The Multifaceted LEGOFIT Approach to Tackling Barriers to Energy-Positive Homes” Giulia De Aloysio, Certimac soc. cons. a r.l

The LEGOFIT Project aims to develop and validate an advanced and dynamic integrative approach to accomplish Energy Positive Homes (EPHs) based on smart and innovative solutions with high scalability and replicability for efficient building construction and renovation. To this end, LEGOFIT provides professionals and end-users with an innovative holistic design platform, – the “LEGOFIT Platform”, with three main functionalities: 1) supporting the decision-making process; 2) aiding the design process; and 3) setting up an innovative marketplace to improve communication/experience exchange among stakeholders.

However, achieving EPHs is challenging due to several barriers such as fragmentation of renovation/new construction processes compounded by the lack of public appreciation for EPHs’ long-term benefits. LEGOFIT identifies and maps these barriers based (i) on the LEGOFIT Pilot Countries (Hungary, Luxemburg, Spain, The Netherlands, and Turkey), (ii) on the stakeholders suffering from or causing the barriers, and (iii) on the project phases where the barriers occur. This provides the LEGOFIT Project with the information needed to create services and solutions that effectively reduce the discomfort associated with the barriers. A comparable methodology is used to identify drivers and how LEGOFIT can leverage them.

The outcomes of the analysis have shown that 1) most of the barriers are common to all the Pilot Countries throughout the process, 2) the barriers already present in minor renovation projects are significantly amplified in projects aiming at implementing the high-efficiency targets of EPHs; 3) the barriers mainly affect stakeholders who must undertake the renovation/construction process, 4) the LEGOFIT Platform offers valuable solutions to the barriers. It provides tailored financial/technical feasibility assessments for innovative solutions, improves the innovation level through a BIM environment, and creates confidence in the process through effective communication/experience exchange among the Stakeholders Community in each pilot.

The Stakeholders Community is the human realm for the construction value chain consisting of local technology providers, industry professionals, researchers, decision-makers, and citizens. The LEGOFIT stakeholders’ community fosters collaboration among participants by connecting them so as to share ideas, expertise, and learning through talks, discussions, and events.

The analysis conducted on the drivers has shown that the regulatory, financial, and social drivers will mainly be exploited by service/solution providers and consequently by homeowners, who will benefit from more efficient homes. LEGOFIT can contribute to exploiting the drivers in all the phases of the renovation/construction process mainly by 1) introducing a systematic methodological approach for the energy/economic analysis; 2) increasing awareness about the benefits of EPHs; 3) promoting an efficient circular use of resources.

Contributing projects:

• LEGOFIT

Session Chair:

Giulia De Aloysio, Certimac soc. cons. a r.l. – Beril Alpagut, Demir Enerji – Emilio Miguel Mitre, EOS Energy – Luca Laghi, Certimac soc. cons. a r.l.