This dissertation aims to evaluate technical opportunities and architectural consequences deriving from the retrofit of an office building in the UK. Recent research has focused on the key sources of carbon emissions for the existing building stock, identifying for every main building type different degrees of retrofitting potential. The two case studies, located in Glasgow and Edinburgh, are representative of two main typologies: a core-dependent deep plan and a skin-dependent shallow plan.
Daylight and thermal performances are assessed. Different levels
of refurbishment are discussed and tested through energy simulations using accurate computer models. Retrofitting actions are grouped into four scenarios: ‘building envelope; HVAC system; lighting systems and use of daylight, passive systems and techniques’.