Abstract :
[en] Roof stacking is considered to be a sustainable approach towards urban densification and a feasible mean to overcome the challenge of accommodating increasing populations in cities. However, roof stacking is associated with several challenges that differs from those of conventional or “stick” buildings. Unfortunately, until now, roof stacking has not been given a significant importance as a research Topic within the scientific communities. Accordingly, this research aims to provide A leadership to support the decision making on roof stacking construction on multiple levels, and to accelerate the transformation towards cost-effective and zero-energy housing in Europe. In order to achieve this aim, this research is characterized by addressing the topic of roof stacking from a universal, yet well oriented perspective.
First a methodology has been established to facilitate the decision making on urban densification through roof stacking. The methodology adopts a systematic approach on three consecutive levels: urban, engineering, and social. Several criteria are identified to assess and map the roof stacking potential in terms of location and number of added floors, where Brussels Capital Region has been taken as a case study, on both urban and building scales. A conceptual framework of a multidisciplinary decision making for selecting off-site prefabricated constructional system for roof stacking has been developed. The multidisciplinary approach includes each of safety, logistics, cost, time, environmental impact, and quality of construction as major criteria in the decision making process. This section includes a classification for roof stacking construction methods based on an exhaustive investigation of more than 136 roof stacking projects built during the last 20 years.
Afterwards, a list of 37 sustainable criteria, on which the decision making on roof stacking takes place, have been identified based on sustainability triple bottom line, i.e. environmental, economic, and social. Those criteria have been identified based on intensive review of literature, individual interviews, and pilot surveys. A questionnaire has been design and distributed to architects, as active stakeholders, in addition to researchers from the field of building and construction. Finally, this research ends by developing a methodology that supports the decision making process on cost-optimal zero energy building, by the means of a novel approach, namely Multi-Objective Parametric Analysis (MOPA), rather than optimization algorithms. This methodology is composed of three consecutive steps: modeling setup, parametric simulation, and ends up with evaluation and selection. The aim of dividing the decision-making process through several steps is to provide transparency and repeatability to the developed methodology. This process aligns with the common practices in the design process, while providing robust and reliable results. As a results, this thesis provides a multi-scale methodologies for the decision-making process on roof stacking construction
