Occupant behaviour at the Presidential Palace of San Anton, Malta: A study supporting the development of a methodology to enhance energy efficiency in heritage buildings

Eco-refurbishment ofheritage buildings, addressing energy efficiency, presentsparticular challenges to Euro-Mediterranean countries,compounded by sensitive adaptive reuseand occupant behaviour. ThisPhDresearchseeks to develop a validatedsimulationmodel to profile the impact of proposed interventions and retrofitting solutions: an innovative assessment tool, enabling best practice decision-making, effective planning and optimal results in the drive towards maximising sustainability in historicbuildings.The Presidential Palace of SanAnton in Malta has been chosen as the case study. This national 17thcentury treasure represents a typology of heritage buildings, typifyingthe climatic and cultural profile of Mediterranean countries. Having undergone several transformations to accommodate its periodic reuse, the building is nowan important multi-functional activity hub.This paper will focus on one aspectof the research: assessing occupantbehaviour andcomfort inthissetting.An understanding of occupant behaviouris pivotal in identifyingenergy efficiencygoals: it is crucial to assessthe users’ perception, and examine how the internal environment isadapted to meet comfort requirements and functionality. Semi-structured interviewswith the buildings’occupants are currently being undertaken. The analysis of these interviews will be presented in the full conference paper. Results will be used to identify critical sustainability issues.