Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PROBONO (The Integrator-centric approach for realising innovative energy efficient buildings in connected sustainable green neighbourhoods)
Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2024-12-31
The PROBONO vision is a people-focused European construction industry working in harmony with the broader community of stakeholders including public authorities and citizens to deliver scalable, sustainable, and viable energy positive and zero-carbon Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBNs). PROBONO will contribute to this vision by providing five GBN Transition Acceleration Enablers, deployed in six high impact and people-focused real-life large-scale Living Labs (LLs). LL outputs will be fed into a transferability and innovation replication framework that will enhance the transition capabilities of local communities.
As society becomes increasingly urban and ever dependent on technological innovations, it is vital to ensure that people and planet are put at the very heart of this development in a way that is sensitive to and encourages the protection, expansion, or re-introduction of sustainable space amongst the urban sprawls. PROBONO will show how a people-centred, green, and sustainable approach to renovation can stimulate sustainable neighbourhoods and the well-being of communities. Sustaining both nature and humanity in natural balance to our mutual benefit and shared future.
As society becomes increasingly urban and ever dependent on technological innovations, it is vital to ensure that people and planet are put at the very heart of this development in a way that is sensitive to and encourages the protection, expansion, or re-introduction of sustainable space amongst the urban sprawls. PROBONO will show how a people-centred, green, and sustainable approach to renovation can stimulate sustainable neighbourhoods and the well-being of communities. Sustaining both nature and humanity in natural balance to our mutual benefit and shared future.
The PROBONO project has made significant progress during the second reporting period, demonstrating a coherent approach to neighbourhood sustainability that goes beyond isolated interventions and creates integrated solutions. WP1 established foundational elements through comprehensive deliverables that defined the GBN concept, transition pathways and integration strategies for sustainable urban development. WP2 focused on the integration of social and behavioural innovation and embedded these dimensions in all project activities rather than treating them as additional components. WP3 focussed on the further development of technological solutions and their integration into the Digital Twin platform, with particular emphasis on monitoring systems, simulation capabilities and material innovations. WP4 completed comprehensive energy planning for all Living Labs and optimised the energy systems through innovative approaches to sector coupling that take into account the increasing integration of heating and mobility into the electricity grids. WP5 achieved key milestones in the development of the digital infrastructure and progressed from requirements analysis to the use of connectors and the validation of components. WP6 introduced robust monitoring and impact assessment methods that ensured consistent data collection and analysis across all sites. WP7 coordinated implementation planning through detailed Gantt charts and stakeholder consultation, identifying critical paths and responsibilities for the refurbishment works. WP8 maintained strong communication channels through various media to improve project visibility and knowledge sharing, while WP9 developed utilisation strategies and standardisation pathways to ensure long-term impact.
A key innovation has been the development of decision support systems that enable data-driven planning and help stakeholders find complex trade-offs between environmental, social and economic objectives. In particular, the project has made progress in developing assessment methods that capture both tangible and intangible impacts and quantify benefits that are traditionally ignored in conventional development approaches. By mapping stakeholder networks and engagement patterns, the team has developed more effective collaboration models that improve both the quality and legitimacy of planning outcomes. The project has made significant progress in creating connections between physical and digital environments and establishing feedback loops that enable continuous learning and adaptation.
Each Living Lab served as a unique testing ground for specific components of the GBN framework, and reinforcing common principles. Madrid focused on circular economy approaches and material innovation, creating valuable knowledge on how to incorporate recycled content without compromising performance. Dublin pioneered new approaches to optimising energy systems, balancing local generation with storage and distribution considerations. Brussels demonstrated the value of scenario modelling for renovation planning and showed how digital tools can improve decision-making by expanding the solution space under consideration. Porto has improved the understanding of building envelope performance through integrated monitoring systems that capture complex interactions between different components. Prague has contributed insights into the management of pollution and environmental impacts and developed methods to more accurately predict and mitigate potential hazards. Aarhus pioneered methods for assessing embodied carbon in existing structures, providing information for more sophisticated approaches to the preservation-renewal dilemma faced by many urban projects. Across all sites, the project has demonstrated the importance of early and ongoing stakeholder engagement. Techniques were developed for meaningful participation that respect time constraints and yet incorporates different perspectives. The systematic documentation of implementation challenges in different legal and cultural contexts has created a valuable knowledge base for future projects and identified common obstacles and successful strategies to overcome them.
A key innovation has been the development of decision support systems that enable data-driven planning and help stakeholders find complex trade-offs between environmental, social and economic objectives. In particular, the project has made progress in developing assessment methods that capture both tangible and intangible impacts and quantify benefits that are traditionally ignored in conventional development approaches. By mapping stakeholder networks and engagement patterns, the team has developed more effective collaboration models that improve both the quality and legitimacy of planning outcomes. The project has made significant progress in creating connections between physical and digital environments and establishing feedback loops that enable continuous learning and adaptation.
Each Living Lab served as a unique testing ground for specific components of the GBN framework, and reinforcing common principles. Madrid focused on circular economy approaches and material innovation, creating valuable knowledge on how to incorporate recycled content without compromising performance. Dublin pioneered new approaches to optimising energy systems, balancing local generation with storage and distribution considerations. Brussels demonstrated the value of scenario modelling for renovation planning and showed how digital tools can improve decision-making by expanding the solution space under consideration. Porto has improved the understanding of building envelope performance through integrated monitoring systems that capture complex interactions between different components. Prague has contributed insights into the management of pollution and environmental impacts and developed methods to more accurately predict and mitigate potential hazards. Aarhus pioneered methods for assessing embodied carbon in existing structures, providing information for more sophisticated approaches to the preservation-renewal dilemma faced by many urban projects. Across all sites, the project has demonstrated the importance of early and ongoing stakeholder engagement. Techniques were developed for meaningful participation that respect time constraints and yet incorporates different perspectives. The systematic documentation of implementation challenges in different legal and cultural contexts has created a valuable knowledge base for future projects and identified common obstacles and successful strategies to overcome them.
PROBONO has created new methods for designing built environments that respond to community values while improving environmental performance. PROBONO has identified policy barriers and opportunities to accelerate the implementation of GBN and developed governance approaches at both the local and EU levels. The project has broken new ground by applying artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to sustainability problems and developing predictive models that improve planning capabilities while reducing computational complexity. By creating structured approaches to stakeholder engagement throughout the planning and implementation process, PROBONO has created new standards for collaborative urban development that improve both legitimacy and effectiveness.
The final GBN target model will provide a flexible yet robust framework for the transition to sustainability at neighbourhood level that can be adapted to different urban typologies, climatic conditions, and socio-economic circumstances. The Digital Twin's sophisticated platform will enable virtual exploration of sustainability pathways and support scenario planning and stakeholder engagement through interactive visualisation features. A standardised monitoring and evaluation framework will provide the empirical basis for assessing GBN performance and enable evidence-based refinement of approaches over time.
The integrated approach to urban development challenges traditional siloed planning practices and shows how cross-sectoral coordination can unlock synergies between previously unconnected areas such as energy, mobility, construction, and municipal services, contributing directly to the European 2050 decarbonisation targets. The project's focus on quantifying the various value streams from sustainable development creates a more compelling business case for investment that could accelerate private sector engagement in green urban development. PROBONO demonstrates that environmental sustainability and quality of life are not competing goals, but complementary.
The final GBN target model will provide a flexible yet robust framework for the transition to sustainability at neighbourhood level that can be adapted to different urban typologies, climatic conditions, and socio-economic circumstances. The Digital Twin's sophisticated platform will enable virtual exploration of sustainability pathways and support scenario planning and stakeholder engagement through interactive visualisation features. A standardised monitoring and evaluation framework will provide the empirical basis for assessing GBN performance and enable evidence-based refinement of approaches over time.
The integrated approach to urban development challenges traditional siloed planning practices and shows how cross-sectoral coordination can unlock synergies between previously unconnected areas such as energy, mobility, construction, and municipal services, contributing directly to the European 2050 decarbonisation targets. The project's focus on quantifying the various value streams from sustainable development creates a more compelling business case for investment that could accelerate private sector engagement in green urban development. PROBONO demonstrates that environmental sustainability and quality of life are not competing goals, but complementary.