Integrated Retrofitting Strategies for Aging Buildings: Bridging Seismic Risk Mitigation and Sustainability

Retrofitting techniques that address energy efficiency and seismic performance are necessary since aging buildings face challenges in achieving sustainability and resilience standards, especially in Taiwan. Exoskeleton reinforcement and exoskeleton systems, combined with photovoltaic (PV) panel walls, are the two retrofitting solutions evaluated in this study. These strategies aim to enhance building performance by mitigating seismic losses and energy performance and assessing environmental impacts. The FEMA P-58 approach, which incorporates near-field ground motion data from the PEER database, applies to evaluate seismic performance. Key performance indicators include carbon emissions, embodied energy, repair time, and cost. According to findings, exoskeleton retrofitting significantly improves structural resilience, which lowers repair costs and enhances recovery after seismic occurrences. By reducing operating expenses and carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy generation, the incorporation of photovoltaic (PV) panel walls further maximizes energy efficiency. These combined retrofitting techniques successfully advance sustainability goals by presenting a comprehensive strategy for reducing environmental effects and improving seismic safety. This research emphasizes integrating technology with advanced seismic retrofitting procedures to achieve long-term sustainability and resilience in the built environment. The outcomes provide helpful information for engineers, stakeholders, and users, supporting retrofitting as an economical and sustainable way to transform aging facilities.