Page 78 - JCAU-5-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Green renovation technology for rural buildings

Table 1. Techniques for optimizing the performance of the external envelope
Type Typical construction Features
External wall
insulation retrofit
Internal insulation Main advantages Main disadvantages
(1) Low requirements for (1) Difficult to avoid thermal
waterproofing and weather bridging
resistance of finishes and (2) Easy to produce condensation,
insulation materials humidity and even mold on the
(2) Simple construction and easy inner surface of the thermal
to operate, without damaging bridging area
the original building façade (3) Not easy to use indoors
(3) Construction is not affected by
climate
(4) Lower cost of construction
External insulation Main advantages Main disadvantages
(1) Avoids the formation of (1) Construction is limited by
thermal bridges weather
(2) Does not affect the use of (2) The finish layer (except for dry
indoor space hanging finishes) is prone to
(3) Reduces water vapor cracking
condensation inside the (3) Relatively high cost
insulation layer
(4) Construction is not restricted
by indoor constraints

External window insulation retrofit
Replacement It can effectively improve the insulation performance of external windows,
energy-efficient blocking thermal radiation, improving indoor comfort, and reducing the
windows energy consumption of air conditioning in summer.

Additional external Lower cost, better shading and insulation, and can be combined with the
window shading transformation of the façade’s regional character
system

Roof insulation and Effective in improving the waterproofing and insulation of roofs
waterproofing retrofit

Source: Drawing by the author

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.404