Drive 0 first-year results
The project is developing a new methodology for ‘circular renovation’ of buildings, based on 100% life cycle renewable energy: in a circular renovation, all materials used within the system boundaries are part of infinite technical or biological cycles with the lowest quality loss as possible. To come to this deep and circular renovation transition, the market for deep renovation of buildings also needs to be transformed. Both in terms of innovative technical solutions, innovative construction processes, combined with digitalisation (with BIM as the main carrier), and innovative business models. This is essential to achieve higher rates of renovation to decarbonise the building stock in order to meet the long-term climate, environmental, and energy targets established by the European Commission. Drive 0 focuses on the following three strategies of developing and implementing/scaling up circular renovation solutions for the existing building stock (diagram above): 1. Re-using and recycling locally available materials by urban mining; 2. Using bio-based engineered materials (wood, hemp, flax); 3. Combining the two previous actions for circular renovation. The project has completed the first year of activities, coping with the current COVID-19 situation by replacing the physical meetings and workshops with online conferences and events. The partners started testing the Drive 0 circular solutions in 7 demonstration buildings. The buildings were chosen among the most common typologies in each project country to guarantee the replicability of the Drive 0 solutions hence the renovation market uptake. The Drive 0 project was highlighted as an example of an EU-funded project to industrialise building renovation processes in the EC Renovation Wave Strategy (link here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1835). This is a great encouragement to produce, within this project’s scope, solutions that will actively contribute to meeting the European Commission’s expectations and goals, a more sustainable Europe, a healthier population, and a better future. Read more about Drive 0 at https://www.drive0.eu/ Want to be part of our circular team? Then join the Drive 0 Advisory Board! Drop us an email at info@drive.eu
Keywords
circular economy, circular renovation, decarbonisation, building stock