Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HeLLo (Heritage energy Living Lab onsite)
Berichtszeitraum: 2018-10-01 bis 2020-09-30
The energy refurbishment of heritage, field of the HeLLo project, is a priority of the EU policies to reduce fuel consumption. Historic buildings (HB) constitute a great amount of the EU existing stock, whose richness, coupled with a social and cultural value, especially in the Italian context, justifies the action site. However, the lack of specific tools for the intervention on this kind of buildings and the scarcity of data about their energy state-of-the-art, make them mostly excluded from core strategic plans of the Member States, losing a great chance towards a net zero-energy future.
OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION
HeLLo spread awareness about three common energy retrofit solutions and increased knowledge of their application in HB; contributing to the EU refurbishment policy related to historic heritage. Two specific objectives were reached: i) the compatibility of technologies already certified and applied to new buildings on historic constructions was checked; and ii) a structured dissemination programme that opened the doors of laboratory life to the outside of the academic boundaries was created.
HOW THE OBJECTIVE WAS ACHIEVED
Results were achieved through a twofold strategy:1) the creation of a true experimental laboratory in which such technologies were tested, and their real hygrothermal performance was measured; 2) a project of ‘dissemination laboratories’ that offered an ‘experimental experience’ which made known the world of investigation by the practice of the living lab.
RELEVANCE TO THE WORK PROGRAMME
The achievements of this action addressed the overcome of criticalities related to energy retrofit of HB in the direction of a deep enhancement of EU heritage performance, and ensured that the EU can reach the objectives declared in the H2020 work programme. HeLLo was an important step in the MSCA fellow to fulfil the ambition to become an independent technology and energy expert to get a tenure track position within EU, to build her own research group and eventually winning an ERC grant.
OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION
HeLLo spread awareness about three common energy retrofit solutions and increased knowledge of their application in HB; contributing to the EU refurbishment policy related to historic heritage. Two specific objectives were reached: i) the compatibility of technologies already certified and applied to new buildings on historic constructions was checked; and ii) a structured dissemination programme that opened the doors of laboratory life to the outside of the academic boundaries was created.
HOW THE OBJECTIVE WAS ACHIEVED
Results were achieved through a twofold strategy:1) the creation of a true experimental laboratory in which such technologies were tested, and their real hygrothermal performance was measured; 2) a project of ‘dissemination laboratories’ that offered an ‘experimental experience’ which made known the world of investigation by the practice of the living lab.
RELEVANCE TO THE WORK PROGRAMME
The achievements of this action addressed the overcome of criticalities related to energy retrofit of HB in the direction of a deep enhancement of EU heritage performance, and ensured that the EU can reach the objectives declared in the H2020 work programme. HeLLo was an important step in the MSCA fellow to fulfil the ambition to become an independent technology and energy expert to get a tenure track position within EU, to build her own research group and eventually winning an ERC grant.
The results were achieved towards the objective of the action and totally in line with Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement. Concerning Annex 1 Part A, the project fulfilled its objectives / deliverables: both WP1 (Ethics requirements, D1.1) and WP2 (Data Management Plan) were timely delivered. Additionally, according to the proposal (Part B– the narrative part), the action was successfully implemented (MSCA fellow training, onsite and offsite research, results communication and dissemination).
The project main results can be exploited side by side with other European projects on the topic – both collected (in situ) and simulated data, added knowledge to a problem still quite unexploited. Though recommendations/ best practices on internal thermal insulation are now emerging, there is not “one size fits all”. The HeLLo project outcomes definitely contributed to knowledge of brick masonry historic building retrofitting actions.
The data already published (and other soon to be submitted for publication) is freely available and can be easily used and compared with other case-studies, or even re-used for other material testing simulation. In summary, both in-situ and simulated results of HeLLo can be used to encourage European policy paradigm shift, especially when it comes to the use / recommendation of vapour barrier /vapour tight solutions.
Besides the “traditional” dissemination and communication strategies (the fellow attended 3 conferences and 5 peer-review papers were published in journals), the strong dissemination programme of the project included other means, namely: a SOCIALab (Facebook and Instagram pages); an ONLINElab (the project website https://hellomscaproject.eu); a VIDEOLab (https://bit.ly/3688LRS); a PRESSLab (e.g. https://bit.ly/3fAjMhW); a SCHOOLAb (https://hellomscaproject.eu/our-simple-hot-box-is-ready/).
Some other not so conventional activities were undertaken to disseminate the results of the project, for example; i) Interviews (e.g. https://bit.ly/372hJzq); ii) participation at “non-academic” events (e.g. Settimana della Bioarchitettura e Sostenibilità 2018); ii) CONFLAb (Organisation of scientific events and participation in external events with presentations about the lab’s activities, as the Networking event ‘Environments: Survey Design and Performance’, often combined with the ONSITELab, e.g. PhD Workshops at the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara); ONSITELab (organization of study tours within the laboratory for professionals and people interested in the field).
The fellow also attended SCIENCE IS WONDERFUL! 2019 (https://bit.ly/33jQEql).
The HeLLo Project won the GBC Italia Awards 2018, category “Leadership in Green Building in Public Sector”, attributed to the University of Ferrara (shorturl.at/jtE12).
The project main results can be exploited side by side with other European projects on the topic – both collected (in situ) and simulated data, added knowledge to a problem still quite unexploited. Though recommendations/ best practices on internal thermal insulation are now emerging, there is not “one size fits all”. The HeLLo project outcomes definitely contributed to knowledge of brick masonry historic building retrofitting actions.
The data already published (and other soon to be submitted for publication) is freely available and can be easily used and compared with other case-studies, or even re-used for other material testing simulation. In summary, both in-situ and simulated results of HeLLo can be used to encourage European policy paradigm shift, especially when it comes to the use / recommendation of vapour barrier /vapour tight solutions.
Besides the “traditional” dissemination and communication strategies (the fellow attended 3 conferences and 5 peer-review papers were published in journals), the strong dissemination programme of the project included other means, namely: a SOCIALab (Facebook and Instagram pages); an ONLINElab (the project website https://hellomscaproject.eu); a VIDEOLab (https://bit.ly/3688LRS); a PRESSLab (e.g. https://bit.ly/3fAjMhW); a SCHOOLAb (https://hellomscaproject.eu/our-simple-hot-box-is-ready/).
Some other not so conventional activities were undertaken to disseminate the results of the project, for example; i) Interviews (e.g. https://bit.ly/372hJzq); ii) participation at “non-academic” events (e.g. Settimana della Bioarchitettura e Sostenibilità 2018); ii) CONFLAb (Organisation of scientific events and participation in external events with presentations about the lab’s activities, as the Networking event ‘Environments: Survey Design and Performance’, often combined with the ONSITELab, e.g. PhD Workshops at the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara); ONSITELab (organization of study tours within the laboratory for professionals and people interested in the field).
The fellow also attended SCIENCE IS WONDERFUL! 2019 (https://bit.ly/33jQEql).
The HeLLo Project won the GBC Italia Awards 2018, category “Leadership in Green Building in Public Sector”, attributed to the University of Ferrara (shorturl.at/jtE12).
Common practices of energy retrofit with insulation on the indoor face of Historic Buildings (HB) tend to recommend the use of vapour barrier to avoid the formation of interstitial condensation. For historic heritage this issue has to be deeply analysed to not compromise the buildings conservation. In HeLLo, three materials’ companies (already in the market, especially addressed to new buildings) were involved. The tested materials technologies, adapted to HB, were defined in agreement with Heritage Authorities in Italy.
The involved companies were able to confirm the possibility of the use of their materials, though within certain boundaries, in the refurbishment / energy retrofit of HB, strengthening their competiveness and growth. In this case, the innovation was not in the material itself but on the whole developed technology: material, thickness, structure / fixing point, and, more importantly, on the non-application of a vapour barrier.
For the research on-site – implementation and testing activities, two significant innovations were settled: one new sensing technology compatible with HB and a new metering “hot-box” prototype, adapted for HB in situ monitoring campaigns.
Concerning the method / process, the search for insulation solutions which balanced the energy gains with the hygrothermal risks of this energy retrofit action brought to light new installation practices.
The check of the compatibility of some technological solutions for energy refurbishment within HB can provide professionals and common users this valuable information, i.e. making available guidelines / instructions. Potential users are other researchers, professionals or other materials’ companies which aim at expanding their market toward the building refurbishment sector.
Therefore, the innovative approach of the project concerned both the experimental research and the dissemination. Indeed, one of the specific objectives of the HeLLo proposal was to create a structured dissemination programme that opened the doors of laboratory life to the outside of the academic boundaries and raise awareness of the topic. The idea of the open lab was positively brought to the extreme: a series of ‘dissemination laboratories’ created to offer an “experimental experience” that integrated field experimentation and made known, by telling the practice of the living lab.
The involved companies were able to confirm the possibility of the use of their materials, though within certain boundaries, in the refurbishment / energy retrofit of HB, strengthening their competiveness and growth. In this case, the innovation was not in the material itself but on the whole developed technology: material, thickness, structure / fixing point, and, more importantly, on the non-application of a vapour barrier.
For the research on-site – implementation and testing activities, two significant innovations were settled: one new sensing technology compatible with HB and a new metering “hot-box” prototype, adapted for HB in situ monitoring campaigns.
Concerning the method / process, the search for insulation solutions which balanced the energy gains with the hygrothermal risks of this energy retrofit action brought to light new installation practices.
The check of the compatibility of some technological solutions for energy refurbishment within HB can provide professionals and common users this valuable information, i.e. making available guidelines / instructions. Potential users are other researchers, professionals or other materials’ companies which aim at expanding their market toward the building refurbishment sector.
Therefore, the innovative approach of the project concerned both the experimental research and the dissemination. Indeed, one of the specific objectives of the HeLLo proposal was to create a structured dissemination programme that opened the doors of laboratory life to the outside of the academic boundaries and raise awareness of the topic. The idea of the open lab was positively brought to the extreme: a series of ‘dissemination laboratories’ created to offer an “experimental experience” that integrated field experimentation and made known, by telling the practice of the living lab.