INNOENERGY MSc RENE INNOVATION SEMINAR 2017

[eng] Living Lab LOW3 welcomed for the fourt year students of the InnoEnergy MSc Program "Renewable Energies" (RENE) from 8 different countries for a 2-day innovation seminar under the title “Holistic Sustainability Approach for Innovations”.

This year 46 students, divided into two groups worked again on the ambitious goal to develop "Sustainable Lifestyle Scenarios 2050" including technological, environmental and socioeconomic forcasting as a result of the presented projects and generated discusions.

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.

A second focus has been to get known to a holistic approach to sustainability through the visit of the neighbourhood project PASaPAS at Les Planes, related to energy efficiency and energy poverty, focusing on lifecycle and system thinking at city level.

Roadmaps for Energy (R4E) - HORIZON 2020

En el marc del projecte Europeu Roadmaps for Energy s’han portat a terme en els últims mesos des de la UPC importants estudis referents al futur dels “Smart Buildings” i dels “Smart Urban Spaces”.

Per una banda, s’ han elaborat estudis sobre l’ estat actual de les tecnologies relacionades amb totes dues àrees, obtenint com a resultat uns “Desk Studies” tecnològics amb visió al futur.

Per un altre costat, s’ han portat a terme una sèrie d’ entrevistes personals amb experts de tota Europa creant, a base de les seves experiències i previsions, uns “Generic Roadmaps” pels àmbit en qüestió, que dibuixen escenaris de transformació energètica amb horitzó en el 2050.

Entre els experts consultats hi ha hagut arquitectes reconeguts, com a Georg W. Reinberg (Viena), Bill Dunster der ZED Factory (Londres) o el cap de sostenibilitat de Foster and Partners (London), experts de l àmbit industrial, com per exemple Siemens i Schneider Electric, i experts del mon acadèmic i polític-social.

NOVA VISITA EDUCATIVA - ESCOLA ISABEL DE VILLENA

[cat] L’ ETSAV ha rebut una nova visita educativa, aquesta vegada per part dels alumnes de 4art d'ESO de l'optativa de Tecnologia de l’ Escola Isabel de Villena de Barcelona: 20 alumnes i els seus profesors han passat mig dia al nostre campus visitant i explorant les instal·lacions experimentals Living Lab LOW3 i aprenent sobre l’arquitectura sostenible i les energies renovables.

Un cop enllestida la presentación inicial, els estudiants es van dividir en quatre grups: la gestió de l’energia amb el sistema domòtic, el funcionament bioclimàtic i els sistemes solars fotovoltaic i tèrmic van ser el centre de l’ exploració i els mesuraments que van dur a terme.

 

Després d’una aturada per esmorzar, en la que vam aprofitar per a fer crispetes amb la cuina solar parabólica (14 minuts), experimentant la capacitat energètica de la concentració de la radiació solar, els diferents grups es van explicar allò que havien descobert i experimentat els uns als altres, debatent els conceptes tractats i els resultats obtinguts.

Arquitectura i sentit comú. Deuwatts a BTV

[cat] El Living Lab LOW3 va participar en el capítol del dimarts 11 d'Octubre del programa Deuwatts de BTV, un programa de ciència, salut i medi ambient en format de reportatge documental.

La Casa de la Sostenibilitat

En els nou temps de transformació social i energètica que ens toca viure, la universitat ha de ser un actor important en els processos i iniciatives de la societat cap a un model de municipi sostenible.

Cal que els municipis, les universitats, la ciutadania i també les empreses participin activament en aquesta transició. Per això fan falta plataformes d’ intercanvi i de transmissió de coneixement que permetin les col·laboracions diverses entre múltiples actors: són les anomenades plataformes de transició.

KIC Master RENE - Innovation Seminar 2016

[eng] Living Lab LOW3 welcomed for the third year 32 students of the KIC InnoEnergy Master Program "Renewable Energies" (RENE) from 6 different countries for a 2-day innovation seminar under the title “Holistic Sustainability Approach for Innovations”.

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

A second focus has been this year to understand and apply a holistic approach to sustainability through the visit of a neighbourhood project on energy efficiency and energy poverty, focusing on lifecycle and system thinking at city level.

Students co-created in dynamic group sessions innovative product or service concepts for “a more sustainable urban life in 2050” using concept maps, collective brainstorming, and finally a story telling approach. The holistic visioning of a more sustainable future, generated ambitious discussions and allowed to foster the creative potential of these future "game changes" of KIC InnoEnergy. 

The "Innovation talk" focused on the success and drawbacks of different innovations like PCMs (Phase Change Materials) integrated in building materials, vacuum insolation panels, translucent insulations, concentrated photovoltaic’s, or new applications for drones in PV plant operation and maintenance, giving a valuable insight into the entrepreneurial, R&D as well as the business side of innovations in the field of energy.

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. 

INNOVATION SEMINAR AT LIVING LAB LOW3 – MASTER SELECT – MAY 2015

[eng] Living Lab LOW3 welcomed 40 students of the KIC InnoEnergy Master Program SELECT "Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems" from 15 different countries for a 1-day innovation seminar. The seminar title “Holistic sustainability approach to innovation” indicated already the transdisciplinary view on renewable energies and energy efficiency, with a focus on Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs).

Students were introduced into the diverse campus projects related to sustainability and afterwards explored and analyzed the technological innovations of the LOW3 prototype house in the fields of solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, HVAC, building management and energy monitoring systems in order to discuss collectively the state of the art of each technology, visioning its future potential within the horizon 2050.

Together with a holistic mind-map of all sustainability issues related to each technology, students converted the generated knowledge into a holistic future scenario for a mores sustainable lifestyle in 2050 applying story-telling.

This 3-step methodology generated ambitious discussions and allowed the co-creation of a holistic approach to sustainability beyond technology, including economic, societal and environmental considerations, improving the creative potential and system thinking abilities of these future “game changers” of KIC InnoEnergy.

The invitation of Mr. Ricard Pardell (Valldoreix Greenpower), entrepreneur in concentrated photovoltaics, and the presentation of his innovation projects, especially the CPVRS system, gave once again a valuable insight into the entrepreneurial, R&D as well as the business side of innovation in the field of renewable energies.

This new collaboration with the SELECT Master Program of KIC InnoEnergy confirms that Living Lab LOW3 offers a valuable contribution to engineers’ students education through its holistic approach to sustainability within a real-world, experimental environment at the ETSAV campus at Sant Cugat del Vallés.


SEMINARI D'INNOVACIÓ AL LIVING LAB LOW3 - MASTER SELECT - MAIG 2015

[cat] Living Lab LOW3 va donar la benvinguda a 50 estudiants del Programa de Màster SELECT de KIC InnoEnergy "Environomical Pathways for Sustainable Energy Systems", provinents de fins a 15 països diferents, i que van desenvolupar un seminari d'innovació d’1 dia. El títol del seminari "Holistic sustainability approach to innovation", fa referència a la visió interdisciplinar sobre les energies renovables i la eficiència energètica, centrant-se en els edificis de consum quasi nul (NZEBs).

Els estudiants van explorar i analitzar les innovacions tecnològiques del prototip LOW3 referents als camps de l'energia solar tèrmica, solar fotovoltaica, els sistemes de climatització, o el control de l’edifici i els sistemes de gestió i monitorització de l'energia, per tal de discutir col·lectivament sobre l'estat de l'art de cadascuna de les tecnologies, estudiant-ne el seu potencial futur envers l’horitzó 2050.

Mitjançant un anàlisi transversal i holístic de tots els aspectes de la sostenibilitat que giren entorn a cadascuna de les tecnologies, els estudiants van proposar escenaris de futur per a un estil de vida més sostenible l’any 2050, descrits en forma de “story telling”.

Aquesta metodologia de 3 passos va generar discussions complexes que anaven més enllà de l’estudi d’una tecnologia en concret, aplicant una aproximació holística que inclou consideracions econòmiques, socials, i ambientals, tot millorant el potencial creatiu dels futurs "game changers" de KIC InnoEnergy.

La participació del Sr. Ricard Pardell (Valldoreix GreenPower), emprenedor en sistemes d’alta concentració solar fotovoltaica, i la presentació dels seus projectes d'innovació, especialment el sistema CPVRS, va proporcionar informació valuosa relativa al món de l’emprenedoria, la R+D, així com de la vessant més comercial de la innovació en el camp de les energies renovables.

Aquesta nova col·laboració amb el Programa de Màster SELECT de KIC InnoEnergy confirma que Living Lab LOW3 proporciona una valuosa contribució als estudiants d’enginyeria a través d’un enfocament holístic de la sostenibilitat dins un entorn real, el campus experimental de l'ETSAV a Sant Cugat del Vallès.