Navigating the Shades of Industrialized Deep Energy Retrofit: Strategies for a Sustainable EU Building Stock

The urgency of addressing climate change and achieving carbon neutrality is paramount, with the building sector playing a crucial role in the EU’s emissions. With the goal of retrofitting 100 million housing units by 2050, industrialized deep energy retrofit emerges as a non-negotiable pathway.

Our workshop aims to continue and promote activities of the “Prefab Cluster” initiated in 2021 with different workshops (e.g. in Sustainable Places 21, 22, 23 Conferences), and several publications. This work is in line with the activities of the projects involved: ENSNARE, BuildUpSpeed, Greenest, Giga Regio Factory, and One Click Reno, focusing on the industrialization and modularity of building envelope kits as pivotal strategies for enhancing energy efficiency and decarbonization of the EU building stock.

Key discussion points include:

1. Cutting-edge approaches for Retrofitting, combining digital and physical technologies: Synergetic combination of digital frameworks and industrialized components, using modular concepts and revolutionizing retrofitting practices. Orientation towards sustainable industry through EU’s decarbonization and energy efficiency goals.

2. Collaborative Approaches and Regional Adaptation: Addressing the diversity in retrofitting needs across different regions and how tailored industrialization approaches can meet these specific requirements.

3. Market Activation and Policy Implications: Discussing strategies and policy frameworks to support the industrialization of deep energy retrofit.

This workshop will delve into scaling decarbonization of EU buildings. Building on the barriers and intervention framework defined in previous works of the Prefab Cluster, it explores barriers to the EU’s renovation wave, whether unique or widespread, and examines scalable solutions from the participant projects to meet 2050 targets, ensuring they align with societal needs for climate adaptation, circularity, and wellbeing. It also considers vital short and long-term policies for sustainability.

Researchers, industry experts, and conference attendees will discuss these issues, aiming to draft a policy-informing paper to expedite the Renovation Wave.

Contributing projects:

• ENSNARE
• BuildUPspeed
• GreeNest
• Giga Regio Factory
• One Click Reno

Session Chair:

John van Oorschot, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences – Peru Elguezabal, Tecnalia – Maria Founti, NTUA – Sebastien Delpont, Energiesprong – Ana Sanchis, IVE – Chiara Stanghini, Edera