Enhancing Sustainability in the Construction Sector: A Prioritized Approach

Research from the University of Venice has proposed a three-step framework to optimize resource allocation and prioritize interventions in the construction sector, focusing on the renovation of educational buildings in Italy. The study emphasizes the need for urgent renovation of schools built before 1976, lacking energy-saving measures. Financial supporters of this research include the Italian inter-university PhD course in Sustainable Development and Climate Change and the Italian Department of Civil Protection. The authors stress the importance of a comprehensive approach to address multiple needs of educational building stocks, incorporating non-energy-related factors and stakeholders' goals.

Key Takeaways:

• The construction sector in Italy is in urgent need of renovation, particularly for schools built before 1976 without energy-saving measures.
• A three-step prioritization framework has been proposed to optimize resource allocation and ensure optimal resource allocation for facility managers.
• The framework involves data collection, energy simulation, and priority assignment, which was applied to an educational building stock of 103 buildings in northern Italy.
• The research emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to address multiple needs of educational building stocks, incorporating non-energy-related factors and stakeholders' goals.
• The authors suggest integrating non-energy-related factors, such as structural and social aspects, into the renovation priority assessment to ensure a replicable methodology for organizing and ranking refurbishment actions.
• The study concludes that a priority-based approach can help optimize resources, minimize costs, and maximize effectiveness in educational building renovations.

Statistics:

• 103 educational buildings in northern Italy were analyzed in the study.
• 50% of the schools in Italy were built before 1976 without energy-saving measures.
• The energy simulation tool used in the study was an urban building energy modeling tool.
• The study reported a realistic energy saving potential of 20% for the building stock investigated.
• The research was funded by the Italian inter-university PhD course in Sustainable Development and Climate Change and the Italian Department of Civil Protection.

Sources:

• "Strategic Framework for Sustainable Energy Renovation Policies In Educational Buildings: a Priority-based Approach" by Laura Carnieletto et al. published in Energy and Buildings, 2025; 338.
• "Findings from University of Venice Reveals New Findings on Sustainable Energy (Strategic Framework for Sustainable Energy Renovation Policies In Educational Buildings: a Priority-based Approach)" by NewsRx.