BUILD UP

The concept of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) concerns the integration of technology – that is, the capability of a PV system to interact with the building and district energy system to maximise the use locally of the electricity generated. In view of the urgent need to renovate and decarbonise the existing building stock, special focus is on producing skins, such as roofs and façades, by using innovative solutions and materials to make them more efficient and to generate energy. This is essential to achieve the EU’s 2030 energy targets which are only 11 years away.

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. June’s Topic of the Month is: ‘New skills for energy efficiency in buildings’. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

The nearly zero-energy building standard will very shortly become mandatory for new buildings. The challenge for achieving the European and national climate and energy goals is how to avoid construction errors that lead to increases in energy consumption. New “Train the Trainer” pilot courses are performed in different countries to facilitate the adoption of these standards during the execution of nearly zero-energy buildings.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, with more than 1 million visitors every year. This architectural masterpiece, designed by Frank Gehry in the ‘90s, was a pioneering piece of construction which tested the building information modelling (BIM) method.

The ReUseHeat report ‘Accessible Urban Waste Heat’ reveals significant heat-recovery potential from unconventional sources of excess heat. It is possible to recover approximately 1.2 EJ (or 340 TWh) per year from data centres, metro stations, service-sector buildings and waste-water treatment plants. This corresponds to more than 10% of the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water, which is approximately 10.7 EJ (or 2 980 TWh).

The latest factsheet published by the EU-funded ExcEED project summarises the project’s main objectives and details the need for such a platform to collect energy-performance data from existing buildings, especially in light of the contribution it can make to develop the smart readiness indicator (SRI).

The Buildings Performance Institute Europe’s guide addresses various aspects of the Directive, providing Member States with a comprehensive toolkit to meet the decarbonisation challenge. It focuses on articles were requirements have evolved or have been added: long-term renovation strategies, financing renovation, EPCs and building renovation passports, the SRI and how to calculate energy performance.

The Albero project focuses on the rehabilitation, modernisation and requalification of the architectural envelope of an office building in Guyancourt, France. It relies on low CO2 emissions materials and on-site non-disturbance strategies to reduce its environmental impact.

For many years, this Victorian property in the centre of Chorlton had been divided up into five apartments. During this time, many of the original features were lost. The proposal is to return the property to its original state as two semi-detached homes and to reinstate the beautiful original façade.

ReCO2ST is applying an easy three-step approach to building renovations, resulting in major savings and higher standards of living. The interactive refurbishment assessment tool, the integrated project delivery tool and finally, the selected refurbishment package of innovative technologies are being deployed as a customisable retrofit kit.

The HEART toolkit incorporates different components and technologies which cooperate to transform an existing building into a smart building. By developing this toolkit, the project is advancing and improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in buildings across Europe. This is particularly relevant in central and southern Europe where climate change is resulting in higher electricity consumption during both the summer and winter seasons.

The aim of the project is to give communities the technology and support they need to help reduce energy consumption in their homes, and to investigate ways in which communities can work towards more sustainable lifestyles. This ongoing three-year project is conducting pilot studies in Brussels (Belgium), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Bergen (Norway).

BERTIM develops a prefabricated solution which provides the opportunity to renovate improving energy performance, air quality, aesthetics, comfort, and property value at the same time, while ensuring low intrusiveness during renovation works. The systemic methodology is based in a digital BIM data flow that will be implemented in a software named RenoBIM.

This dissemination webinar, which is designed for all types of users, from beginners to evaluation experts, explains the background and how the toolbox was developed. It is illustrated with a live demonstration of evaluations that can be done using the toolbox and allows participants to test and comment on its use.

In collaboration with the eTEACHER, MOBISTYLE and MOEEBIUS H2020 projects, BUILD UP has organised this webinar to address, among others, the way in which occupants use and interact with buildings in order to lower energy consumption and/or to enhance the comfort and quality of the indoor environment.

METIS is a mathematical model which provides an analysis of the European energy system. It simulates the operation of energy systems and markets on an hourly basis over a year, while factoring in uncertainties such as variations in the weather.

The COOL DH action aims to support cities in their endeavour to plan and deploy new, efficient district heating and cooling (DHC) systems and to extend and refurbish existing ones to higher standards.

The aim of the conference is to provide insights into the performance of innovative building envelopes as regards architecture, energy, comfort, economics and management.

This summit offers European cities and regional representatives a unique opportunity to learn from and interact with experts from home-renovation programmes. The event will showcase lessons learnt, best practices, case studies and future developments in home renovation.

The info days will present funding opportunities for research, innovation and market uptake projects on clean energy. Registration is open now!