How To Repair An Aging Building In The Best Way Possible: An Eco-Renovation Approach

Discuss how an aging building can be repaired in the best way possible.

Why Eco-Renovate?

In order to repair an aging building such as facilities Management of a Learning Institute building, a number of considerations ought to be made. One of the key considerations is the nature and quality of materials to be used. Currently, the need for energy-saving building materials is highly encouraged. Most of the aging buildings were built without considering the energy conservation needs. Consequently, when repairing such buildings the choice of materials is imperative. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how an aging building can be repaired in the best way possible.

People are increasingly aware of their environment and its necessary preservation, so it is imperative that the habitat consider these dimensions. The stakes are considerable and are not a fad. Realizing and promoting a different, economical and environmentally friendly habitat is a major concern that building companies are increasingly integrating into their practice. The goal of upgrading is to design natural house, luminous, comfortable, healthy and respectful of the environment and which would preserve its inhabitants from any source of contaminations (Minke, 2009 p. 47). It prevents the emission of dust and polluting gases into the atmosphere. A healthy building is thought of with special attention to anything that can cause environmental pollution and non-toxic materials. Consequently, the best renovation strategy that would be adopted during the renovation of the Facilities Management of a Learning Institute building is what is called ‘Eco-renovate.’

The terms "Eco-Build" or "Eco-renovate" indicate that one seeks to achieve a high performance on several targets affecting the environment, comfort and health of the occupants of a building. The preservation of energy resources (raw materials, water), the fight against climate change, the reduction of waste and pollution, the quality of indoor air, the comfort of occupants (acoustic, visual), environmental quality and sanitary building products are the prime concern. To be able to be guided in this process and to help them in their projects, the actors of the construction have repositories, norms and certifications to guarantee the achievement of these performances. In a ‘Eco-renovate’, structural design processes are environmentally friendly and use resources efficiently. This ecological practice is developing and complements the classic building design concerns that are more energy efficient, durable and comfortable. Green building involves both a healthy, sustainable building, made of natural materials, consuming little energy, exploiting that of renewable nature, easy to maintain and a reasonable cost (Minke, 2009 p. 51).

Using Biobased Materials

In eco-renovate, it is necessary to use healthy materials, natural lime, treated wood with organic products, hemp, raw earth, straw, bricks (Moore, 2001, p. 201). Common sense must prevail, the construction must rhyme with health, because in new buildings the indoor air is more polluted than the outside air (toxic emanations of coatings, paints, glues, coatings, tapestries, etc.). Consequently, one of the improvements that would be made entails use of bio-sourced construction products. Biobased materials are materials derived from biomass of plant or animal origin. They cover a wide range of products and find many applications in the field of building and construction. For example, insulators (wool of plant or animal fibers, recycled textile, cellulose wadding, chenevotte, shives, straw bales, etc.); mortars and concretes (concrete of hemp, wood, linen, etc.); panels (vegetable particles or fibers, compressed straw, etc.); plastic composite materials (dies, reinforcements, loads).  Heating and energy consumption is another area to consider (Lee, 2011, p. 81).

The renovation of the facilities Management of a Learning Institute building would be designed such that energy consumption is limited. The most efficient and inexpensive element for reducing energy losses, good thermal insulation is one of the keys to sustainable construction (Sayigh, 2014, p. 79). Effective insulation reduces heat dissipation in winter and vice versa, heat input in summer; the energy requirements for heating and cooling are reduced accordingly.

The reduction of energy losses will depend not only on the use of good insulation materials and the use in structure and cladding of materials with high thermal inertia such as wood, but also a set of parameters of situation and orientation of the building, circulation of water and air, the activity of users and machines ... It is however necessary to ensure adequate ventilation when the insulation is effective. By optimizing insulation and ventilation, heating becomes almost useless and additional gains can be achieved by using low-energy equipment or able to extract energy from the environment (example of the solar water heater). The limit of the "passive house", inspired by the German labels PASSIVHAUS and Swiss Minergie is reached. Consumption is less than 50kWh / m2 / year (Sowinski & Fedrizzi, 2017 p. 113).

Another factor to consider is sustainable construction. The renovation will be geared towards reducing environmental impacts (disturbance of the environment, energy consumption for its construction, waste generated, space grabbing, etc.). The philosophy of sustainable architecture is embodied in various practices that aim to reduce the negative impact of a building on its environment and to take care of the quality of life of users and neighboring communities (Tabb & Deviren 2013, p 57. The implementation of a sustainable architecture is manifested by a set of choices of techniques, management methods, the selection of materials used and the internal organization of functions and spaces, in order to control, in particular, the consumption of energy and the development of the living environment of the users. The costs of green products and facilities for a sustainable architecture are often higher than conventional techniques, but long-term savings often make these investments profitable. In addition, the sustainable approach is strongly encouraged by the authorities through subsidies and tax exemptions that accelerate the amortization period of these investments to stimulate the construction of low-energy buildings (BBC) and improve the living environment in common.

Importance of Thermal Insulation

The renovation will also consider introducing potted plants. The presence of deciduous vegetation will limit the solar radiation on the house at the hottest hours thanks to the shade (Bauer, Mösle & Schwarz 2009, p. 67. On the contrary, in winter, the leaves having fallen, the sun will warm the walls. This is to orient the house so as to have the rooms lit in the morning by the sun, to have the main rooms exposed to more or 25 degrees south month without obstacle to solar radiation in winter, but elements (before -toit, vegetation, deciduous trees that block the sunshine in summer). Frames will also be repaired accordingly. Solid shutters and insulated doors provide summer and winter comfort (Hegger 2008 p. 91). A wind blowing at 50 to 70 km / h can lead to double consumption, especially if turbulence develops. Lastly, there would be a need to choose good insulating glasses. Low emissivity glazing is recommended, because it allows significant energy savings that more than offset their additional cost of 10 to 20% compared to conventional glazing.

Conclusion

The analysis has demonstrated that the repairing process of facilities Management of a Learning Institute building will focus more on the concept of ‘eco-renovate’. Eco-renovate" indicate that one seeks to achieve a high performance on several targets affecting the environment, comfort and health of the occupants of a building. The preservation of energy resources (raw materials, water), the fight against climate change, the reduction of waste and pollution, the quality of indoor air, the comfort of occupants (acoustic, visual), environmental quality and sanitary building products are the prime concern.

As established in the discussion, one of the recommendations is that the repairing process should involve the use green products. The costs of green products and facilities for a sustainable architecture are often higher than conventional techniques, but long-term savings often make these investments profitable.

The second recommendation is that materials used should have good insulation and the use in structure and cladding of materials with high thermal inertia such as wood, but also a set of parameters of situation and orientation of the building, circulation of water and air, the activity of users and machines.

The third recommendation is that materials used should facilitate energy optimization and this can be achieved using low-energy equipment or able to extract energy from the environment.

Lastly, it is recommended that bio-based materials such as insulators (wool of plant or animal fibers, recycled textile, cellulose wadding, chenevotte, shives, straw bales, etc.); mortars and concretes (concrete of hemp, wood, linen, etc.); panels (vegetable particles or fibers, compressed straw, etc.); plastic composite materials (dies, reinforcements, loads) are given priority

List of References

Bauer, M., Mösle, P., & Schwarz, M., 2009, ‘Green Building: Guidebook for Sustainable Architecture.’ https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00635-7.

Hegger, M., 2008, ‘Energy manual: sustainable architecture’. Mu?nchen, DETAIL - Institut fu?r internationale Architektur-Dokumentation GmbH & Co. KG. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1075583.

Lee, S., 2011, ‘Aesthetics of sustainable architecture’, 010 Uitgeverij.

Minke, G., 2009, ‘Building with earth: design and technology of a sustainable architecture’, https://site.ebrary.com/id/10634521.

Moore, S. A., 2001, ‘Technology and place sustainable architecture and the Blueprint Farm’,  Austin, University of Texas Press.

Sayigh, A., 2014, ‘Sustainability, energy and architecture’, [recurso electrónico]. Inglaterra, Academic Press.

Sowinski, S., & Fedrizzi, R., 2017, ‘A history of sustainable architecture: design fundamentals’, Philadelphia, PA : Eco Press

Tabb, P., & Deviren, A. S., 2013, ‘The greening of architecture: a critical history and survey of contemporary sustainable architecture and urban design’, Burlington, VT, Ashgate Pub. Co.