The durability of a building depends on many factors, from the technical and technological solutions used in the design, to the quality of the materials used, experience and precision of its construction, and proper operation. Design, construction, operation, and modernization are subject to the provisions contained in the Building Law guidelines (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1202/ Dz.U. 2018 poz. 1202). These regulations apply to the design, construction, reconstruction, and change of use of buildings and above-ground and underground structures that fulfill utility functions, as well as to related construction equipment (Kaliska-Borowicz, 2024). In August 2024, an amendment to the regulations regarding technical conditions (WT 2024) entered into force, and the new guidelines concern, among other things, determining the minimum distance of a building from the plot boundary, the number of green areas, and parking spaces for people with disabilities. However, from January 2021, the third and currently final stage of changes to the Technical Conditions introduced in 2013, which must be met by buildings and their location, comes into force. This stage concerns the thermal insulation of external walls, roofs, flat roofs, ceilings, floors, and joinery. The U-value for external walls is currently U = 0.2 W/(m2 K). For comparison, in the years 1957–1964, the U-value for external walls was U = 1.16–1.42 W/(m2 K), in 2014 U = 0.25 W/(m2 K), and in 2017 U = 0.25 W/(m2 K) (Kwiatkowski, 2025). The 1980s and 1990s were characterized by significant and rapid development of industrial construction not only in Poland but also worldwide. This was due to the emergence of new companies and the growing demand for products, services, and building materials, as well as broad-based development. Many of these facilities are still in use today and undergo renovations. Others, due to the passage of time and improper use, have deteriorated. This type of construction primarily concerns production halls and is characterized by spatial development. Besides improper use and maintenance of materials, natural external factors such as temperature and humidity also pose a threat to industrial facilities, which subsequently lead to damage, degradation, corrosion of materials, mold, and microbiological contamination (Gutarowska, 2010; Kazimierowicz & Abramowicz, 2018; Wiśniewski & Dohojda, 2012). The first symptoms of damage in a building are aesthetic flaws, most often observed on walls (plaster), floors, or ceilings, in the form of scratches, cracks, or efflorescence.
This study analyzes the technical condition and feasibility of adapting an industrial hall located in Starachowice to serve as a biomass, biogas, and biofuel laboratory. Biomass and biogas laboratories place stricter demands on the indoor environment than typical industrial facilities, particularly regarding temperature and humidity stability. The presence of flammable gases and biological material also necessitates controlled ventilation, functional spatial planning, and building envelope solutions that minimize condensation, microbial growth, and fire risk. In accordance with the requirements of the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure (Dz.U. 2022 poz. 1225) on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location, external partitions in buildings should be designed to ensure proper thermal insulation depending on the intended use and to avoid condensation of water vapor on the internal surfaces of the partitions (Wiśniewski & Dohojda, 2012). In the event of moisture or loss of thermal stability or thermal insulation of the material, it becomes necessary to carry out actions aimed at repairing the building or its parts, extending the operational capabilities of the facility, or improving the standard of use of the building (Olenets et al., 2015). The construction sector currently accounts for one-third of the EU’s CO2 emissions, with approximately 75 % of existing buildings being energy inefficient. Analyses indicate that 85 % – 95 % of existing buildings will still be standing in 2050. Simulations show that focusing solely on the efficiency of new buildings is insufficient to achieve sustainable construction goals, and that taking specific actions to modernize existing buildings is essential. Therefore, in October 2020, the European Commission presented a strategy called the Renovation Wave, which focuses on increasing the energy efficiency of buildings. The construction sector is a key element of the European Union’s long-term vision as part of the fight to reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and create a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The Commission aims to modernize 35 million buildings (in 2020, approximately 11 % of buildings in the EU underwent modernization (https://blog.swegon.com). Furthermore, climatologists at the Mauna Loa measuring station in Hawaii recorded the highest atmospheric CO2 concentration in Earth’s history in 2019 and determined that the last time this much CO2 (415 ppm) was present in the Earth’s atmosphere was 3 mln years ago, partly due to dynamic technological progress (Stepien & Piotrowski, 2021; Stepien et al., 2022). Therefore, this article analyzes damage to a building due to environmental degradation, repair methods, and aspects of modernization of an existing industrial hall. The hall in question was uninsulated and exposed to environmental and atmospheric factors, which resulted in the degradation of materials and structural elements. The publication presents the modernization works of an industrial hall and its adaptation to a biomass, biogas and biofuel laboratory (biomass combustion has a complex effect on unburned losses and NOx and SO emissions (reduces SO2 and dust emissions compared to coal (Król, 2014)). Priority was given to the insulation of the hall, because in uninsulated or unused buildings, the destruction of materials is a matter of short time. The first changes are already visible in macroanalysis (e.g. cracks, efflorescence), while microanalysis methods are used to determine the degree of material wear (Rożniakowski et al., 2007; Zalewski, 1987; http://www.ekspertbudowlany.pl;cieplej.pl). The aim of the study was to assess the technical condition of the facility in order to optimize the modernization of the hall.
The presented structure is a single-story, single-bay hall with plan dimensions of 12.5 × 31.0 m and a height of 7.2 m. The hall is constructed with a steel structure (Figs. 1 and 2) infilled with solid ceramic brick masonry (U = 0.33 W/(m2 K), Fig. 3), a steel skeleton, and glass infill in the western and southern walls. Multi-branch steel columns made of 2 × C200 steel, spaced 12 m apart, are fixed to monolithic reinforced concrete footings. The steel girders, with an upper chord composed of 2C120 steel, a lower chord in the form of a 60 × 8 mm flat bar, and IN80 columns, are used. The roof purlins are made of IN160 and C160 steel. Vertical roof bracing is provided by round bars. Horizontal roof bracing (in an X configuration) was made of LR100x8 angles. The hall was finished with a 6 %-pitched roof, covered with WD 3 asbestos sandwich panels with a polystyrene core, and covered with roofing felt. An inventory revealed the need to repair leaks in the roof and replace and supplement downspouts. The building’s basement (Figs. 1–4) was particularly damaged, including the lower portion of the exterior walls, due to damage and wear to the damp-proofing, which resulted in salt efflorescence on the lower portion of the hall structure.
South elevation of the hall (photo W. Grochal)
Hall interior of the hall (photo W. Grochal)
Structural walls (photo W. Grochal)
View of the floor (photo W. Grochal)
The foundations were assessed based on visual inspection and the overall condition of the entire structure. The lack of structural damage to the walls and other elements of the hall indicates proper foundation performance. The building was founded on reinforced concrete footings and strip foundations. The hall floor was uneven, with numerous gaps. After removing the remains of the liquidated concrete batching plant and the previous hall equipment (Figs. 3 and 4), the floor can serve as a base for the new surface.
The study included an assessment of the technical condition (Figs. 1–4), material analysis, and adaptation options for the existing industrial hall, which is part of an industrial complex, in accordance with the standards specified in the Technical Conditions (U). The building’s exterior walls were first dehumidified, followed by insulation work. The walls up to a height of 1.2 m were insulated with 12 cm thick expanded polystyrene (EPS 80–036) panels (U = 0.27 W/(m2 K), λ = 0.036). From the 1.2 m level to the roof, the reinforced glass façade was dismantled, and in its place, a new hall cladding was constructed, made of sandwich panels made of pressed steel sheets with a 0.12 m thick polystyrene core attached to the existing steel profile framework (which originally supported the glass façades). The insulation work also included insulating the roof with 15 cm thick mineral wool, secured on top with heat-weldable top and underlayment felt, and on the bottom with trapezoidal steel sheet with a vapor barrier. The next stage of the work involved laying new flooring in the section of the building designated for the new laboratory, replacing the windows (with a U value of 0.9 W/(m2 K) and doors (with a U value of 1.3 W/(m2 K)) to improve the indoor climate, work comfort, and usability of the hall.
To confirm the appropriate use of insulation materials for external walls, a multi-criteria technical and economic analysis was performed. Commonly used insulation materials were used as cases, i.e., technological and material solutions (Fig. 6), i.e., polystyrene (Styrofoam), mineral wool, and polyurethane foam (polyurethane). The criteria (variables) adopted were: thermal insulation – TI, acoustic insulation – IA, moisture resistance (waterproofing) – WP, installation difficulties – ID, fire resistance – FR, economy – E, and sustainable development – SD (Fig. 5).
2W graph for the adopted criteria (own research)
The analysis was conducted using previously collected data (medians) from surveys conducted among construction industry professionals, based on the principal component analysis method found in the “Principal Component Analysis and Classification” module of the STATISTICA package: Figure 5 – Presentation of variables (criteria); Figure 6 – Cases, i.e., technological and material solutions. Figure 7 was created by combining the two previous graphs and represents the main interpretation of the conducted analysis. The length of the vector in the graphs indicates the discriminatory power of the variable (features, criteria). The longer the vector, the greater the significance of the given feature in the analysis.
Figure 7, which is an interpretation of the survey, shows that the variables: acoustic insulation and fire resistance are strongly correlated (cosα = 0.96). It should be emphasized that these features represent over 75 % of the total variance and primarily relate to mineral wool, while the remaining two: economics and thermal insulation, account for only about 25 %.
The variable – costs – has a more significant impact on polystyrene than on mineral wool. The variable – thermal insulation, on the other hand, has a low discriminatory power and affects only polyurethane.
2W graph of factors for the cases (own research)
In summary, when selecting an insulating material for external walls, mineral wool would be the best solution. This is due to the fact that in the case of thermal insulation processes of vertical and horizontal partitions, the important criteria are fire resistance and acoustic insulation of materials, while thermal insulation, having a low representativeness of the total variance, is of less importance (Dachowski & Gałek, 2018; Sagan, 2004). For economic reasons, polystyrene (Styrofoam) was chosen for insulation works.
Common chart for criteria and cases (own research)
The laboratory was launched under the Regional Operational Program of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship for 2007–2013, Priority 2. Support for innovation, building an information society, and increasing the region’s investment potential, Measure 2.1. Development of innovation, supporting teaching and research activities of universities and the research and development sector. The project leader was the Świętokrzyskie Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer Ltd. in Kielce, while the project partner was the Regional Development Agency in Starachowice, the owner of the facility where the LBBB laboratory is located. The LBBB strategy was based on the principles of sustainable energy development in the region, aiming to utilize both local renewable energy sources, as well as sewage and municipal waste in technologies enabling the production of heat and electricity in cogeneration. As part of the project, the revitalization and adaptation of the hall to the needs of the LBBB laboratory and its thermal modernization reduced heat losses by approximately 80 % (the U coefficient decreased from U = 0.33 to U = 0.2 W/(m2 K)), which was in line with EU doctrines (Rożniakowski), while the research laboratory for solid biomass, biogas and biofuels was equipped with analytical devices, a fermentation segment and cogeneration systems, as well as laboratory auxiliary equipment.
View of the facade after modernization (photo W. Grochal)
View of the hall after modernization (photo W. Grochal)
The new biomass laboratory (photo W. Grochal)
The implementation of the Project enabled the launch of the Laboratory, enabling further development and expansion of the research base. It was divided into three spatial and functional areas: analytical, cogeneration (workshop), and fermentation. The analytical section houses, among other things, a chemistry laboratory, atomic spectroscopy, and gas spectrophotometry. Furthermore, LBBB has an educational and conference section, which serves as a reserve for future expansion of the analytical base. Within the scope of chemical analysis, LBBB has the required technical, organizational, and human resources to conduct the following research (Figs. 8–10):
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Chemical testing of wet organic sludge (for use as a biogas plant feedstock and for soil chemical composition) – including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen, as well as heavy metal content, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
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Chemical testing of wet post-fermentation sludge (e.g., from biogas cycles, food production, agri-food processing, and sewage treatment plant sludge).
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Energy analysis (calorific value) of substances and biomass for energy purposes from agricultural, forestry, and recycling sources.
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Moisture content (dry organic matter content) – a key parameter for planning the energy use of substances.
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Biogas composition analysis for the presence and content of methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and other trace gases.
Thanks to modernization and adaptation possibilities, the hall also features a fully automatic, simultaneous ICP spectrometer in Dual-View optical configuration with an Echelle polychromator – Agilent 5100 ICP-OES, whose main features of the ICP Expert software are: background correction system (FCB), automatic optimization (AutoMax), special rinsing system (Smart Rinse), automatic curve fitting technique (FACT), MultiCal system, semi-quantitative analyses, TRS system (for recording, among others, temperature and humidity in extensive control systems, e.g. in the food industry, storage rooms, libraries) (https://www.simex.pl). The modernization of the production hall into a biomass and biogas laboratory has significantly contributed to the growth of research potential in the region. The building, previously a dilapidated hall, has once again become part of a complex, including a research facility. A particular target group are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that lack the organizational, personnel, and financial resources to conduct research and implement proposed solutions independently, without professional support from institutions such as SCITT or FARR. This assistance covers, in addition to financing, activities related to the use of innovative ideas generated by SMEs, their implementation, and planning for successful market penetration.
This paper presented an energy-efficient renovation and functional conversion of a disused industrial hall into a biomass and biogas laboratory in the context of the EU Renovation Wave. Improving the thermal envelope, including additional wall and roof insulation and the replacement of window and door joinery, reduced the U-value of the external wall from 0.33 to 0.20 W/(m2 K) and enhanced the technical condition and usability of the building. The project increased the research potential of the facility, improved working comfort and created a basis for the development of a regional biomass and biogas market, in line with the principles of sustainable and environmentally responsible planning.