Lecture series :
Day Two
19 October 2026
19:00 h
Affiliation: Associate Professor, codirector of GSA unit research, ENSA Paris Malaquais, PSL University, France
Roberta Zarcone is a Building Engineer-Architect from the University of Palermo. She holds a Ph.D. in Architecture and in Physics at the University of Paris-EST, in collaboration the University of Ferrara. She is an Associate Professor in the field of science and techniques for architecture, initially at the School of Architecture in Lille and currently at the Architectural School of Paris-Malaquais, PSL University. She is co-president of the Digital Matters Department and directs the research seminar, which explores the evolutions and transformations driven by the interaction between architectural practice and critique, and information and communication technologies. Since 2023, she has been the co-head of the GSA (Geometry, Structure, Architecture), a research unit that develops studies at the interface between architecture and engineering sciences. Over nearly a decade of experience, she has coordinated various courses in the field of architectural science and techniques, and has participated in and led research on the development of construction systems and technologies for climate adaptation.
Her main research interests include studying the environmental impact of constructions through numerical analysis methods. Currently, her focus is on strategies for the XXth century buildings – dynamic methods for energy-efficient retrofitting or reuse methods for selective deconstruction.
Environmental Rehabilitation of Twentieth-Century Housing: Towards a Decision-Support Methodology
Keywords: environmental rehabilitation; life cycle assessment; energy performance; intervention strategies; decision support.
This presentation addresses intervention strategies for twentieth-century housing with heritage value in the context of contemporary environmental challenges. It examines the difficulty of reconciling potentially conflicting objectives, including improving energy and environmental performance, preserving architectural and use values, and implementing public policies for urban renewal. Given this complexity, a thorough understanding of the existing building – its material, technical, architectural, functional, and temporal dimensions – is essential to inform intervention decisions. Exploring alternative strategies therefore requires balancing multiple and often competing objectives.
In this context, we propose a methodological decision-support process for rehabilitation projects, referred to here as environmental rehabilitation because it combines Building Energy Simulation (BES) with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This approach requires a detailed analysis of material and energy flows, in which the temporal boundaries of the system are particularly challenging to define, as they must account for building components that are retained, replaced, or removed. Intervention strategies must therefore be established on a case-by-case basis through multicriteria analyses that consider the building’s long-term transformation trajectory.
This research relies on digital tools to assess the environmental consequences of design choices and to support decision-making throughout the rehabilitation process. The integration of BES and LCA provides a framework for guiding interventions on twentieth-century residential buildings, particularly those designated as ACR (Architecture Contemporaine Remarquable), where improving environmental and energy performance requires careful consideration of the architectural, constructive, and functional value of the existing building stock, as well as the impact that interventions may have on these qualities.