sustainable features.

This research offers a beginning point for understanding the difficulty of integrating green technology in older commercial buildings. Tenants currently have limited understandings of technology and potential building performance outcomes, which ultimately could impede the implementation of sustainable initiatives in older buildings.

Examines the many innovative smart card applications covering areas such as telecommunications, transport, banking, healthcare and employee/membership schemes. Looks at how the banks, financial services firms, information companies and card issuers are gradually reconceptualizing their delivery strategy as well as their businesses to meet the growing need for remote delivery, brand equity and differentiation. Says that smart cards could act as payment vehicles, access keys, information managers, marketing tools and customized delivery systems. Explores possibilities of an electronic purse range from a disposable stored value card to a re‐loadable stored value card which could literally replace low‐value cash transactions. Smart cards would then become integral to the banks’ concept of remote delivery systems in the future, because smart cards are not just a product, they are a new delivery system. Focuses on some of the issues that might be of deeper concern to banks. Suggests a collaboration between banks and providers in the mass introduction of smart cards.

Proper performance assessment of residential building renovation is crucial to sustainable urban development. However, a comprehensive review of the literature in this research domain is lacking. This study aims to uncover the study trend, research hotspots, prominent contributors, research gaps and directions in this field.

With a hybrid review approach adopted, relevant literature was examined in three stages. In Stage 1, literature retrieved from Scopus was screened for their relevance to the study topic. In Stage 2, bibliographic data of the shortlisted literature underwent scientometric analyses by the VOSviewer software. Finally, an in-depth qualitative review was made on the key literature.

The research hotspots in performance assessment of residential building renovation were found: energy efficiency, sustainability, thermal comfort and life cycle assessment. After the qualitative review, the following research gaps and future directions were unveiled: (1) assessments of retrofits incorporating renewable energy and energy storage systems; (2) evaluation of policy options and financial incentives to overcome financial constraints; (3) establishment of reliable embodied energy and carbon datasets; (4) indoor environment assessment concerning requirements of COVID-19 prevention and involvement of water quality, acoustic insulation and daylighting indicators; and (5) holistic decision-making model concerning residents' intentions and safety, health, well-being and social indicators.

Pioneered in providing the first comprehensive picture of the assessment studies on residential building renovations, this study contributes to offering directions for future studies and insights conducive to making rational decisions for residential building renovations.

HART stands for Highway Addressable Remote Transducer and refers to the protocol (basically the signalling method, message structure and transaction rules) used for digital communication amongst “smart” process instruments and their control room counterparts. But why a special protocol for the process field?

The Portsmouth smart homes project sought to identify appropriate technology to create energy efficient accommodation that supports the occupants in achieving a more independent life than would normally be possible due to their physical disabilities. A consultation process was initiated. This began with focus groups in three different parts of Hampshire. These were followed by in‐depth interviews to ascertain how “smart” technology might enhance independence, quality of life, security and affordability. The consultation process and a technology review informed a number of design exercises culminating in the design of six properties in Portsmouth due to be occupied in April 2002, and monitored through the following summer and winter. Three of these units will accommodate wheelchair users. Internal and external doors, locks and all windows will be motorised. The smart system will be programmed to operate heating, lighting, and household appliances, to a pre‐determined plan, which can be overridden by the resident. The sensors and devices share data in order to act, react and interact in an appropriate way. Disabled people consulted report positive attitudes to smart homes. They want a home that can respond to emergencies and environmental changes. Potential occupants also express the wish to be able to counter automated controls. A majority also express preference for homes that will not stand out from neighbouring properties.