Environmental strategies in retrofitting of educational buildings – The integrated approach

The spatial and material configuration of a building, its dimensions, orientation and fabric are crucial for the choice of the environmental retrofitting strategies to be used. These include innovative daylighting, cooling and control systems, as well as different types of space-related ventilation systems, such as transition spaces, stack devices, ventilation shafts and faadeventilation, including double-skin faade. Most of these systems and their combinations are included in the environmental strategies of the case-studies presented in this paper which come from different European countries as part of an international research program. The projects studied use an integrated approach, resulting in a positive interaction between the architectural features and the environmental retrofitting strategies used, in order to achieve solutions of low environmental impact, well adapted to users needs and presenting high levels of air quality and comfort.