Research area 03 of 05
Urban Systems & Built Environment
Buildings, infrastructure and cities as long-lived stocks of material and energy.
How we study it
Buildings and infrastructure lock in decades of energy and material flows. Center research looks at the built environment as a system of stocks and flows — construction materials, building operation, retrofits and urban form — to identify where interventions produce the largest and most durable improvements.
Focus within this system
- Building materials and construction life cycle
- Retrofit and operational energy strategies
- Urban form, infrastructure and material stocks
Trade-off storyline
New construction versus retrofit
A short, qualitative walk-through of how the boundary you choose changes the answer you get.
Step 01 · Boundary
A high-performance new building is compared with improving one that already exists. Only a life cycle boundary counts the material already embodied in the standing structure.
Step 02 · Shift
New construction can lower operational energy while adding substantial embodied material impact; retrofit keeps the existing material investment in service.
Step 03 · Consequence
Which option performs better depends on time horizon and local energy supply, not on the building's efficiency rating alone.
Go deeper
Evidence behind this system
Published research, factsheets and teaching materials from the Center's library.
Factsheets
Short, regularly updated briefs that summarize a system or technology in a few pages, written to be read by non-specialists and cited with confidence.
OpenPublications
Peer-reviewed articles, reports and dissertations from Center faculty, staff and students. More than 1,000 publications have been produced by the Center.
OpenData & Educational Materials
Teaching materials and supporting resources that make the Center's analytical methods usable in classrooms and practice.
Open