Our research findings inform modernisation efforts across diverse EU regions, catalyse green investments, address understudied areas, prioritise vulnerable communities and save time in renovation projects that protect lives and the environment.
A common policy framework has been established at the European level for the energy upgrading of buildings. Concurrently however, Member States keep exclusive competence and responsibility for the level of structural safety and hence seismic upgrading. Opportunities in the current policy framework for integrated retrofitting of buildings, which encompasses energy efficiency, seismic safety and potentially fire safety, may hence come from incentivising a holistic approach within the framework of energy efficiency policies.
The pilot project, through the integration of seismic strengthening and energy upgrading, represents an essential opportunity for drawing attention to the importance of considering a multi-performance renovation of the EU existing building stock.
Moreover, it provides the technical background to formulate a future action plan to redevelop and modernise the EU existing building stock.
Our project supports the following policy areas:
We promote integrated building renovations that combine interventions to reduce future losses caused by seismic events and address energy efficiency of buildings. This comprehensive method takes direction from major policy domains of disaster risk reduction, energy efficiency and sustainability, circular economy, as well as safeguard of cultural heritage.
In order to support the ambitious plans of the European Green Deal, the pilot project emphasises the need for the EU and its Member States to engage in a renovation wave of public and private buildings. Until recently, the renovation of existing buildings focused primarily on increasing their energy efficiency.
The project expands upon this by addressing structural safety. This comprehensive approach brings safety, environmental and social improvements to buildings through a single renovation intervention.
The pilot project provides actionable data and information to help achieve the sustainability goals of the New Circular Economy Action Plan by encouraging an outlook on the whole life cycle from production and consumption to waste management in the renovation field.
In the broader building and construction sector, life cycle thinking implies not only improving the energy performance of buildings, but also encouraging extending the lifetime of buildings by means of maintenance, repair and upgrading of the existing building stock.
Integrated renovation strategies investigated in the pilot project can become an integral part for promoting circular economy principles, as improvements in energy performance are combined with lifetime extension of buildings and improved seismic safety, which reduce demolitions and rebuilding.
The pilot project encourages investment in disaster risk reduction for resilience and integrate Build Back Better principles for a more resilient built environment as called for by the Action Plan on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. To achieve this, the pilot project provides regional specific information on policies and funding schemes to vulnerable areas.
Additionally, it provides crucial insights for targeted renovation efforts by collecting and sharing baseline loss and damage data, performing risk assessments for better preparedness, and encouraging stronger science-policy interface in decision-making. The holistic project also reinforces links between disaster risk management, climate change adaptation and urban policies, supporting the development of inclusive local and national disaster risk reduction strategies.
The pilot project informs efforts that improve resilience from man-made and natural hazards and facilitate cooperation in the field of risk mitigation, management and preparedness as directed by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Research findings improve the knowledge base on disaster risks to ageing buildings across the EU. Cooperation and the sharing of knowledge with a diverse group of stakeholders will help foster innovation, best practices and information sharing, especially in Member States that share common risks.
The pilot project supports the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPDB) by assessing the regional energy performance of buildings. Collected data help to foster deep renovation projects in understudied areas and improve energy equality in the most underserved places across the EU.
The pilot project contributes towards achieving a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050, enabling consumers and businesses to make more informed choices to save energy and money, and creating a stable (risk-informed) environment for investment decisions. The EPDB also encourages Member States to use their long-term renovation strategies to address fire safety and risks related to intense seismic activity affecting energy efficiency renovations and the lifetime of buildings.
The pilot project provides the technical background for the implementation of combined seismic strengthening and energy upgrading measures.
To support efforts that safeguard cultural heritage through national disaster risk reduction strategies, the pilot project develops good practices on the integration of cultural heritage in the national disaster risk reduction strategies to be developed by EU Member States. The term 'cultural heritage' encompasses a wide range of built heritage, including but not limited to monuments, castles and museums, and the architectural heritage of a country.
The pilot project activities are primarily linked to the third pillar of Cultural heritage for a resilient Europe aiming to protect cultural heritage against natural disasters and climate change.
These tools will be used in turn to manage risks and improve the resilience of Europe’s cultural heritage in the event of natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes) and against the intensifying effects of climate change. At the same time the need for upgrading the energy efficiency of cultural heritage buildings is highlighted.