Abstract

Carbon emission is a huge challenge for the world to combat climate change and achieve the Paris Agreement targets. To address this challenge, it is important to retrofit existing buildings towards net zero carbon (NZC). Many studies have focused on different aspects of building retrofitting towards NZC. However, a study that systematically examines the knowledge domain of building retrofitting towards NZC is lacking. This study aims to analyze the existing research domain of NZC retrofitting through a bibliometric analysis and provide pathways for future research. Based upon 517 relevant articles identified from Scopus, bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer and Gephi software tools. Findings revealed the collaboration networks between authors, countries, organizations, and keywords in this research domain. R.F. De Masi and G.P. Vanoli are the two authors with the highest link strength, while the University of Naples Federico II has the highest number of NZC retrofitting publications. In addition, Italy is the country with the highest number of publications, but China is the most productive country when it comes to both publications and citations combined. “Energy efficiency”, “energy saving”, “nearly zero energy building”, “net zero energy”, and “renewable energy” are the most prioritized research areas. Based on identified gaps, future research directions are proposed to include (1) integration of modern technology to simulate NZC retrofitting; (2)optimization of sustainable measures to achieve NZC buildings; and (3)quantification of drivers and benefits of NZC retrofitting. The findings of this study would be useful to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who are interested in NZC retrofitting.