The Design of Seismic and Energy Upgrading Strategies for a Residential Building in Switzerland Using Fiber-Reinforced Polymer and Insulation Materials

Today, energy crisis is one of the most crucial issues worldwide. The current situation requires a notable change in the consideration of energy resources and the way these resources are used. Among all energy-consuming sectors, the building and construction sectors jointly account for almost one third of the total global final energy consumption and approximately 15% of the direct CO2 emissions [1]. Recent studies on energy have recognized that energy consumption in the building sector accounts for approximately 40% of the total energy use in Europe [2]. Hence, energy efficiency is the center of attention to improve the above situation. The European Union aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, thus reaching an economy with zero greenhouse gas emissions. The EU submitted its long-term strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in March 2020. The long-term low-greenhouse gas emission development strategy of the European Union and member states emphasizes energy efficiency improvement [3]. The European Council endorsed the 2030 Framework for Energy and Climate for the union based on four key union-level targets, two of which entail a reduction of at least 40% in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and an indicative target of improvement in energy efficiency of at least 27%, to be reviewed by 2020 with an aim to increase this level to 30% [3]. To reach the 2030 and 2050 targets, a focus on existing buildings is very important because the rate of new building construction is relatively low, with an approximately 0.5–2% growth in the housing stock per year [4, 5].