ROADMAPS FOR ENERGY (R4E) - HORIZON 2020 RESEARCH PROJECT

The Living Lab LOW3 team under lead of Dr. Torsten Masseck forms part of the international consortium of partners which currently develop the R4E - Roadmaps for Energy project (www.roadmapsforenergy.eu), coordinated by the city of Eindhoven and the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e).

Roadmaps for Energy (R4E) is a project funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. In the R4E project the 10 consortium partners work together to develop a new type of energy strategy, which they call their Energy Roadmap.

R4E focuses on developing vision creation and roadmapping capacities within municipalities to initiate joint activities to spur development and implementation of innovative energy solutions in cities.

The ultimate aim is to implement a process that allows the 8 partner cities to develop roadmaps for the various themes that together form the Energy Roadmap towards their ambition of becoming Smart Cities. R4E focuses on three areas within the domain of sustainable energy that are closely linked to the municipalities main responsibilities:

> Smart Buildings
> Smart Mobility
> Smart Urban Spaces

UPC is knowledge partner of the project and currently develops desk studies as well as generic roadmaps for the areas of Smart Buildings and Smart Urban Spaces.

PHD THESIS: TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY - LIVING LABS IN ARCHITECTURE

[eng] Living Lab LOW3 has been inspiration, platform and object of educational and innovation research since its foundation in 2011, resulting ultimately in the publication of a Doctoral Thesis about Living Labs in Architecture by its director Torsten Masseck under guidance of Prof. Albert Cuchí as thesis supervisor. 

The original contribution to knowledge of the thesis is a structured review, analysis, classification and benchmarking of historical and recent Living Labs in Architecture for their better understanding, development and use as efficient tools for teaching, learning and innovation in the field of sustainability. Several frameworks are developed, contributing to a better understanding of the role of Living Labs for ESD in the special context of Higher Education Institutions and the discipline of Architecture. 

A classification and benchmarking tool is proposed for a structured analysis and comparison of Living Lab projects related to ESD in HEIs. 

Living Lab LOW3 as specific Living Lab action research project at ETSAV (UPC) is documented and analyzed in order to gain insight in an experience-based approach to Living Labs in Architecture.

The international PhD Jury consisted in Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arch. Werner Lang (TUM, Munich), Dr. Christa Liedtke (Research Director Wuppertal Institute) and Prof. Dr. Jordi Segalás (Director IS.UPC). The thesis defense resulted in an "Excellent cum laude" evaluation by the jury. Collaborators, audience and jury have been invited to celebrate the event with a reception at the solar house, as origin and case study of the presented research work.  

VISIT FROM ENSAG - LES GRANS ATELIERS

[eng] Living Lab LOW3 welcomed a delegation from ENSAG - Les Grans Ateliers  (http://www.lesgrandsateliers.org) under direction of Prof. Pascal Rollet at the ETSAV campus. ETSAV projects like the PAuS platform, the Les Planes Neigbourhood project and the Ressò project at Rubí have been of major interest for this team of architects and engineers which are currently searching for new collaborations and synergies of their institution and programs on international level.

Prof. Pasqual Rollet stated:  "In Grenoble, we are probably more advanced than you in the technical and construction part of our projects, but you seem to be further ahead than us about “Living Lab” and working with communities topics." 

Future collaborations are planned, based on the existing URBAN BUILDING LAB proposal regarding co-housing and living lab initiatives, and the participation in an “Experiential learning” symposium planned in October 2016.