Exploring new smart building technologies with the BuildON project
The new European-funded project BuildON is set to help decarbonise and digitalise energy management systems
Last May, the BuildON project was launched. It focuses on smart buildings, in particular on the transition to decarbonisation and digitalisation of energy management systems. Its goal is to "build the next generation of smart buildings". With a 20-strong consortium, the project will last three and a half years and is funded by the EU's Horizon Europe Programme.
Smart buildings aim to improve energy performance for the benefit of building occupants, facility owners and managers, by reducing energy demand and adapting innovative technologies to a ready-to-use state. This is achieved by digitalising buildings through IT and technology data-integration systems, making them feasible and easily accessible to the occupants.
As part of BuildON, the technology systems will be implemented in four different types of buildings located in five geographical areas with different climate conditions: two residential buildings in Valladolid (ES) and Helsinki (FI), a kindergarten in Gdynia (PL), an office building in Moret-Loing-etOrvanne (FR) and two commercial buildings (car dealerships) in Athens and Thessaloniki (GR). This will allow the project to collect of information from diverse areas with multiple climatic conditions.
In this regard, the partners held a workshop at the project's kick-off on social innovation to determine the role, interest and impact of the stakeholders involved in the project, for each building. Each group identified some common strengths and challenges, which will be further analysed in the next stages of the project.
The ultimate goal of BuildON is to develop adaptable and attractive services for business, and to help replicate and standardise them for the energy optimisation of buildings. It is a dynamic process that will involve technical, social and commercial dimensions and provide scientific, economic and social results.
Sofía Mulero Palencia, project coordinator at CARTIF Technology Centre in Valladolid, stated: "There is a need to bridge disciplines and address complex societal problems through collaboration and cooperation. BuildON will adopt open standards to maximise interoperability and will rely on a combination of monitoring, assessment, prediction and optimisation technologies. This data-driven approach will enable more systematic use of smart products and services to improve energy performance of buildings."
BuildON will combine multidisciplinary expertise and resources to facilitate knowledge transfer. Eventually, a business plan for the exploitation and commercialisation of the results will also be set out beyond the end of the project.
About BuildON: The project is titled "Affordable and digital solutions to Build the next generation of smart EU buildings". It is coordinated by Cartif and will last 42 months. The project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme research and innovation actions in the context of Built4People for efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy-use, under Grant Agreement n. 1101104141.
Contacts:
Project coordinator:
Sofia Mulero Palencia, CARTIF
email: sofmul@cartif.es
Communication Manager:
ICONS
Veronica Meneghello
email: veronica.meneghello@icons.it
Andre Zhulpa Camporesi
email: andre.zhulpacamporesi@icons.it
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