BUILD UP

Historic buildings constitute a considerable share of the European building stock. About 35 % of the EU's buildings are over 50 years old, with 26.4 % dating from before 1945. Improving the energy performance of historic buildings improves internal comfort conditions while reducing energy demand – therefore reducing the risk of fuel poverty.

The project’s unique approach helps families re-evaluate the way they view the cost of buying a home; switching from looking at the sales price alone to the ‘total monthly costs of ownership’ of the home which includes the immediate and long-term financial benefits of energy efficient measures.

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

EXPERT TALKS is a new initiative from BUILD UP. In the form of face to face interviews, experts coming from all around Europe and covering the field of Energy Efficiency in buildings from different perspectives, will share their views, experience and expertise with BUILD UP audience. Director of Agenzia CasaClima (KlimaHaus), Ulrich Santa, is the first expert to be interviewed.

Sustainable Places prides itself on being an ideal platform for the dissemination of research, the conduct of workshops, and EU project clustering and networking between stakeholders of all types. Between opening and closing keynote sessions, parallel technical sessions and project-organised workshops will be held on conference topic areas.

The French government has announced plans for a sustainability law that will ensure all new buildings from 2022 will have to be made with at least 50 % of wood and other bio-based materials. Bio-based materials are made from materials derived from living organisms (e.g. hemp and straw).

The European Union will be the first region in the world to become carbon neutral by 2050. The European Green Deal's Investment Plan – the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan – will mobilise public investments and unlock public funds through EU financial instruments which will lead to at least EUR 1 trillion of investments.

This policy brief presents insights into how the buildings sector could contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, thanks to the help of the newly developed European Calculator model. The model shows that achieving EU climate neutrality will require a transformative approach to the building sector and to electricity and heat production.

The indoor air quality changes according to the building, the occupants, and the type of activities taking place inside. The main way people are exposed is by inhaling pollutants, but they can also be ingested or absorbed through the skin.

Built in 2019, the Eisbärhaus was designed as a passive building comprising two units. Building materials were selected according to guidelines provided by the Austrian environmental association Umweltverband Vorarlberger Gemeindehaus. All exterior walls consist of wooden timbers treated with cellulose to provide thermal insulation.

The new building was completed in 2016. As the development was built on an old industrial site, no new land was required. As a result, the plant was not only resource efficient in construction terms, it also conserves resources in operation: it was built of wood and adheres to passive-house standards.

INNOVIP will develop an innovative solution that will lead to a breakthrough in improving the energy efficiency of the opaque parts of a building’s envelope – both in new built and existing houses. The success of the development process will be demonstrated in two prototypes that can be tested and validated.

The impact of buildings on Europe’s final energy consumption has been assessed at 40 %, making the building stock responsible for 36 % of CO2 emissions. Saule Sp. z o. o. (Saule Technologies) aims to address these challenges by introducing the first-on-the-market perovskite solar cells which lead to efficient, flexible, semi-transparent and inexpensive solar panels.

The global building floor area is expected to double by 2060. Buildings and construction are therefore essential sectors to fight climate change and reach development objectives. Already today, the construction and operation of buildings is responsible for 40 % of all energy-related CO2 emissions and consumes 36 % of global energy.

This project aims to bring to the market connected fire rated interior doors (30-minutes, 45-minutes and 60-minutes resistance) based on ecological materials, with no risk of toxic air emissions. The door can be integrated with the IoT platform of smart houses for specific market niches.

This webinar has featured the coordinators of EU-funded research projects MOBISTYLE, UtilitEE, eTEACHER, FEEdBACk and inBetween, which aim to achieve a behaviour change in energy saving through innovative IT solutions.

Build a fully recycled house? You can with RE4 prefabricated building elements incorporating up to 100 % of construction demolition waste! RE4 is a Horizon 2020 project which after four years has developed and tested energy-efficient prefabricated elements for building refurbishment and construction, including an innovative mobile robotic sorting system.

BUILD UP Skills Advisor app was first released in 2015, with the aim of providing construction workers with job-specific advice and short upskilling opportunities. By turning on the app notifications for specific techniques, the user automatically receives updates on the most current course offers as well as question sets based on practical real-life situations.

The Biophilic Map is a databank for case studies that have implemented Biophilic Design at the core of their design process. Biophilic Design is known for its effects on indoor environmental quality and therefore on the wellbeing of building users.

The SEAI Energy Show is the only multi-discipline all-inclusive business-to-business event for the energy sector in Ireland. It is a must visit for all energy professionals looking to network, learn, build business opportunities and experience the latest innovative technologies in the sector.

The URBAN FUTURE global conference is Europe’s largest event for sustainable cities. It is the place to meet the most passionate and inspiring CityChangers from all over the world.

seeSUSTAINtec is the only event in Bulgaria that combines the crucial topics of waste management and recycling, energy efficiency and renewables, and smart cities and air quality. The event provides foreign producers and local companies with a platform for product launch and face-to-face contacts with new clients and partners.

This event will offer an opportunity for the exchange of views between stakeholders and EU policymakers on the role of skilled building professionals to deliver the European Green Deal, in particular the so-called ‘renovation wave’ of public and private buildings.