Data Analysis-Based Approach to the Green Retrofit of Existing Public Buildings in Northern China: A Case Study of School Buildings

China’s existing public buildings are large in scale and low in energy efficiency. Public institutions with government financial support are the main parts of public buildings. In energy saving and emission reduction, they should be green retrofitted to demonstrate for other types of buildings. Taking school buildings in the North as example, the status of green architectural technologies in existing public buildings are investigated to propose approach to the green retrofit of existing public buildings. The research content includes technologies of saving water, saving land, saving material, and saving energy. According to the results of the survey data analysis, green methods to renovate the existing public buildings in the North are raised, which are strengthening the insulation performance of the envelope structure, paying attention to the application of energy measurement and monitoring technologies, selecting recyclable materials for buildings, attaching importance to the intervention on occupants` water use behaviour, and using underground space according to local conditions. The research results indicate the direction of green transformation of existing public buildings in northern China.