IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i15p4065-d1714461.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Eco-Efficient Retrofitting of Rural Heritage: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Stefano Bigiotti

    (Department of Agriculture, Forests, Nature and Energy (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero

    (Department of Agriculture, Forests, Nature and Energy (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Anna Irene Del Monaco

    (Department of Architecture and Design (DiAP), Sapienza–University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy)

  • Alvaro Marucci

    (Department of Agriculture, Forests, Nature and Energy (DAFNE), University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

Abstract

Through a systematic review of sustainable rural dwelling recovery, this study offers a broader reflection on retrofitting practices, viewing eco-efficiency as a means to enhance both cultural heritage and agricultural landscapes. The work is based on the assumption that vernacular architecture in rural contexts embodies historical, cultural, and typological values worthy of preservation, while remaining adaptable to reuse through eco-efficient solutions and technological innovation. Using the PRISMA protocol, 115 scientific contributions were selected from 1711 initial records and classified into four macro-groups: landscape relationships; seismic and energy retrofitting; construction techniques and innovative materials; and morphological–typological analysis. Results show a predominance (over 50%) of passive design strategies, compatible materials, and low-impact techniques, while active systems are applied more selectively to protect cultural integrity. The study identifies replicable methodological models combining sustainability, cultural continuity, and functional adaptation, offering recommendations for future operational guidelines. Conscious eco-efficient retrofitting thus emerges as a strategic tool for the integrated valorization of rural landscapes and heritage.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefano Bigiotti & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Anna Irene Del Monaco & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "Eco-Efficient Retrofitting of Rural Heritage: A Systematic Review of Sustainable Strategies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-48, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:4065-:d:1714461
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4065/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4065/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlo Costantino & Stefano Bigiotti & Alvaro Marucci & Riccardo Gulli, 2024. "Long-Term Comparative Life Cycle Assessment, Cost, and Comfort Analysis of Heavyweight vs. Lightweight Construction Systems in a Mediterranean Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-29, October.
    2. Stefano Bigiotti & Carlo Costantino & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "A Methodological Approach for Assessing the Interaction Between Rural Landscapes and Built Structures: A Case Study of Winery Architecture in Tuscany, Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-45, January.
    3. Stefano Bigiotti & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Anna Irene Del Monaco & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "A Typological Analysis Method for Rural Dwellings: Architectural Features, Historical Transformations, and Landscape Integration: The Case of “Capo Due Rami”, Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-35, February.
    4. Lawrence Fulton & Bradley Beauvais & Matthew Brooks & Scott Kruse & Kimberly Lee, 2020. "Sustainable Residential Building Considerations for Rural Areas: A Case Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-25, May.
    5. Ilaria Zambon & Agostino Ferrara & Rosanna Salvia & Enrico Maria Mosconi & Luigi Fici & Rosario Turco & Luca Salvati, 2018. "Rural Districts between Urbanization and Land Abandonment: Undermining Long-Term Changes in Mediterranean Landscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    6. Qiao Wang & Wenwen Liu & Liang Mao, 2023. "Spatial Evolution of Traditional Village Dwellings in Heilongjiang Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Stefano Bigiotti & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Carlo Costantino & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "Photovoltaic Technology and Rural Landscapes: A Systematic Literature Review on Challenges and Sustainable Integration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-54, April.
    8. Huiwen Xiang & Yu Qin & Mingjing Xie & Bo Zhou, 2022. "Study on the “Space Gene” Diversity of Traditional Dong Villages in the Southwest Hunan Province of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, November.
    9. Luca Penazzato & Rogiros Illampas & Daniel V. Oliveira, 2024. "The Challenge of Integrating Seismic and Energy Retrofitting of Buildings: An Opportunity for Sustainable Materials?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-25, April.
    10. Gianluigi Salvucci & Donato Scarpitta & Marco Maialetti & Kostas Rontos & Stefano Bigiotti & Adele Sateriano & Alessandro Muolo, 2024. "Measuring Data Quality from Building Registers: A Case Study in Italy," Geographies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-16, September.
    11. Burcu Soykök Ede & Murat Taş & Nilüfer Taş, 2025. "Sustainable Management of Rural Architectural Heritage Through Rural Tourism: Iznik (Turkey) Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-23, April.
    12. Qi Liu & Zaiyi Liao & Yongfa Wu & Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu & Yiwei Zhang, 2019. "Cultural Sustainability and Vitality of Chinese Vernacular Architecture: A Pedigree for the Spatial Art of Traditional Villages in Jiangnan Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-27, December.
    13. Francesca Ciampa & Giulia Marchiano & Luigi Fusco Girard & Mariarosaria Angrisano, 2025. "The Rural Village Regeneration for the European Built Environment: From Good Practices Towards a Conceptual Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-29, March.
    14. Qiushan Li & Kabilijiang Wumaier & Mikiko Ishikawa, 2019. "The Spatial Analysis and Sustainability of Rural Cultural Landscapes: Linpan Settlements in China’s Chengdu Plain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-20, August.
    15. Luisa Lombardo & Tiziana Campisi & Manfredi Saeli, 2024. "Spent Coffee Grounds-Based Thermoplaster System to Improve Heritage Building Energy Efficiency: A Case Study in Madonie Park in Sicily," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-16, August.
    16. Jingyu Liu & Qiong Song & Xiaomin Wang, 2023. "Spatial Morphology Evolution of Rural Settlements in the Lower Yellow River Plain: The Case of Menggang Town in Changyuan City, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-19, May.
    17. Wente Pan & Hongyuan Mei, 2020. "A Design Strategy for Energy-Efficient Rural Houses in Severe Cold Regions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-18, September.
    18. Yupei Lai & Yutong Li & Xinyi Feng & Tao Ma, 2022. "Green retrofit of existing residential buildings in China: An investigation on residents’ perceptions," Energy & Environment, , vol. 33(2), pages 332-353, March.
    19. Raúl Vinicio Hidalgo Zambrano & Celene B. Milanes & Ofelia Pérez Montero & Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Lucas Ostaiza Nexar Bolivar & David Cobeña Loor & Roberto Galo García Flores De Válgaz & Benjamin Cuk, 2023. "A Sustainable Proposal for a Cultural Heritage Declaration in Ecuador: Vernacular Housing of Portoviejo," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-25, January.
    20. Goran Skataric & Velibor Spalevic & Svetislav Popovic & Nenad Perosevic & Rajko Novicevic, 2021. "The Vernacular and Rural Houses of Agrarian Areas in the Zeta Region, Montenegro," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-35, July.
    21. Saja Kosanović & Branislav Folić & Stefan Kovačević & Ivana Nikolić & Ljubiša Folić, 2019. "A Study on the Sustainability of the Traditional Sirinić Houses in the Šar Mountain Region, the South-Western Balkans," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-16, August.
    22. Wu, Di & Zhang, Taoyuan & Zhang, Jiqiang & Lv, Hongyi & Yue, Chao & Fu, Mengze, 2024. "Sensitivity analysis and multiobjective optimization for rural house retrofitting considering construction and occupant behavior uncertainty: A case study of Jiaxian, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 360(C).
    23. Dušan Tomanović & Irena Rajković & Mirko Grbić & Julija Aleksić & Nebojša Gadžić & Jasmina Lukić & Tijana Tomanović, 2019. "Houses Based on Natural Stone; A Case Study—The Bay of Kotor (Montenegro)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-35, July.
    24. Gireesh Nair & Leo Verde & Thomas Olofsson, 2022. "A Review on Technical Challenges and Possibilities on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures in Heritage Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-20, October.
    25. Daniela Isola & Stefano Bigiotti & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "Livestock Buildings in a Changing World: Building Sustainability Challenges and Landscape Integration Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-23, June.
    26. Magdalena Wilkosz-Mamcarczyk & Barbara Olczak & Barbara Prus, 2020. "Urban Features in Rural Landscape: A Case Study of the Municipality of Skawina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, June.
    27. Nebras Khadour & Nawarah Al Basha & Máté Sárospataki & Albert Fekete, 2021. "Correlation between Land Use and the Transformation of Rural Housing Model in the Coastal Region of Syria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    28. Marilena Gemtou & Konstantina Kakkavou & Evangelos Anastasiou & Spyros Fountas & Soren Marcus Pedersen & Gohar Isakhanyan & Kassa Tarekegn Erekalo & Serafin Pazos-Vidal, 2024. "Farmers’ Transition to Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Systematic Review of the Decision-Making Factors Affecting Adoption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-34, March.
    29. Binbin Xie & Wei Wei & Yuanyuan Li & Congying Liu & Shengliang Ju, 2023. "Research on Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Correlation Degree of the Historical and Cultural Towns (Villages) in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    30. Kai Xie & Yin Zhang & Wenyang Han, 2024. "Architectural Heritage Preservation for Rural Revitalization: Typical Case of Traditional Village Retrofitting in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-19, January.
    31. Yuqing Zhang & Jiaxin Huang & Kun Zhang & Yuhan Guo & Di Hu & Zhang Wang, 2025. "Evaluation of Regional Characteristics of Rural Landscapes in the Yangtze River Delta from the Perspective of the Ecological–Production–Living Concept," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-37, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniela Isola & Stefano Bigiotti & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "Livestock Buildings in a Changing World: Building Sustainability Challenges and Landscape Integration Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-23, June.
    2. Stefano Bigiotti & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Carlo Costantino & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "Photovoltaic Technology and Rural Landscapes: A Systematic Literature Review on Challenges and Sustainable Integration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-54, April.
    3. Stefano Bigiotti & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Anna Irene Del Monaco & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "A Typological Analysis Method for Rural Dwellings: Architectural Features, Historical Transformations, and Landscape Integration: The Case of “Capo Due Rami”, Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-35, February.
    4. Jiayi Shi & Tao Zhang & Hiroatsu Fukuda & Qun Zhang & Lujian Bai, 2022. "Socio-Environmental Responsive Strategy and Sustainable Development of Traditional Tianshui Dwellings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-27, July.
    5. Stefano Bigiotti & Carlo Costantino & Mariangela Ludovica Santarsiero & Alvaro Marucci, 2025. "A Methodological Approach for Assessing the Interaction Between Rural Landscapes and Built Structures: A Case Study of Winery Architecture in Tuscany, Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-45, January.
    6. Yujie Ren & Weiwei Zhao & Yuhan Zhang & Yunrong Li & Shanshan Jia, 2024. "Coupling Coordination and Driving Mechanisms of Regional Protection and Development in Traditional Villages of the Loess Hilly and Gully Region, Northern Shaanxi Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-29, December.
    7. Wang, Shuye & de Souza, Clarice Bleil & Golubchikov, Oleg, 2025. "Recent advances in decarbonising heating in rural China: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    8. Jan K. Kazak & Katarzyna Hodor & Magdalena Wilkosz-Mamcarczyk, 2021. "Natural Environment and Cultural Heritage in the City, a Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-4, July.
    9. Peishan Cai & Yan Gao & Mingjing Xie, 2025. "The Characteristics of Spatial Genetic Diversity in Traditional Township Neighborhoods in the Xiangjiang River Basin: A Case Study of the Changsha Suburbs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-27, July.
    10. Feiran Chen & Mengran Mai & Xinyi Huang & Yinghan Li, 2024. "Enhancing the Sustainability of AI Technology in Architectural Design: Improving the Matching Accuracy of Chinese-Style Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-26, September.
    11. Olczak, Barbara & Wilkosz-mamcarczyk, Magdalena & Prus, Barbara & Hodor, Katarzyna & Dixon-gough, Robert, 2022. "Application of the building cohesion method in spatial planning to shape patterns of the development in a suburban historical landscape of a 'village within Kraków'," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    12. Fengyi Ji & Shangyi Zhou, 2021. "Dwelling Is a Key Idea in Traditional Residential Architecture’s Sustainability: A Case Study at Yangwan Village in Suzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, June.
    13. Pingyi Han & Shenjian Hu & Rui Xu, 2024. "New Life in the Countryside: Conservation and Sustainability of Vernacular Architectural Facade Characteristics in the Jiangnan Region, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-21, April.
    14. Saja Kosanović & Mirjana Miletić & Ljubo Marković, 2021. "Energy Refurbishment of Family Houses in Serbia in Line with the Principles of Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    15. Konstantinos Sofias & Zoe Kanetaki & Constantinos Stergiou & Sébastien Jacques, 2023. "Combining CAD Modeling and Simulation of Energy Performance Data for the Retrofit of Public Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    16. Ilaria Zambon & Artemi Cerdà & Filippo Gambella & Gianluca Egidi & Luca Salvati, 2019. "Industrial Sprawl and Residential Housing: Exploring the Interplay between Local Development and Land-Use Change in the Valencian Community, Spain," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-18, September.
    17. Min Wang & Kongtao Qin & Yanhong Jia & Xiaohan Yuan & Shuqi Yang, 2022. "Land Use Transition and Eco-Environmental Effects in Karst Mountain Area Based on Production-Living-Ecological Space: A Case Study of Longlin Multinational Autonomous County, Southwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-23, June.
    18. Xiaoxue Feng & Jun Chen & Zebing Mao & Yanhong Peng & Suhaiza Zailani, 2025. "Exploring Determinants of and Barriers to Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies Adoption in Chinese Cooperatives: A Hybrid Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-28, May.
    19. Goran Skataric & Velibor Spalevic & Svetislav Popovic & Nenad Perosevic & Rajko Novicevic, 2021. "The Vernacular and Rural Houses of Agrarian Areas in the Zeta Region, Montenegro," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-35, July.
    20. Yingtao Qi & Xiaodi Li & Yupeng Wang & Dian Zhou, 2023. "Research on Indoor Thermal Environment Analysis and Optimization Strategy of Rural Dwellings around Xi’an Based on PET Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-25, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:4065-:d:1714461. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.