Sustainable Renovation and Evaluation of Blocks of Multi-Apartment Houses

Abstract

A significant amount of energy, materials and finances are consumed when using and demolishing the buildings. Proper planning, design, construction, management and marketing allow to reduce the environmental impact and expenses as well as to improve the quality of buildings and to raise their market value. Renovation of blocks of multi-apartment houses is nowadays one of the most important problems in residential districts which have been built in Lithuania before 1993. Sustainable development of blocks of multi-apartment houses requires to analyze various renovation strategies, prepare scenarios and select the most rational alternative. Based on the definition of sustainability, technical, economical, social and ecological requirements, not only alternatives for buildings, but also for their environment should be analyzed. It is important to improve the quality of the living environment, to reduce pollution and energy consumption, maintain mixed social structure and make a sustainable integration of new buildings into the existing environment. A successful renovation project can be prepared only by conducting a thorough research and properly evaluating buildings and their surrounding environment. The paper analyses sustainable systems of assessment of the buildings, such as BREEAM and LEED. These tools should be used to assess the multi-apartment buildings and the needs for renovation of them and their surrounding environment. The systems use various information sources, systematics and assessment criteria; therefore, the results may vary greatly, depending on the system selected. The most important modern quality criterion for buildings is the maximum satisfaction of the users’ needs and the minimum environmental impact by consuming the minimum amount of energy and other resources. The most important criteria which played a key role in all systems are energy consumption, resource saving, waste management and recycling, inner environment, quality of materials, longevity and the use of the building for another purpose.