Introductory Course ETSAV 2017: nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB)

[eng] A transition of our society towards a new collective and individual way of living with less environmental impact is one of the main challenges of our times.

Within the Introductory Course for new students of architecture at ETSAV, Living Lab LOW3 offers two classes in the field of Architectural Technology based on the specific knowledge generated through the LOW3 solar house prototype and the R4E-Roadmaps for Energy Research project.

The first class, titeled "Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs)" introduced into basic notions and parameters of sustainability, the environmental impact of housing and the definition of new energetic standards, before exploring the habitational, contructive and energetic concept of LOW3 at the campus.

Classes consist in the combination of two innovative ways of learning: MOOC self-learning units and other online resources; together with the exploration of the real prototype LOW3, an energy self-sufficient solar house, discovering, questioning and discussing solutions which are different to standard buildings of today.

A second class will be held in two weeks, focusing on Renewable Energies and the holistic energy transition of society.

Smart buildings and cities – R4E project meeting at Forlì

[eng] Within the Roadmap for Energy (R4E) – Horizon 2020 project representatives of all 8 participating cities and the two knowledge partners TU/e and UPC met at Forlì, Italy, for a 4 days workshop on new European project proposals regarding smart buildings and cities.

Under the lead of the city of Murcia, all partners developed a specific project portfolio for future projects in fields like Energy Efficiency in Existing and Historic Buildings, Urban Resilience to Climate Change, Urban Domotic, Smart Energy Storage and Open Data Infrastructures amongst others.

The assistance of the EU project officer of the project and presentations of the project manager from Eindhoven Brainport allowed identifying at the same time funding opportunities within the new Horizon 2020 work program 2018-2020. UPC as knowledge partner to the cities plays an active role in the project development resulting in new opportunities for collaboration in the field.

New project proposal for “Sustainable Lifestyle Accelerator"

[eng] Under the lead of the Wuppertal Institute (WI), UPC participates as project partner in a new proposal for accelerating lifestyle changes in society through online tools, Living Lab approaches and the up scaling of experiences. 

The development and use of an online Footprint Calculator and international collaboration of 7 countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain and Switzerland) shall help to create momentum in society to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, reducing resource consumption and climate impact through behavioural change.

Tracking and spreading the results of a total of 4000 participating households will foster innovative solutions and allow that individual changes go mainstream.