AccScience Publishing / GTI / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/gti.7807
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Multi-objective optimization of environmental retrofits in eldercare buildings: A case study in Suzhou

Shihao Zhang1 Qi Xu2* Saffa Riffat3
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1 Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
2 Department of Architecture, College of Architecture, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
3 Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Received: 17 December 2024 | Revised: 3 April 2025 | Accepted: 16 April 2025 | Published online: 7 May 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

As the aging population continues to grow, ensuring optimal environmental comfort in eldercare facilities has emerged as a critical societal priority. However, existing research on retrofit optimization has predominantly focused on isolated objectives, such as energy or cost reduction, thereby overlooking the complex trade-offs essential for achieving holistic performance in eldercare environments. This study addresses this research gap by proposing a comprehensive, multi-objective optimization framework that simultaneously balances thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Unlike previous approaches, the proposed methodology integrates architectural design with the evolutionary non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, which effectively resolves conflicting objectives and generates Pareto-optimal solutions without the data-intensive demands of conventional machine learning techniques. Focusing on a case study of the Gusu District Shuangta Street Jinfan Community Health Service Center in Suzhou, the research utilizes parametric modeling and the Wallacei plugin in Grasshopper to evaluate over 840,000 retrofit scenarios. The findings reveal tailored strategies – such as the use of Rockwool insulation and low-emissivity glazing – that optimize energy savings while maintaining thermal comfort within budgetary constraints. By bridging architectural innovation with computational optimization, this work not only provides a replicable model for eldercare retrofits but also offers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners, advocating for interdisciplinary methodologies to meet the evolving demands of aging societies.

Keywords
Eldercare building
Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II
Thermal comfort
Funding
The research is supported by the foundation of Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Construction Carbon Neutral Technology (grant number: JZTZH2023- 0103).
Conflict of interest
Saffa Riffat is an Editorial Board Member of this journal but was not involved in the editorial or peer-review process for this paper, either directly or indirectly. Separately, the other authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
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