Agile-Transdisciplinary Conceptual Framework for Retrofitting Mediterranean Built Environments

Transdisciplinarity is essential to deal with high-complexity collaborative practices of energy retrofitting, particularly in traditional contexts. Nevertheless, on the other hand, it is ambitious because it conceptualizes how to work, not what to do in detail for a specific project, and how to manage collaborators’ interlocking relationships. Therefore, this study proposes a transdisciplinary conceptual framework to organize collaboration among stakeholders, increase communication, and mitigate associated uncertainties during the early stage of collaboration and project planning of energy retrofitting practices. The study focuses on the Mediterranean region’s rural commons, which already face extraordinary environmental challenges. The proposed framework elucidates the interrelation between the relevant theoretical concepts in three domains: energy retrofitting practices, project management, and software development. Employing the agile methodology, specifically the scrum model, proved a successful and efficient team management tool in software development and other domains. Likewise, we hypothesize that the associated uncertainties can be decreased in the planning and early decision-making stages. The conceptual framework has been validated using a focus group technique in two similar rural villages in Egypt and Italy as an inductive method representing the entire region. The results showed that this research is the first to provide integration of an agile mindset in retrofitting rurally built environments in the Mediterranean region. Conducting the agile life cycle during project planning achieved numerous benefits: improving the participatory approach, enhancing communication, supporting decision-making, mitigating conflict, and adding a new dimension to identifying the stakeholders, in addition to associating the versatile stakeholders in the same zone of influence and interest. In addition, the role of socio-cultural aspects in field studies has been highlighted. The framework was initiated from a bottom-up perspective and ended with a mixed approach. Furthermore, the framework contributed to implementing a realcase retrofitting scenario, namely, implementing a pilot zero-energy building, the first in Lasaifar Albalad and the satellite villages.