Innovative circular solutions and services for new business opportunities in the EU housing sector

Project Information

HOUSEFUL

Grant agreement ID: 776708

DOI

10.3030/776708

Project closed

EC signature date 4 May 2018

Start date 1 May 2018

End date 30 April 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 8 464 060,61

EU contribution

€ 6 997 228,50

Coordinated by

ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HOUSEFUL (Innovative circular solutions and services for new business opportunities in the EU housing sector)

Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2023-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The housing sector is a major contributor to current global problems of resource depletion and climate change, representing one of the most important consuming sectors at EU level: 50% of all extracted materials, 40% of final energy consumption, 33% of water consumption and 33% of all produced waste. The lock-in to the linear business models of today is causing many environmental problems and is one of the major barriers in transition towards a circular economy. HOUSEFUL project proposes an innovative paradigm shift towards a circular economy for the housing sector by demonstrating the feasibility of an integrated systemic service composed of 11 circular solutions.
HOUSEFUL has evaluated solutions to become more resource efficient throughout the lifecycle of a building, taking into account an integrated circular approach where energy, materials, waste and water aspects are considered. This approach fosters new forms of co-creation, increasing the collaboration among stakeholders of the housing value chain to develop new circular solutions and services. HOUSEFUL concept has been large scale demonstrated at 4 demo-sites located in Austria and Spain, adapting the concept to different scenarios.
HOUSEFUL solutions has been evaluated from an environmental, economic and social point of view. The results obtained has been used to define an integrated HOUSEFUL service which is driven and promoted through a SaaS (Software as a Service: https://houseful.iris-eng.com/public/homepage-houseful ), which integrates a Circularity Tool to quantify the circularity level of buildings and includes different circular solutions to be offered as services, encouraging the housing value chain to redesign traditional business models towards circular ones. 10 EU Follower buildings has been engaged in order to organize a network of stakeholders interesting in promoting circular solutions in the housing sector.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Main outcomes of the project are:
HOUSEFUL Building Circularity Methodology - A Circularity Tool was developedas a usable methodology to address the circularity of residential buildings along their life cycle (from design and product stage to end of life of the building). This methodology, completely aligned with existing normative, frameworks and certifications, is able to evaluate the Circularity of a Building and to grant a Building Circularity Score (BCS) – a combined indicator – which accounts for the circularity achieved in different vectors (energy, water, materials, social impact, environmental impact, economic impact). The BCS will allow comparison of different buildings regardless of their location in the EU
Through co-creation activities, a sociological analysis of the stakeholders was done (their social structure and their opinions and beliefs), and the implementation of the co-creation process and its analysis was achieved. 13 co-creation ideas came out from the different activities held during the co-creation process, and they were validated and implemented.
The feasibility of the technical solutions behind HOUSEFUL from material (S3, S4), water (S5, S6), waste (S7, S8, S9) and energy (S10, S11) vectors was done at four demo sites. A Best Practice Book summaries results achieved in each solutions (https://houseful.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-02_Best-practice-book-DIGITAL.pdf ). Technological solutions have been tested and optimised at laboratory scale previously to their scale up and implementation in Demo buildings.
An environmental, economic, energy and social assessments of the circular solutions demonstrated in the Frontrunner buildings was done. “HOUSEFUL assessment plan” has been completed considering the characteristics of the front-runner buildings.
A market entry strategy of the most promising technological and nontechnological HOUSEFUL solutions as systemic services (including a SaaS) was defined to facilitate the transition from a demonstration to a commercialisation phase.
Many activities for the dissemination of the project were done. Recommendation for EU policies regarding circularity in the housing sector were compiled. Resources can be found in our website: http://houseful.eu/resources/.

HOUSEFUL communication and dissemination plan.
The communication and dissemination strategy outlined in the last update was focused on the following aspects:
• Update of the local communication and dissemination plans of the four demo-buildings.
• Finalisation of the stakeholder database for targeted dissemination of HOUSEFUL results.
• Publication of scientific papers featuring the main project outcomes.
• Organisation of HOUSEFUL events, such as the four technical workshops on waste, water, materials and energy, four webinars on the vectors and the final event.
• Replication activities between Frontrunner and Follower buildings
• Support to HOUSEFUL co-creation and exploitation activities.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

HOUSEFUL offers an innovative integrated systemic service for the effective transition from linear model to a circular model in the housing sector.
HOUSEFUL approach fosters a new form of CEBOs’ co-creation, increasing the collaboration among stakeholders of the housing value chain. HOUSEFUL provides a new approach in the development of proposed solutions, combining innovative technological and non-technological actions, organisational, societal and behavioural innovations aiming to promote leasing and/or renting models of solutions as new services, promoting the performance/functionality of products rather than mass customisation.
The project aims to help overcoming existing cultural and social barriers for fostering the co-creation of new circular solutions and services.
HOUSEFUL has reviewed current EU policies and communications dealing with circular economy, resource efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energies.
The identified needs (N1-N11) in the project are expected to be fulfilled through the 11 solutions proposed in HOUSEFUL.
HOUSEFUL addresses the expected impacts (EI) as specified below.
EI 1&2:
i) Identification and analysis of stakeholders’ belief structures and its involvement through HOUSEFUL project and its co-creation process
ii) Implementation of innovative producer responsibility and cross-sectorial governance schemes
EI 3&6:
i) ECONOMIC BENEFITS: HOUSEFUL promotes new market opportunities and increase cost savings.
ii) SOCIAL BENEFITS: HOUSEFUL fosters employment and promote leasing/renting services.
iii) ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS: reduction up to 60% of the CHG emissions of the sector, reducing up to 40% of the waste and improving the energy efficiency up to 40%, and reducing at the same time the amount of hazardous substances released.
EI 4: HOUSEFUL promotes the reparability, durability and recyclability of the technologies, materials and products by identifying the main materials-elements-products-components at the 4 demo buildings before taking further action.
EI 5: HOUSEFUL services contributes to improve the energy efficiency of buildings of up to 50%, contributing significantly to save an amount of energy equals to save $ 272,366 M in electricity, gas and water at EU level.
EI 7&8: Policy framework in line with HOUSEFUL project, Alignment of European Circular Economy Roadmap with HOUSEFUL project and the contributions to SDGs and COP21 Paris Agreement.

First draft of water and waste solutions potentially integrated in Demo 1.