BUILD UP

Digital transformation, as described by the European Commission, is characterised by a fusion of advanced technologies and the integration of physical and digital systems and their effect on buildings and energy efficiency in buildings. As regards buildings, and with the aim of enabling the European construction industry to capture a share of the emerging market for future products and services, the European Commission has established a number of initiatives.

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

The first official meeting of DigiPLACE took place in Brussels on 3rd and 4th of September. DigiPLACE is an EU-funded project with a budget of EUR 1 million that aims to create a roadmap for a digital platform for construction in Europe. The digital industrial platform is an operating system that integrates different technologies, applications and services. In a modern economy, digitalisation is a major driver of productivity growth across industries and services. To remain competitive in an increasingly globalised market, the EU economy must transform itself into a digital one.

One of the main aims of the BIMplement project is to improve building energy efficiency. To that end, BIM (building information modelling) is used as an on-site tool for blue-collar workers to better understand the type of work to be implemented. This project will be tested on two projects at the end of 2019: the rehabilitation of multi-storey residential buildings and building wooden-structure houses. Both projects have been launched in June 2019.

By promoting the development and implementation of on-bill schemes (OBS), RenOnBill aims to scale up investments towards deep energy renovations of residential buildings. Starting from an analysis of existing OBS to lay the foundation for replication in Europe, RenOnBill is engaging stakeholders at the national level to foster cooperation among the different actors and jointly develop national roadmaps for the replication of OBS in four focus countries.

In the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), one of the focal points is to enhance the realisation of the potential of smart ready technologies in the building sector. Therefore, the revised EPBD requires the development of a voluntary European scheme for rating the smart readiness of buildings: the ‘Smart Readiness Indicator’ (SRI).

The evolution of new technologies is leading the construction sector in a new and revolutionary way of working, especially as regards the collaboration among the agents involved in the different construction processes. Working with BIM (building information modelling) implies using a single model to generate and manage all the project information throughout its entire life cycle.

This project demonstrates the innovative use of BIM. The project was required to manage the entire BIM coordination, project construction and 6D BIM processes by standardising all data formats. Bexel set out to coordinate a BIM methodology among all stakeholders, from design through to delivery, and including the development of a multi-discipline 3D BIM model based on architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing designs.

The project (to end in 2019) is part of a study that assesses the practical comparisons of different energy concepts for highly efficient, ecological and economically operated multi-family dwellings. One goal is to achieve the lowest possible energy and heating demand in the operation of the building. The outstandingly low levels of energy demand and consequential CO2 emissions have resulted in it gaining ‘golden status’ in the Austrian klimaaktiv criteria.

The main objective of ENCORE is to increase the share of renovated stock in Europe and worldwide by providing effective and affordable BIM tools that cover the whole renovation life cycle. It will tackle energy efficiency and comfort parameters, involving all the actors in the process, while facilitating information exchange among all the parties.

BIM4EEB aims to foster the renovation industry by developing an attractive and powerful BIM-based tool set able to support designers in the design and planning phase. It will also help construction companies to carry out the work efficiently and service companies to provide attractive solutions for building retrofitting. In addition, public and private owners will be able to use a tool that facilitates decision-making and asset management.

BIMERR will design and develop a Renovation 4.0 tool kit comprising tools to support renovation stakeholders throughout the renovation process for existing buildings, from project conception to delivery. This tool kit will be validated and demonstrated in four buildings in three EU Member States.

OPEN DEI aims to leverage synergies, identify gaps, share best practices, reinforce regional/national relationships and put in place the necessary joint measures to implement common dissemination, communication, training and exploitation action plans among the Innovation Actions implementing the EU’s digital transformation strategy.

The goal of the EU’s H2020 STUNNING (SusTainable bUsiNess models for the deep reNovation of buIldiNGs) project is to promote successful and innovative building-renovation packages and business models around a virtual and collaborative knowledge-sharing platform. The STUNNING Renovation Hub aims to accelerate their adoption.

This tool holds data templates that can be associated with any aspect of the built environment to deliver standardised attributes or parameters that can be mapped to terms for human understanding, computer-aided design (CAD) or BIM software, and database technologies.

The ENERJ web tool is designed to help local authorities and enterprises to be aware of the energy characteristics of local public buildings, and the actions local authorities have committed to undertake, such as those included in their Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs).

ENEFM2019 aims to provide a global forum for researchers and engineers to present and discuss recent innovations and new techniques in energy. In addition to scientific seminars, a wide range of social activities, including boat cruises and visits to historical places, will be available.

High-ranking speakers and experts from business, science and politics would share experiences, positions and opinions. The audience will also be able to participate in the discussions live via a web-based tool.

The summit will focus on REHVA’s latest activities through several committee meetings, and will also organise EU project workshops on the EU-level professional qualification scheme on CEN-EPB standards. This year’s conference topic, ‘Delivering healthy, zero-carbon buildings by 2050’, will present EU policies for a decarbonised economy with high-performing and healthy buildings.

The Batimat, Interclima and Ideobain trade shows will come together under one roof in a unique opportunity to discover innovations in construction, technical, finishing work and bathrooms. Visitors can meet current and future suppliers, take part in demonstrations, and access information and training on new techniques, technological advances and regulatory changes in the industry.