WorldGBC launches new case study report highlighting renovation best practice across Europe and hosts panel session

The new Starting a Renovation Wave Report stresses that monitoring the real impacts of renovation initiatives, learning quickly what is working and not, and why—must be at the heart of the EU’s Renovation Wave. WorldGBC Europe is hosting a panel session to discuss the report’s findings.

Renovating the ageing building stock can play a key role in Europe’s recovery from the COVID crisis.

As the European Commission seeks to identify the types of renovation activities that should be scaled under the ‘Renovation Wave’, the World Green Building Council’s Europe network (WorldGBC Europe) has launched a new case study report highlighting best practice from across the region. The report stresses that monitoring the real impacts of renovation initiatives, learning quickly what is working and not, and why—must be at the heart of the EU’s Renovation Wave.

Published under the EU-funded BUILD UPON2 project, the report launches as European leaders convene for the annual EU Sustainable Energy Week. WorldGBC Europe is hosting a panel session as part of the EUSEW programme to discuss the report’s important findings.

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, WorldGBC, said, “Achieving real impact and fast must be at the heart of all our efforts in the green recovery. Cities and Green Building Councils are innovating in BUILD UPON2 to establish impact frameworks to accelerate and educate.”

Read the report

Impact data must drive the Renovation Wave

Although there are well over 1,000 renovation initiatives across Europe, almost none are tracking their impact. Without this data, there is no way of understanding what renovation initiatives should be scaled and replicated.

Jan Rosenow, Director, European Programmes at Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and member of BUILD UPON2 Advisory Board said, “Impact assessment should be a central part of each and every renovation effort, otherwise how on earth do we know how we are doing or even where to turn for best practice?”

This report identifies renovation initiatives that have effectively demonstrated their impact, or that are turning their attention to tracking impact in more sophisticated ways. Replicating these best practices now will ensure that we can learn as we go. Only then will our efforts result in a wave that builds and swells right across Europe, providing environmental, economic and social benefits for decades to come.

The report highlights the efforts of the BUILD UPON2 project to tackle this issue by building a renovation strategy impact framework which will serve as a tool to navigate the complex landscape of programmes and projects and to help policymakers at city, national and European level to really see what works and what does not.

What we need to unleash the Renovation Wave

The report outlines the critical success factors needed to unleash the wave:

• The Wave will be local
  It must be built on best practice examples of local initiatives that can evidence their impact and ability to scale over time.
• The Wave will be driven by leaders and scaled by regulating laggards
  Mandatory minimum energy performance requirements have the potential to drive up building standards when implemented effectively and with clear timelines.
• The Wave needs systemic yet simple approaches to tracking impact
  Systemic thinking is key to enable cities and local authorities to adopt impact metrics that are both meaningful and simple to track.
• The Wave needs diverse stakeholder platforms to create the conditions for impact
  Convening local platforms that bring together the building and construction sector value chain is key to solving the barriers to renovation.

Further information on the type of initiatives and case studies that are already delivering on these success factors are contained in the report.
MEDIA CONTACT

Harvey Jones, Marketing and Communications Manager, World Green Building Council

hjones@worldgbc.org +44 (0) 7472815818