UTFacultiesETNewsResearch grants in energy transition for existing buildings

Research grants in energy transition for existing buildings

The aim of the Building and Technology Innovation Centre (BTIC) is to develop renovation concepts through the Integral Energy Transition Built  Environment programme. These concepts are geared towards the renovation of 80,000 homes and buildings a year for a five-year period, and 200,000 homes a year by 2030. The programme’s ultimate goal is to make all homes in the Netherlands energy-neutral by 2050; in other words, homes which are so sustainable that they consume less energy than they generate. Researchers from the faculties of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS) and Engineering Technology (ET) at the University of Twente are joining forces to work towards the BTIC’s objectives. 

With the awarding of a 13.8 million-euro grant as part of the Long-Term Mission-Driven Innovation Programmes (MMIPs) and a programme with a scope of 21.4 million euros, affordable and user-friendly renovation concepts will be developed in the coming years. Prof. Arjen Adriaanse (ET) and Dr. Erwin Hofman (BMS) of the University of Twente will jointly contribute to this programme, with funding that enables them to take on a team of one postdoc and two PDEng students over the next two years.

UT’s contribution to energy transition for existing buildings

A key question for the programme is how to make this energy transition feasible and affordable in the built environment? Prof. Adriaanse explains, “Too often when attempting to make the available housing stock energy efficient, organisations resort to traditional methods and techniques which have unfortunately proved to be inflexible and needlessly expensive. Use of modular design principles not only makes renovation concepts more scalable and therefore affordable, but also increases the ease and speed with which solutions can be realised and tailored to individual customer requirements.”

Modular design principles as a solution

Dr Hofman goes on to make it clear that this is precisely why the University of Twente focuses on developing solutions based on these modular design principles. This approach facilitates the digitisation of design and production processes, which in turn forms a basis for industrialised processes and supply chain integration in the form of a digital business platform. The contribution made by the University of Twente researchers therefore centres on the product modularisation and digitisation component: the development of a business platform and a digital information chain for configuring, manufacturing and assembling modular renovation solutions.

Further information

To find out more, please contact Erwin Hofman and Arjen Adriaanse.

drs. M.M.J. van Hillegersberg - Hofmans (Martine)
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