Social Renovation is a tenant-centred methodology aimed at improving quality of life and strengthening social resilience within social housing communities. The approach combines housing renovation processes with social support measures by addressing a broad range of social, economic, and well-being related challenges experienced by tenants. 

The approach recognises that renovation processes can significantly affect residents and that technical building improvements alone are not sufficient to achieve inclusive and sustainable neighbourhood transformation. Social Renovation therefore integrates social engagement and support activities alongside physical renovation works.

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The one-stop shop is a local hub that provides residents with practical support and advice on energy renovation, shared renewable energy projects and energy communities. Bringing together a multidisciplinary team, it serves as a single point of contact where citizens can access information, receive technical guidance and complete administrative procedures, such as applying for renovation funding or joining shared energy initiatives. The space also promotes community engagement and awareness of sustainable technologies and the energy transition.

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New ways of organising, financing and delivering social housing renovation projects throughout a building’s entire life cycle, from design and construction to operation and eventual reuse. By bringing together public and private partners, these models aim to make large-scale renovations more affordable, scalable and sustainable, while supporting innovative renovation methods and procurement approaches that deliver long-term environmental and social benefits.

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Raising climate awareness among citizens requires a multi-faceted approach, with educational facilities playing a key role in sustainability education. At Oslo’s Voldsløkka school, Living Lab engagement activities target secondary school and cultural school pupils, their parents, and the wider neighbourhood community. The activities focus on the energy transition and circularity, including energy technologies and building materials. Engagement with pupils and the local community aims to increase awareness of sustainable behaviour, with particular emphasis on energy-efficient solutions.ns.

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A catalogue of integrated circular and low-carbon solutions for building design and renovation. It provides policymakers, architects, urban planners, and technical practitioners with practical references applicable across all stages of the building lifecycle. Each solution is presented with a concise description, the challenges addressed, targeted objectives, expected performance, and associated benefits. The catalogue also includes examples of best practices for implementation.

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An educational platform for citizens, primarily focusing on youth. The core of this approach involves a series of seminars conducted with middle and high school students.

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Timber-based scenarios for new and existing buildings to enhance the use of wood as a circular construction-renovation material combined with forefront sustainable and energy saving technologies, nature-based solutions, and compound performance and comfort monitoring systems. 

The first scenario is the construction of a new wooden-based positive energy building located in in an area currently used as a parking lot. The new building has been conceived as a multifunctional hub with integrated services.

The second scenario is the architectural renovation and energy refurbishment of existing buildings using timber. The scenario consists of testing the prefabricated wooden-based panel – called “Renew Wall” (RW), a modular system and wooden-based retrofit kit conceived to be easily applied on existing buildings.

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The deep energy renovation of protected office buildings, as demonstrated by the GESA building project in Palma de Mallorca, is a comprehensive approach that significantly improves energy performance and sustainability while preserving the building’s historical and architectural value. It combines passive and active strategies—such as prefabricated ventilated façades with Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and high-efficiency HVAC systems like ground-source heat pumps—with an integrated energy design process that respects heritage constraints. Key to this approach are tools like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), which guide decisions by evaluating environmental impact, embodied carbon, and long-term operational efficiency. The result is a low-carbon, energy-efficient building that meets modern indoor environmental quality standards and is ready for renewed occupancy, all while maintaining its cultural value and identity.

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The BIM procedure for façade panel design in building renovation focuses on streamlining the development of prefabricated timber panels for off-site manufacturing through a fully digitalised, integrated workflow. It involves two key phases: design and production digitalisation. The process begins with fast, cost-effective building surveys using technologies like scanning and photogrammetry to generate 3D point clouds, which are used to accurately model the building’s external geometry in a BIM environment. Retrofitting is then simulated by applying BIM libraries of prefabricated panels directly to the façades, enabling the automated calculation of panel configurations, dimensions, and component quantities. This data-rich model supports precise material estimation and planning, and is seamlessly exported to CAD/CAM systems for manufacturing, ensuring full compatibility with production, quality control, and client order systems—resulting in a fast, accurate, and efficient off-site construction workflow.

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