Budget constraints in critical scenarios: A position paper on the challenges to improving building performance

Pietro Bonifaci; Sergio Copiello; Edda Donati; Pietro Bonifaci; Sergio Copiello; Edda Donati

doi:10.3934/energy.2024035

AIMS Energy

2024, Volume 12, Issue 4: 751-760. doi: 10.3934/energy.2024035

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Budget constraints in critical scenarios: A position paper on the challenges to improving building performance

University IUAV of Venice, Santa Croce 191, 30135 Venice, Italy

Received: 26 June 2024 Revised: 26 June 2024 Accepted: 27 June 2024 Published: 03 July 2024

This position paper aims to pave the way for a debate on a few under-explored, at least, perhaps even neglected, challenges we face when trying to improve building overall performance. Specifically, we suggest focusing on how the efforts to increase building energy efficiency, building safety, the home and workplace healthiness, and the comfort perceived by the users can be impaired by budget constraints, especially while operating in critical scenarios. On the one hand, restraints on capital expenditures by property owners and other investors affect the decision-making processes for the construction of new buildings or the renovation of existing ones. More beyond, rapidly developing demographic and other anthropological changes, as well as frequently occurred natural disasters, pose extra burdens on the players in the building industry and the real estate market. It has been a fact that the need to adapt to both budget constraints and challenging situations is seldom fully embedded in the studies focusing on improving building performance. Therefore, we call for attentions in research and publications to advocate for complementing the need.
- building industry,
- building performance,
- building energy efficiency,
- real estate market,
- cost control,
- risk management,
- sustainable urban development
Citation: Pietro Bonifaci, Sergio Copiello, Edda Donati. Budget constraints in critical scenarios: A position paper on the challenges to improving building performance[J]. AIMS Energy, 2024, 12(4): 751-760. doi: 10.3934/energy.2024035

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Abstract

This position paper aims to pave the way for a debate on a few under-explored, at least, perhaps even neglected, challenges we face when trying to improve building overall performance. Specifically, we suggest focusing on how the efforts to increase building energy efficiency, building safety, the home and workplace healthiness, and the comfort perceived by the users can be impaired by budget constraints, especially while operating in critical scenarios. On the one hand, restraints on capital expenditures by property owners and other investors affect the decision-making processes for the construction of new buildings or the renovation of existing ones. More beyond, rapidly developing demographic and other anthropological changes, as well as frequently occurred natural disasters, pose extra burdens on the players in the building industry and the real estate market. It has been a fact that the need to adapt to both budget constraints and challenging situations is seldom fully embedded in the studies focusing on improving building performance. Therefore, we call for attentions in research and publications to advocate for complementing the need.

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