site Downloader
Lefkonos 2-12, 1011 Nicosia

The UPGREAT [Upskilling Professionals for deep energy efficiency REnovations: A Tool for better schools]project, which is coordinated by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, In cooperation with the Hellenic Passive House Institute, the Cyprus Energy Agency, and the German Da-Di-Werk, was conceived to improve the readiness of Cyprus and Greece for energy efficient deep renovation of school buildings, through the development and implementation of a Total Training Toolkit, targeting building professionals involved in all phases of building renovation processes, minimizing in this way the performance gap.

The project will last 27 months (October 2021 - December 2023), and is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, of the Federal Government of Germany.

BACKGROUND

Given that the building sector is responsible for more than a third of the total greenhouse gas emissions, and 40% of the global energy consumption, deep renovation has become mandatory across the European Union, in order to achieve high energy efficiency and low carbon emissions until 2050. This applies for both, public and private buildings, including school buildings, which are in the foreground of the EU’s ‘Renovation Wave’, since they are places of high social interest, carrying an important message to the society.

The renovation of school buildings, however, entails a multi-parameter approach, which results in more complex procedures. Renovating school buildings needs to address a wide range of technical, seasonal, comfort, health, social, and circularity aspects, which requires high levels of experience and training; At the same time, the delayed implementation of EE standards and the lack of consultancy and monitoring of legislation implementation in countries such as Cyprus and Greece, impede this process even more. Therefore, construction sector professionals, building experts and related organizations, are confronted with the urgent need to upskill their workforce.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The toolkit to be applied in school building case studies in the countries of implementation, together with the valuable contribution of the partners from Germany, who have made great progress in school renovation and have already ten years of experience in this sector, is expected to facilitate and upgrade deep renovation practices, providing an added value to building efficiency and circularity processes in municipal/regional level. Through its lifetime, the project will create the necessary conditions for the minimization of the performance gap between design and construction, by avoiding deficiencies caused by shortcomings, which will lead to more deep renovation projects, implemented more efficiently, and contributing to the implementation of the national and the European energy and climate policies.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

NEWS & UPDATES

Information Material:

Newsletters:

Press Releases:

UPGREAT articles:

UPGREAT reports:

UPGREAT research on the gaps and obstacles in the implementation of energy efficiency methods in buildings:

UPGREAT Seminars:

UPGREAT Events:

This project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).