Periodic Reporting for period 2 - The nZEB Roadshow (The nZEB Roadshow)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-12-01 bis 2023-05-31
While there are many initiatives for development of educational and training programmes regarding energy efficiency and RES in buildings and integrating them in the national curricula, the interest of the young generation towards the construction sector is continuously decreasing. At the same time, despite strong political push towards nZEB and deep energy renovation, the traditionally conservative real estate market is still slow in the uptake of the new building standards and practices, especially in the residential sector. Within this context, the nZEB Roadshow project was designed to stimulate the demand for qualified construction services and skills in five South and East European countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Romania. The goal was achieved through organizing “nZEB days”: local multi-component events including policy conferences, exhibitions of building products and technologies, practical demonstrations and gamification in real and virtual reality environment, training courses for designers and construction workers, information sessions and consultations, on-site training, career orientation and construction job fairs. As a focal point of the events, the existing expert training centres in the focus countries - widely known as “Building Knowledge Hubs”, got on wheels: through the design and construction of mobile demonstration units, which continue to serve as information and demonstration centres for raising awareness of the benefits and specificities of nZEB. The project concept has received strong support from a large number of stakeholders, with more than 45,000 people attending the various project’s activities – among which state ministers, heads of national executive agencies, regional governors, mayors and deputy mayors, key representatives of national professional bodies, established business actor, EU-level policy makers - including the EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson!
Back in 2018, we promised that we will do our best to organize no less than 25 events in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Romania, featuring product exhibitions, job fairs, training courses, live demonstrations, games for children and, well, lots of fun… We did not know that we would face the COVID-19 pandemic, which will effectively block such public events, and we did not know that we would face a world economic and energy crisis that would block many investment intentions (but also bring on others). Even in these challenging circumstance, however, a total of 58 nZEB Roadshow events were organized in the 5 countries, bringing valuable knowledge for the benefits of energy-efficient buildings and developing the local markets. They were visited by over 20,000 people; project-related training courses only were attended by more than 4000 attendees. More than 100 product manufacturers and suppliers supported the initiative, either by sponsoring the mobile demonstration units or taking part in product exhibition, training courses and career counselling. The project team reports over 200 individual consultations. The information about the project has reached more than 50,000 stakeholders via local dissemination events, and around 6000 stakeholders through international conferences. This does not account for the general media outreach, as millions of media users have been reached via interviews and reports in the biggest national media. In most of the countries, mock-ups and demo units were filmed by major national TV channels, stimulating additional interest to the topic. And the recognition came: from taking over the main stage at the closing ceremony of the International Passive House Conference, through receiving invitation to present the project’s approach and outcomes at the EUSEW, to winning the National Geographic award for best educational project in Croatia and the established b2b media award for innovative design in Bulgaria, the nZEB Roadshow has become a trademark of excellence across Europe.
KEY PROJECT OUTPUTS
The nZEB Roadshow concept
As planning in the conceptual phase, nZEB Roadshow events were organized with the strong involvement of the pre-identified stakeholder groups, including industry actors, professional chambers and association, national and local authorities, training and education providers, energy consultants and many more, enabling them to present their nZEB-compatible products and solutions to their targeted users’ profiles. The activities were closely monitored, providing direct feedback for improving of the organization and optimization of the results not only for the project partners, but also for the external participants. The results are explicitly described in the “Monitoring report with case studies and best practice example for conducting an nZEB Roadshow”, available at www.nzebroadshow.eu/publications.html.
Development of mobile demonstration units
The development of mobile demonstration units were a major focus for nZEB Roadshow, enabling functional and attractive conduction of the various stakeholder engagement activities. The mobile units were equipped with transportable mock-ups, samples of building products and components, and measurement and diagnostics tools, which enabled the conduction of various upskilling courses, as well as multiple activities for engagement of end-users. As a final outcome of this process, “Guidelines for design and operation of mobile training and consultation units” were published, available for any interested party willing to build up the demonstration equipment for hosting the nZEB Days. The different national examples are described in the “Report on the training facilities designed and produced in the pilot countries”, with both reports available at www.nzebroadshow.eu/publications.html.
Gamification
The nZEB Roadshow gamification techniques were specifically elaborated and used to teach students, professionals, engineers, and tradespersons about the basic principles of the nZEB design and construction in a non-orthodox way, making the learning process more engaging and interactive for participants. It is worth noting that every single mock-up and gaming tool is freely available for everyone interested to replicate and use, as detailed descriptions are available in the nZEB Roadshow’s “Guidelines for games and demonstrations”.
KEY PROJECT OUTPUTS
The nZEB Roadshow concept
As planning in the conceptual phase, nZEB Roadshow events were organized with the strong involvement of the pre-identified stakeholder groups, including industry actors, professional chambers and association, national and local authorities, training and education providers, energy consultants and many more, enabling them to present their nZEB-compatible products and solutions to their targeted users’ profiles. The activities were closely monitored, providing direct feedback for improving of the organization and optimization of the results not only for the project partners, but also for the external participants. The results are explicitly described in the “Monitoring report with case studies and best practice example for conducting an nZEB Roadshow”, available at www.nzebroadshow.eu/publications.html.
Development of mobile demonstration units
The development of mobile demonstration units were a major focus for nZEB Roadshow, enabling functional and attractive conduction of the various stakeholder engagement activities. The mobile units were equipped with transportable mock-ups, samples of building products and components, and measurement and diagnostics tools, which enabled the conduction of various upskilling courses, as well as multiple activities for engagement of end-users. As a final outcome of this process, “Guidelines for design and operation of mobile training and consultation units” were published, available for any interested party willing to build up the demonstration equipment for hosting the nZEB Days. The different national examples are described in the “Report on the training facilities designed and produced in the pilot countries”, with both reports available at www.nzebroadshow.eu/publications.html.
Gamification
The nZEB Roadshow gamification techniques were specifically elaborated and used to teach students, professionals, engineers, and tradespersons about the basic principles of the nZEB design and construction in a non-orthodox way, making the learning process more engaging and interactive for participants. It is worth noting that every single mock-up and gaming tool is freely available for everyone interested to replicate and use, as detailed descriptions are available in the nZEB Roadshow’s “Guidelines for games and demonstrations”.
Thanks to an incredibly effective communication campaign that leveraged both traditional and social media, combined with active participation in prominent national and international sustainable building design and construction events, the nZEB roadshows have emerged as a prominent fixture in national event calendars. They have become a focal point for all stakeholders across the construction sector value chain. The success of these roadshows is evident in the growing interest they have garnered from potential hosts and supporters, both within partner countries and the broader region. This interest not only validates the concept's viability beyond the project's scope and duration but also indicates the promise of sustaining large-scale nZEB day events for the foreseeable future. With the rapid development of the Building Knowledge Hubs network, the project team is establishing itself as a prominent player in zero-energy building training collaboration. The team is committed to delivering world-class upskilling courses that are tailored to local needs and developed in close partnership with the construction industry.