Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires faster and deeper renovation of the existing building stock, particularly multi-family housing, where renovation rates and energy performance remain low related to collective ownership, split incentives, and constrained investment capacity. Current renovation decisions are often based on static life cycle cost (LCC) methods or short-term financial indicators, which fail to capture long-term value creation under changing economic, policy, and climate conditions.

This PhD research aims to develop a dynamic life cycle costing methodology for the renovation of multi-family housing, explicitly integrating building valuation and income generation. The research will move beyond lowest-cost assessments towards a value-based perspective that supports robust investment and policy decisions. A key objective is to embed the methodology in a robust decision-making framework, enabling the evaluation of renovation strategies under cost, policy and climate uncertainties rather than identifying a single “optimal” solution.

The PhD candidate will investigate four core challenges:

• A fully funded PhD position of four years, with an intermediate evaluation after one year, leading to a PhD degree in Engineering Science: Architecture, upon successful completion.
• The position is based in Heverlee, at the Department of Architecture, KU Leuven.
• You will be embedded in a supportive and interdisciplinary research environment, with close supervision by the main supervisor and guidance from a supervisory committee to ensure scientific quality and to support your research process and development throughout the PhD.
• Access to a structured doctoral training programme, including courses on scientific, technical, and transferable (soft) skills.
• Room for personal and professional career development, supported through and aligned with research responsibilities, teaching activities, service roles, networking opportunities, and tailored guidance in line with your career ambitions, both within and beyond academia.
• Opportunities for an international research stay, as well as participation in international research collaborations and conferences.
• Active encouragement and support to apply for an FWO PhD fellowship (maximum two application attempts).
• A competitive salary in accordance with KU Leuven regulations, including social security, health insurance, and access to university facilities (research infrastructure, libraries, sports facilities, etc.).
• Expected start date: 01/02/2027. This can be discussed.