How to raise the number of nZEBs in Europe?

DRAGADOS organises an in-depth workshop drawing on results from the DIRECTION project. As DIRECTION heads towards its final months, workshops are being held to inform specific stakeholder groups about progress, achievements and opportunities that might derive from our project. This initiative is part of the project’s drive to enhance replicability and to reach out to targeted communities.

As part of this deployment, DIRECTION organised a first workshop on 19 June which logically coincided with the European Sustainable Energy Week – EUSEW2015. Under the leadership of DRAGADOS, the workshop gathered a wide variety of professionals from the construction sector including ESCOs, construction companies, public and private developers, research bodies, engineering companies and architects. It was designed to deliver the methodology which has been developed for designing and managing low energy buildings, derived from real case scenarios. An interactive approach gave delegates the opportunity to identify the challenges and areas of improvement of the methods, while focusing on the standards and norms governing how cutting-edge technology should be applied to buildings.

The main results of the project were presented, including the two case studies on NuOffice and CARTIF III buildings using the latest available data. The agenda also featured a probing debate on market limits and barriers to implementing innovative solutions for nZEBs. A presentation was delivered about the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the main trends in European norms. The event offered the opportunity to seek feedback from various professionals on how they perceive the near to medium trends for nZEBs. Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing their insights on the roles of the public and private sectors, the market share of nZEBs compared to conventional buildings, and the main barriers the sector has to overcome.

Contact: DIRECTION Communication Secretariat – email: [email protected].