Serial refurbishment
Serial refurbishment of industrially built houses - a great opportunity for the renovation wave
It is widely and long known that the renovation rates of buildings are far too low, not only in the EU, especially to counteract the urgent need to limit global warming sufficiently and quickly enough. Against the backdrop of the renewed failure to meet targets in the area of energy efficiency upgrading of buildings, a central component of the Green Deal is the so-called Renovation Wave. This European Commission action plan for greater and comprehensive progress in renovation is ambitious in its targets and shortens the time horizon for achieving them.
Innovative solutions and approaches are now required, and digitalisation and automation must also be given greater importance in renovation. Otherwise, it will not be possible to improve climate protection and achieve the large-scale decarbonization of the building sector.
In Eastern Europe, the building stock is characterised by standardised building types that were built on a large scale in prefabricated construction in Soviet times. Energy efficiency, insulation and ventilation were largely ignored, as a lot of living space was needed in a short span of time. The result is buildings that have offered little living comfort for decades and in some cases pose a health risk to residents.
However, the serial construction of these residential buildings now also offers an opportunity. Because what was built industrially may offer good conditions for industrial refurbishment: The need for energy upgrades can be met with modular refurbishment solutions, so that the refurbishment backlog can be counteracted across the board and at speed.
The advantages of serial (industrial) refurbishment lie primarily in the cost savings that result as soon as the demand for the process increases and becomes reliably foreseeable. The time saved by prefabricating elements and systems in the factory is another factor that speaks in favor of serial refurbishment - also from the residents' perspective. This is because the time saved on the construction site itself also means fewer and shorter disruptions to their living environment. In some cases, it is not even necessary to move out of the buildings for a short time.
Prefabrication and the serial approach can also counteract the shortage of skilled workers, which poses major challenges for all sectors across the EU, as fewer personnel are required on construction sites and more automation and digitalisation are used.
The task now is to create the conditions for the advantages of serial refurbishment to be recognised and spread, especially in Eastern Europe, where the application potential is particularly large and inexpensive. Campaigns and, above all, concrete project activities will make the approach more visible and the process can be spreaded more widely. In this way, demand is increased, the costs of the process can be gradually reduced and the progress of remediation can be significantly supported.
As part of our long-standing activities for the energy-efficient refurbishment of apartment buildings in residential property in Eastern Europe, we are committed to disseminating the approach in various countries in this region.
In Ukraine in particular, there is great potential for serial refurbishment and construction, which we are keeping an eye on and preparing with other partners and sponsors in order to be able to test the approach quickly and practically in examples of implementation as part of the efforts to rebuild and repair housing after the end of the war.
Originator and model of the approach: energiesprong
The idea and initiative to renovate houses in series originated in the Netherlands and has been implemented there in practice since 2011. Other countries are now following suit and adopting the approach.
First good examples in the Baltic States
In Estonia in particular, there are already several projects in which serial refurbishment has been implemented in practice. In each case, the focus was on building series types that were erected during the Soviet era according to standardised construction practices throughout the Eastern European region. The pilots in Estonia demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of the approach for prefabricated buildings, but also the barriers that need to be overcome in terms of cost-effectiveness and dissemination.
Projects
In summer 2023, the COSME RENO project was launched under the leadership of IWO with the aim of accelerating the Renovation Wave by bringing the serial refurbishment approach to a wider audience. The project is funded by the EU's LIFE programme and is scheduled to be implemented by 2026.
Our partners
IWO's commitment in brief
- We act as a contact and intermediary for all interested parties from Eastern and Western European countries who are interested in the serial refurbishment approach and are looking for contacts and information.
- We bring together partners and experts from Western and Eastern Europe in order to share knowledge, supplement capacities and initiate joint activities and projects.
- We are committed to publicising and disseminating serial refurbishment in Central and Eastern Europe through events, networking activities and as project partners.
- We communicate good examples and lessons learned from initial pilot projects, e.g. in Estonia and Latvia, at all suitable events and projects.
If you are interested in the topic of serial refurbishment and/or would like to contribute to it, please contact us!
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