Creative Commons

The energy upgrading of historic heritage buildings is an important issue in European countries. Partly because of the preservation of old buildings, most of which were built in the 16th and 17th centuries, and partly because of restrictions imposed by states' legislative frameworks aimed at preserving the historicity of buildings and preventing them interventions. In Greece this issue is particularly evident in major urban centers such as Athens and Thessaloniki, where the need for modernization and upgrading of cities conflicts with the need to preserve the historic character of the buildings. The Greek legislative framework, which exists to safeguard the historic character of buildings, is particularly restrictive and raises concerns for owners, especially those who wish to house businesses within those buildings. One of the compromises is to design the upgrades in a way that will not alter the historic character of the building. The building under consideration in this case is the Bensousan Han in the Frangomahala area of Thessaloniki. The 19th-century listed building needs energy upgrades, both for its aesthetic improvement and to promote its function as a recreational area. Three scenarios are considered for the purposes of the thesis. The first involves the addition of thermal insulation, the second involves the addition of HVAC systems and the third combines the above. Based on the analysis, for which the TEE-KENAK program was used, the third scenario was found to be the most efficient, from an environmental, economic, pathological and aesthetic point of view.