Renovating the built environment through design for adaptability and disassembly

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• More sustainable  and inclusive  renovation of existing buildings and common spaces and/or infrastructures based on design for adaptability and disassembly.
• Processes, methods, and/or techniques are available for the modular adaptation and repurposing of existing buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures, drawing on historical knowledge and assessments of their past and present condition and functions to inform renovation strategies.
• Public authorities, investors, construction project owners, developers, architects, designers, and SSH actors have access to evidence of the economic, environmental, social, cultural, financial, and regulatory impacts and understand the business case for design for adaptability and disassembly-based renovation processes, methods, and/or techniques compared to conventional renovations. 

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

• Develop at least two renovation processes, methods, and/or techniques based on design for adaptability and disassembly that enable the future adaptation and repurposing of buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures with minimal usage disruption.
• Demonstrate the developed solutions in at least two pilots in at least two Member States or Associated Countries. At least one of the pilots must target a building and at least one of the pilots must target a common space and/or an infrastructure.
• Assess the barriers (including economic, environmental, cultural, social (including related to human capital and skills), and regulatory) to the market uptake of the developed solutions compared to conventional renovation processes, methods, and techniques, and propose solutions to overcome them.
• Quantify, wherever feasible, the environmental (including whole life carbon assessments, carbon pricing, energy efficiency , ecosystem services), economic (including reduced resource consumption costs), social (including the response to changing neighbourhood  needs), cultural (including the regeneration of cultural meanings and heritage in neighbourhoods), financial and regulatory impacts of the processes, methods, and techniques, while considering the specificities of the local context.
• Use and build on indicators provided in the European framework for sustainable buildings ‘Level(s)’ 

Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach  through the integration of different actors (such as public authorities, local actors from the targeted neighbourhoods, construction project owners, developers, investors, etc.) and disciplines (such as architecture or design, (civil) engineering, etc.).

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

More information on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal