Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review

The critical and urgent issue of decarbonization by 2050 needs to include the existing historical built environment in the process of energy requalification. These buildings, subjected to heritage preservation, are extremely inadequate to the modern standards of energy efficiency and thermal comfort...

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Main Authors: Manuela Almeida, Fabrizio Ascione, Anna Iaccheo, Teresa Iovane, Margherita Mastellone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/3/502
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author Manuela Almeida
Fabrizio Ascione
Anna Iaccheo
Teresa Iovane
Margherita Mastellone
author_facet Manuela Almeida
Fabrizio Ascione
Anna Iaccheo
Teresa Iovane
Margherita Mastellone
author_sort Manuela Almeida
collection DOAJ
description The critical and urgent issue of decarbonization by 2050 needs to include the existing historical built environment in the process of energy requalification. These buildings, subjected to heritage preservation, are extremely inadequate to the modern standards of energy efficiency and thermal comfort, and they exhibit the poorest energy performance. In this study, a review of the existing scientific literature on the matter of energy renovation processes applied to historic buildings is provided. The reviewed papers, selected from scientific databases, were initially categorized according to their reference scale—either individual buildings or urban contexts. Subsequently, the papers were grouped on the basis of the main energy efficiency levels they investigated. The goal is to offer a comprehensive overview of the materials, technologies and strategies currently in use, as well as future perspectives, to aid the ecological transition and foster sustainable development, all while preserving the artistic, cultural and architectural heritage of these buildings.
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series Energies
spelling doaj-art-fab55ef3dc5b47d0a769cd69ab5df59e2025-08-20T02:48:02ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-01-0118350210.3390/en18030502Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A ReviewManuela Almeida0Fabrizio Ascione1Anna Iaccheo2Teresa Iovane3Margherita Mastellone4Department of Civil Engineering, ISISE, ARISE, Campus de Azurém, Guimarães, University of Minho, 4800-058 Braga, PortugalDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Architecture, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Toledo 402, 80134 Napoli, ItalyThe critical and urgent issue of decarbonization by 2050 needs to include the existing historical built environment in the process of energy requalification. These buildings, subjected to heritage preservation, are extremely inadequate to the modern standards of energy efficiency and thermal comfort, and they exhibit the poorest energy performance. In this study, a review of the existing scientific literature on the matter of energy renovation processes applied to historic buildings is provided. The reviewed papers, selected from scientific databases, were initially categorized according to their reference scale—either individual buildings or urban contexts. Subsequently, the papers were grouped on the basis of the main energy efficiency levels they investigated. The goal is to offer a comprehensive overview of the materials, technologies and strategies currently in use, as well as future perspectives, to aid the ecological transition and foster sustainable development, all while preserving the artistic, cultural and architectural heritage of these buildings.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/3/502historic buildingenergy efficiencybuilding scaleurban scalebuilding envelopebuilding–plant system
spellingShingle Manuela Almeida
Fabrizio Ascione
Anna Iaccheo
Teresa Iovane
Margherita Mastellone
Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
Energies
historic building
energy efficiency
building scale
urban scale
building envelope
building–plant system
title Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
title_full Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
title_fullStr Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
title_full_unstemmed Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
title_short Towards the Necessary Decarbonization of Historic Buildings: A Review
title_sort towards the necessary decarbonization of historic buildings a review
topic historic building
energy efficiency
building scale
urban scale
building envelope
building–plant system
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/3/502
work_keys_str_mv AT manuelaalmeida towardsthenecessarydecarbonizationofhistoricbuildingsareview
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AT teresaiovane towardsthenecessarydecarbonizationofhistoricbuildingsareview
AT margheritamastellone towardsthenecessarydecarbonizationofhistoricbuildingsareview