INNOVATION AND CO-CREATION SEMINAR MSC RENE 2021: HOUSING-ENERGY-LIFESTYLE

A new edition of our Innovation and Co-creation Seminar has been held 5-8 of July for the InnoEnergy MSc Program "Renewable Energies"(RENE) with 25 students from 9 different countries working on a “Holistic Sustainability Approach for Innovations”. Due to the ongoing exceptional situation of the COVID Pandemic the seminar has been held half online and half in-person. Students participated the first day through virtual meetings in our INNOVATION Day but could also experience one CO-CREATION Day at our Living Lab, experiencing the LOW3 energy self-sufficient solar house as a place to meet, discuss, explore, and design in an inspiring environment.

The first day was dedicated to Innovation through the presentation and analysis of research projects in the three focus areas of Housing, Energy and Lifestyle.

Housing: Students got known to the innovative concepts of UPC's nearly zero energy buildings, exploring and analysing the technological concepts of the LOW3 prototype house in the fields of solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, HVAC, bioclimatic building management and energy monitoring systems, energy storage and circularity. 

Energy: Students got introduced into the results of the R4E - Roadmaps for Energy project (www.roadmapsforenergy.eu), getting known to the developed energy roadmaps for European partner cities in the field of Smart Buildings and Smart Urban Spaces and Smart Mobility to discuss energy transition of society in the coming decades.

Lifestyle: Students got introduced to a holistic transition to sustainability through the international Sustainable Lifestyle Accelerator project 2018-2021 (www.suslifespain.blogspot.com), where UPC collaborates with international partners from 7 counties in the reduction of the environmental impact of private households. Students tested the Carbon Coaching App SUSLA (www.susla.app) and calculated their own lifestyle carbon footprint.  

Finally, students co-created in dynamic group sessions through a story telling approach concepts for “a more sustainable urban life in 2030” focusing this time on product and service ideas in the field of personal environmental accountability.

This eighth collaboration with the MSc Program RENE of KIC InnoEnergy confirms again that the LOW3 Living Lab offers a valuable contribution to engineer students’ education through its holistic approach to sustainability, bringing together in one place the important topics of Housing, Energy and Lifestyle.