Deep renovation in changing cities: Densification and real-estate value for cost-effective energy targets in the ABRACADABRA strategy

Europe’s energy efficiency challenge in buildings mainly concerns the energy efficient refurbishment and investments in its existing buildings. The European project ABRACADABRA (Assistant Buildings’ addition to Retrofit, Adopt, Cure And Develop the Actual Buildings up to zeRo energy, Activating a market for deep renovation) is based on the prior assumption that substantial increase in the real estate value of the existing buildings can play a key role in the deep renovation. The project aims at developing innovative actions for deep renovation of the existing buildings and implements a punctual densification policy that aims at fostering the investments in the deep renovation of the existing built environment throughout Europe (EU). This paper presents the implementation of the ABRA strategy in selected case studies throughout EU and an in-depth investigation of an urban compound in the metropolitan Athens area.