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Non-technical dimensions such as spatial quality are just as relevant for energy efficiency as technical and economic dimensions in the renovation of dwellings. However, the significance of non-technical dimensions is often neglected in the energy renovation of dwellings. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the renovation of dwellings for energy efficiency influences spatial quality in the MS-1 building in the neighbourhood of Arlequin, Grenoble, France. The Arlequin case study is part of the ZenN project, nearly zero energy neighbourhoods, funded by the European 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No. 314363).

The impact of the renovation on spatial quality is analysed by crossing technical measures, applied in the energy renovation of dwellings with the definition of spatial quality proposed by Acre and Wyckmans (2014). The spatial quality definition results from a literature review on quality of design and urban life, wherein works of Weber (1995) and Gehl (2010, 2011) are related to the residential use in the scales of the building and block. The impact of renovation on spatial quality is further evaluated by using the spatial quality assessment developed by Acre and Wyckmans (2015). The impact on spatial quality is observed by considering all the renovation measures, instead of only considering the measures primarily related to energy performance. This emphasises the need for a cross-disciplinary approach between technical and non-technical dimensions in the energy renovation of dwellings.

The results display both negative and positive impacts of the energy renovation on spatial quality in the dwellings and emphasise the potential of non-technical dimensions in promoting renovation. The impact on spatial quality is primarily negative when only measures adopted in order to improve energy efficiency are considered in the evaluation.

This paper consists of a novel crossing of technical and non-technical dimensions in energy renovation of dwellings. The work aligns with the current European trend of nurturing energy-deep renovation to reach Europe’s 2050 energy-efficiency targets (Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) 2011).

This study assesses the Laguna District's spatial qualities in Gazimagusa. Gazimagusa is a coastal settlement that possesses long golden beaches. However, almost all sea fronts are closed to the public. There is both a physical and a visual barrier along the sea-shore. The Laguna District is the only area in the city, where the sea-shore is open to the public. Therefore, this district is an important area. In this study, three indicators and eleven determinants are used to assess the spatial qualities of the Laguna District. The indicators are natural and physical aspects as well as existing functions and activities in the district. In this research, the determinants are used in question form for assessing the spatial qualities of the Laguna District. The first part of this paper discusses some theoretical issues related to the significance of sea fronts in respect of coastal settlements and the spatial qualities of the coastal districts. Observation and physical analysis methods are used for assessing the spatial qualities. According to findings, some recommendations are given for improving the spatial qualities of the Laguna District.

While the buildability concept and habitation comfort have been studied extensively, these have so far been examined separately. In particular, the implications which the total building performance (TBP) concept, as part of habitation comfort, may have on buildability are as yet unknown. Arising from this lacuna, the objective of this study is to develop an understanding of the relationship between buildability and the two TBP concepts of spatial and acoustic performance.

In studying the relationship between the spatial and acoustic performance concepts and buildability, a base model was used to establish the baseline for comparison. This base model was adopted from the Code of Practice on Buildable Design implemented by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore. The incorporation of spatial and acoustic performance guidelines on the base model was examined to assess their influence on the buildability score.

Analysis for the spatial performance concept yielded a slight decrease in the buildability score after the incorporation of the guidelines. This was also the case in the acoustic performance concept, where there was a slight decrease in the buildability score. Nevertheless, the reductions do not affect the buildability score so significantly. The minimum buildability score requirements set by the BCA were still met after the incorporation of the guidelines. This seems to suggest that there is minimal effect on the buildability score arising from the implementation of both the spatial and acoustic performance concepts.

The study determined that the two TBP concepts of spatial and acoustic performance do not seem to have any significantly adverse effect on buildability. Building professionals can therefore incorporate appropriate spatial and acoustic performance guidelines in their architectural layout designs without compromising on buildability.

This study presents a better understanding of the relationship between buildability and the two TBP concepts of spatial and acoustic performance.

Housing quality is determined by both objective and subjective dynamics. This research was conducted to explore the importance of users’ memory as a tool for assessing housing quality. While objective features of the surroundings generally require physical measurements, subjective features can be supported by residents’ memories. Memory studies can therefore be used as a research tool to understand the housing environment as they provide important references to the past, present, and future. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between users’ (residents) memory and housing quality.

The methodology comprised a literature review of spatial quality studies and a field study of a modern housing estate in Istanbul. For the field study, housing quality was examined through the memories of residents in the neighbourhood, buildings, and units. With the research, site observations were made, a questionnaire was issued to residents, and in-depth interviews were conducted with residents who had lived there the longest. New dimensions of housing quality problems were then discussed in the conclusion with reference to residents’ memories.

Memory studies can be used as a research tool to understand the housing environment, as they provide important references to the past, present and future. In the conclusion, new dimensions of the housing quality problems were discussed with the help of the residents’ memories. It was seen that different dimensions of housing quality can be revealed with the help of user memory.

In all, 40 of the total residents (101) accepted to make questionnaires. In-depth interviews were conducted with three long-term residents that are the only ones still alive and had lived the area since the beginning of the life after construction.

With the aim of developing new tools and methods to analyse housing quality, this research presents a new perspective by utilising users’ memories to evaluate spatial quality.

The aim of this study is to develop a framework that incorporates social aspects of housing refurbishment when evaluating the sustainability of refurbishment projects. The research examined whether the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) certification yields a holistic approach to social sustainability.

A framework for social sustainability was established from values identified through reviews of certification systems, published literature and from interviews. The target is to better assess and value holistic and soft parameters like social sustainability when assessing the overall value creation of projects.

The result was a more transparent and systematic structure, which revealed that the DGNB certification had shortcomings in a holistic approach to social sustainability. Counteractions for these shortcomings are discussed.

Researchers are still discussing how to include more soft aspects like social aspects with the more hard measures like energy consumption and initial cost in the same equation for addressing sustainability in a more holistic framework. This research contributes to this.

Considering the current climate situation and the amount and the state of existing European building stock, sustainable renovation is inevitable. In Europe, the DGNB certification is one of the most applied certification systems of sustainability. It approaches all parts of sustainability. Yet, social sustainability has been criticised for being neglected.

A review of literature concerning the concept suggests that it is a concept in chaos. There have been a number of attempts to impose some order to this; however, the attempts have all been made differently and with limited success.

Rapid urbanization and development of pilgrimage cities cause significant problems for the environment and society, leading to long-term challenges. Despite several discussions on city sustainability, the literature does not address some of the specific problems of pilgrimage cities. Hence, this study attempts at developing a method to examine the growth pattern and sustainability of pilgrimage cities in southern part of India.

The benchmarking method and the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability are considered to construct the Pilgrimage City Sustainability Index (PCSI). Appropriate variables and categories are identified through a literature review and expert opinion survey. The benchmark values of the variables are derived by contemplating the pilgrimage cities of Tamil Nadu, one of the states with the largest tourist arrivals in India. Subsequently, three prominent pilgrimage cities from Tamil Nadu were chosen for the case study and the method was tested.

The result reveals that the cities investigated are performing above average in the sustainability index, with slight variations in their dimension scores. While the category scores of cities assist in identifying macro-level issues, the variable scores provide an insight into micro-level issues. Furthermore, the gap analysis between the benchmark and the present value of each variable discloses the immediate area of attention in each city. Thus, the cities could set more specific targets, frame strategies and/or collaborate with matching cities to bridge these gaps.

This index assessment provides a comparison of the pros and cons of these pilgrimage cities and helps identify their demand and supply. Policymakers can find appropriate tools and approaches that aid in sustainable urban development and tourism management.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in emphasizing the application of the benchmarking method to assess the sustainability of Indian pilgrimage sites. With appropriate modifications, this method can be used in varied contexts across the globe.

Increasing focus on sustainability, in general, climate change impact, circular economy and a substantial need for CO₂ footprint reduction within the construction industry, requires new knowledge and processes regarding the existing buildings. To satisfy new laws and regulations for new buildings is an easier challenge in comparison with possibilities in existing building stock which has the biggest contribution to sustainability within the construction industry. The purpose of the study is to develop and present a standardized process for sustainable refurbishment which, in addition to technical aspects, has a goal to create “well-being” for stakeholders, people organizations in private and public businesses and society itself.

The latest state of the art in the mentioned field has been assessed, and the developments along with potential future research focus have been identified. The process is presented in this paper, from the starting point of establishing the Norwegian standards in 1995 (NS 3454) until now, the development of the new CEN standard (prEN 17860:2022). The basic methodology designed for NS 3454 was improved through Nordic tools for indicator requirements SURE 1 (2011) and SURE 2 (2015). Further development of the tool was adopted by CEN TC 350 Sustainable Construction in 2017 with the aim to extend the good Nordic practices to the European level. In the paper, the design of the new standard prEN 17860:2022 is presented, from the process and content perspective, following the Nordic approach of standardized methodology and enhancing it with new dimensions and evaluation tools. Throughout the years, the standardized methodology, based on NS 3424, has been implemented in practical use for facility management in the Norwegian public sector. Positive experiences and feedback from this practical implementation have been taken into consideration in prEN 17680:2022.

The authors present the guidance, developed as a process, leading facility managers and other stakeholders through sustainable refurbishment standards and rules to make a clear decision about their concrete investment. The tool enables decisions about all three sustainability pillars and better decisions for health, well-being and quality of life. All the characteristics of the standardized methodology from the Nordic approach were supplemented (technical aspects; adaptability; usability; social aspects; energy, water and operational impacts and quality of indoor environment including health aspects) and some new were added (economic, feasibility, climate resilience and embodied environmental impacts). The tool also presents a building performance profile for further service life.

Sustainable cities have been a focus for many years now from various perspectives such as SURE 1 or 2 and CEN TC 350. What these studies neglect is a clear and helpful guideline, supporting the FM, users and investors while deciding the operating and maintaining infrastructure in an urban environment. Better standardized forms give the possibility to make better climate-neutral choices and keep the well-being focus by choosing buildings with a potential for a long lifetime.

The new focus of addressing all stakeholders, including people, promoting sustainable refurbishment by informing, engaging and empowering them to take the decisions.

Conventional approaches of evaluating spatial layout configurations typically involved universal understandings of aspects like connectivity, proximity and visibility, while possibly discarding both partially true solutions and ranges of parameters affecting detailed spatial relations. With the growing need to address spatial uncertainty and ambiguity, the incorporation of methods that embrace soft qualities in design is becoming increasingly significant in spatial layout planning.

The authors introduce a fuzzy-based approach for the automated assessment of architectural spatial layout configurations while addressing ambiguity in layout design. The authors evaluate soft interdependent design qualities like connectedness, enclosure and spaciousness to satisfy multiple mutually inclusive criteria and account for all logical solutions without discarding likely or less likely solutions. The authors analyze spatial entities, parameters and relations and identify rulesets for logical configurations using linguistic variables, fuzzy sets, membership functions and descriptive rule blocks. As a case study, the authors use grasshopper and fuzzyTECH to represent four pilot layout alternates with varying attributes and a case study focusing on one specific spatial criterion.

Multiple complex and nuanced spatial relations were inferred by evaluating spatial outputs and their inherent discrepancies and correlations, thus confirming the assumption that fuzzy-based systems could potentially satisfy multiple mutually inclusive criteria and account for exhaustive logical solutions without discarding preferable, likely or less likely solutions.

Most precedent approaches focus on spatial layout design from an occupancy-centered perspective, where occupancy patterns and possibilities are identified in loosely defined spaces or behavioral usage patterns. The added value in this paper involves including a wide array of spatial inputs to describe soft spatial qualities using nuanced rule-based descriptors.

This paper interrogates the impact of spatial transformations on urban life. It explores the level of individual and group satisfaction and sense of well-being within the urban public realm; this is undertaken by reporting on the outcomes of an assessment study of three key public open spaces in Belgrade, developed from a quality of urban life (QoUL) perspective.

A systematic multilevel assessment method is utilised, with the aim of determining the material and immaterial elements that can contribute to an individual's sense of comfort within a public space. The study places emphasis on the functional, social and perceptual attributes as they relate to the physical characteristics of three assessed spaces.

The assessment study resulted in a systematic overview of the different attributes of the three assessed spaces. With various performance levels within each set of attributes, the study identifies key challenges and problems that could lead towards determining possible opportunities for future local urban interventions and developmental actions.

With the shifts in policies and the associated governance process that redefined the outlook of previously enforced development and urban growth in the last two decades, the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, has undergone significant spatial changes. This has resulted in a certain level of fragmentation in the urban fabric, leading to a number of challenges concerning public health, well-being, safety, accessibility, comfort and urban mobility, to name a few, that need to be better addressed and understood within the local context.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between market pricing and design quality within the development industry. Currently, there is a lack of research that examines real estate at the property level. Development quality is widely believed to have diminished over the past decades, while many investors seem uninterested in the design process. The study aims to address these issues through a pricing model that integrates design attributes. It is hoped that empirical findings will invite broader stakeholder interest in the design process.

The research establishes a framework for assessing spatial compliance across residential developments within London. Compliance is assessed across ten boroughs, with technical space guidelines used as a proxy for design quality. Transaction prices and spatial assessments are aligned within a hedonic pricing model. Empirical findings are used to establish whether undermining spatial standards presents a significant development risk.

Findings suggest a relationship between sale time and unit size, with “compliant” units typically transacting earlier than “non-compliant” units. Almost half of the 1,600 apartments surveyed appear to undermine technical guidelines.

It is suggested that an array of design attributes be explored that extend beyond unit size. Additionally, future studies may consider the long-term implications of design quality via secondary transaction prices.

Practical implications include the development of a more scientific approach to design valuation. This may enhance the position of product design management within the development industry and architectural services.

Social implications may include improvement in residential design.

An innovative approach combines a thorough understanding of both design and economic principles.