Neighbourhood regeneration by facade redesign: A visual experiment on energy efficiency and aesthetics

Energy efficiency and architectural value of post-war residential buildings in Europeis poor. To deal with energy efficiency, decay and livability problems, improvements of building facades seem to be indicated especially when combined with tenants’ preferences for architectural aesthetics. But a valid way to assess multiple characteristics of housing facades is lacking. To assess tenant’s preferences we used an online visual experiment. In particular, we developed a questionnaire and pilot it with the students of Architecture. All the tested characteristics, i.e. Surface Articulation, Coloring, Sustainable Character, Glazing, Shading and Rent significantly contributed to the valuation of facades. This indicated that such a visual experiment might be sensitive to further investigate tenant’s preferences in innovative facade directed renovation approaches as well.