Dear friends and colleagues,

We are approaching the end of 2020 and the completion of syn.ikia’s first year.

It feels like time is flying by. Let’s take a break to review and reflect.

Throughout these twelve months, an efficient cooperation was established in the project, and a broad list of activities was executed according to our plan. I take this opportunity to thank all the syn.ikia partners for the dedicated effort and awesome teamwork!

The COVID-19 crisis has brought sharper focus on our buildings, our neighbourhoods and their importance for our lives. To help define and achieve the goals of sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods (SPEN) through the design, construction and operation phases, we created syn.ikia’s Methodology Framework for plus energy buildings and neighbourhoods. This framework includes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Energy Performance including Smartness and Energy Flexibility, Indoor Environment Quality, and Social and Economic factors. We also provide practical guidelines on how to calculate and implement the KPIs in the different project phases, from design to operation.

To boost large-scale renovation all over Europe, the European Commission has identified sustainable neighbourhoods as one of the key areas of intervention and innovation.

Two of our demonstration projects, in Uden and Barcelona, are finalising their designs and will soon start the construction phase. We are proud to present some insights from these demos in this newsletter. One key to achieving successful sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods (SPEN) is to work together in an effective integrated design process.  This means to establish clear and shared goals for the project, to employ advanced simulation tools early in the design process, and to ensure dedicated cooperation throughout the process. We call it IEDN – Integrated Energy Design for the Neighbourhood Scale, for which the main steps are presented below.

Finally, we are working methodically and continuously to develop and promote our innovative solutions across the European communities. We published ten reports, participated in seven events as the Missions Conference, facilitated synergies with the ZEN Research Centre, exchanged information with our sister projects, and have been referenced in various media.

We remain committed to making green and resilient SPENs.

Happy new year!

✰✰✰

The syn.ikia Coordinator
Niki Gaitani, NTNU

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