Adaptability assessment framework for the renovation of the residential building stock

The environmental impact of the construction sector is among the highest of all industrial activities, making it essential to develop strategies that reduce resource consumption and extend the service life of existing buildings. Reusing the current building stock allows the embedded energy already invested in construction to be preserved while avoiding unnecessary demolition and reconstruction processes. This issue is particularly relevant for a widespread typology in European cities: large residential housing complexes built during the second half of the twentieth century. This study proposes the incorporation of adaptability within performance-based renovation processes through both functional and technical strategies. Functional and technical adaptability can reduce environmental impact by increasing the capacity of buildings to adjust to changing spatial, social and programmatic requirements, thereby extending their useful life. In addition, adaptability facilitates controlled disassembly processes and encourages the reuse of building components and materials. The study therefore develops an adaptability-criteria-based assessment framework for residential renovation. Indicators are derived from existing research on adaptability and from the analysis of contemporary European renovation projects. The tool is organised as a checklist with weighted scoring, graphical outputs and a final presentation sheet. The results confirm the feasibility of the tool.