BIM-based post-occupancy analysis of energy use and carbon impact in adaptive reused buildings: A case study of an olive mill in southern italy

The construction industry is among the most impactful sectors globally, contributing significantly to environmental degradation. Transitioning to circular construction models, such as adaptive reuse, is critical for mitigating these adverse effects. This study examines the adaptive reuse approach, emphasizing its role in reducing structural footprints and preserving architectural heritage with a focus on the Olive Mills (OMs) in the Mediterranean. A case study of an OM in southern Italy composed of two sections: an adaptive reused reinforced concrete-based section and a newly built precast section was considered to highlight the importance of post-evaluating the adaptive reuse approach after fulfillment. The evaluation involved walkthroughs, retrieval of building documentation, and the development of Building Information Models (BIM) for each section. Subsequently, Annual Energy Use Intensity (AEUI), Embodied Carbon (EC), and Operational Carbon (OC) were estimated by means of Revit and Autodesk Insight. The results show that the reuse of an existing building's elements such as exterior walls and roofs reduced the embodied carbon emissions related to material extraction, energy use, and construction activities by approximately 64 %. Although, the performance of the old section, encompassing old and reused materials, emits in general more operational carbon than the new precast section by about 7,72 kgCO2eq/m2 annually. Moreover, based on the structures’ materials, location, and the district energy consumption intensity for heating and cooling, this reused section exhibited higher energy consumption, and displayed many critical structural vulnerabilities that require continuous maintenance, so it does not cause any threat to the occupants’ wellbeing. Overall, this work highlights the crucial importance of post-occupancy analysis of reused buildings in terms of energy use and environmental performance and emphasizes the value of using BIM models for evaluating existing buildings.