Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as a part of the MSc in Energy Building Design at the International Hellenic University. Aim of this thesis is assessing the energy performance and proposing retrofitting strategies for one of the highest energy consumers of the built environment, office buildings. The need for rational energy consumption and measured use of natural resources dictates a new way of thinking about the design, construction, and renovation of buildings. There are reduced strategies available for renewable energy generation in dense urban environments , with multi - storey buildings and limited roof space . Facades, however, offer another surface with great potential of generating electricity. For the scope of this thesis , facade redesigning will be considered as a central issue in exploring the possibility of covering the building’s energy demand by renewable energy sources – mainly by solar energy . The thesis will focus on assessing the energy performance and the proposal of retrofitting strategies for a typical eight - storey office building in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece . The knowledge acquired from the review of relevant studies and real case applications will play a significant role in choosing and designing the proposals. In order to achieve better energy performance and energy cost savings, the energy efficiency scenarios will encompass higher performance building envelope and HVAC systems. The retrofit will be based mainly on the installation of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) on the facades and roof. An energy simulation model will be developed, in order to evaluate the existing building and to estimate energy savings and electricity production through the proposed design options