A research on refurbishment strategies in building facades

In our country and in the world, many buildings of various qualities have been built for different purposes. Today, this process continues in the same way. Buildings are often demolished before the end of their lifespan due to changes in needs or expectations. The construction of new buildings in place of the buildings demolished before the end of their lifespan has negative consequences in many aspects such as economic, social, cultural, etc. At this point, it is important that the existing building stock, whose structural life is not completed, is renewed and brought back into use. The structural system, shell, interior equipment system and installation subsystems that make up the buildings each have different lifetimes. Facades can be damaged early due to their role as a protective layer between the interior and the exterior environment. Therefore, while the lifespan of the building can reach 100 years, deformations in facades can manifest themselves in 15-25 years. In addition, facades, which act as a filter between the environment and the building, are the most effective systems in total building performance. For these reasons, refurbishment works to be carried out on building facades will give a direct result. Refurbishment of building facades can be done for many reasons such as structural deterioration, aesthetic concerns, change of function, energy inefficiency, comfort conditions, the need for open or closed volume, economic conditions and the desire to benefit from technological innovations. In refurbishment works that are decided upon triggered by these reasons, the objectives to be achieved through refurbishment should be determined and appropriate strategies should be developed in line with the objectives. As a result of the right strategic approach, appropriate refurbishment interventions should be made to ensure the success of the facade refurbishment works. In this thesis study; it is aimed to examine the refurbishment methods that can be applied on the facades, which are the most effective subsystem in the total performance of the buildings, with the aim of extending the service life of existing buildings that have reached the end of their usage period or cannot meet the expected performance in today's conditions, and to propose an approach that can be used in facade refurbishment studies by determining the appropriate refurbishment method for the building facade. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter describes the problem area, purpose, scope and methodology of the thesis. The second chapter includes a review of the scientific literature. The literature on the concept and applications of facade refurbishment is examined and the findings are xxii shared. In this context; facade and refurbishment concepts, facade construction layers and performance criteria are examined in the context of facade refurbishment concept. The reasons for facade refurbishment and facade refurbishment methods are explained. Facade refurbishment methods are classified especially in terms of application techniques and the benefits provided to facade performance. In the third chapter, studies on facade refurbishment methods, in which strategies for facade refurbishment are developed, are examined. Refurbishment methods are discussed at four levels: simple, medium, high and comprehensive, taking into account the requirements for repair, replacement, addition and reconstruction. In the fourth chapter, examples of buildings that have undergone facade refurbishment are analyzed. For the examples in Turkey and abroad; information about the building, the condition of the facade before refurbishment, the reasons for refurbishment, the methods used in refurbishment and the condition of the facade after refurbishment are given and supported with relevant visuals and drawings. At the end of the chapter, the relationship between the facade refurbishment works carried out in the examined examples and the refurbishment levels proposed within the scope of the thesis is evaluated. In the fifth and final chapter, the data of the literature review on the refurbishment of building facades, evaluations, and the benefits of the proposed approach are discussed. The stages of the facade refurbishment works to be carried out with the presented strategy are indicated.