Globally, there is a shortage of affordable housing. Retrofitting existing buildings into sustainable housing could provide a solution. However, changing existing buildings into sustainable housing is complex due to planning constraints, design problems, and financial issues.
Existing studies focus on single case studies, single building life cycle assessments or strategic/policy analyses. There are only a few robust evaluations of longer-term operational performance and social and affordable housing outcomes post-retrofit. There is an urgent need for more research linking inclusionary policy mechanisms, actual resident affordability and measured carbon outcomes at scale.
This conference track invites papers that explore the conversion of existing buildings into sustainable housing case studies at the building level, as well as the policy and program level. Example topics can be – but are not limited to - structural retention for reduced embodied carbon, façade and envelope upgrades for low operational energy, modular interior layouts, or inclusion of social and community amenities for social and economic sustainability. Other topics include tax incentives, zoning and code pathways, financial tools like green bonds and PPPs, and city-scale triage and bulk procurement.
Depending on submissions, we aim to publish an edited volume with rigorous, combined evaluations of social sustainability, affordability and carbon performance. We aim to provide essential quantitative and programmatic evaluations focusing on integrated portfolio development and post-occupancy outcomes.