BUILD UPON2 aims to address one of the key issues related to building renovation: the lack of monitoring of its impact and benefits. The aim of the project is to support cities to play a central role in the design and implementation of the LTRS through the development of a multi-level renovation impact Framework (the BUILD UPON Framework) containing a suite of milestones and measurable progress indicators enabling cities to track and monitor their renovation activities and their impact.
One of the closest monitoring and reporting schemes is that of the Sustainable Energy Actions Plans (SECAPs) within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM). The Project builds upon this initiative and aligns with its monitoring scheme to support and strengthen building renovation follow-up, while it is aligned with the LTRS targets.
To meet the EU’s energy efficiency targets for 2030, and the long-term goal under the revised EPBD to decarbonise its building stock by 2050, renovation becomes crucial.
The 2018 recast of the EPBD strengthened the role of the LTRS and obliged Member States to set out a roadmap to a decarbonised building stock by 2050, supported by a suite of measurable progress indicators and milestones. This is exactly what the BUILD UPON2 project has done – develop these indicators and capture the multiple benefits of renovation.
Moreover, the BUILD UPON Framework is a crucial tool to deliver the EU’s Renovation Wave and contribute to its ambitious plan to at least double the renovation rate by 2030, on the local level.
The objectives of the project have been met by building upon and creating synergies with existing public and private sector initiatives such as BUILD UPON, the LTRS monitoring requirements, the follow-up implied in SECAPs and the WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) project.
The overall objective of the project is to build political commitment of cities to establish strategies to decarbonise their building stock, setting the BUILD UPON Framework as a blueprint for implementing EPBD 2018 and connecting CoM cities to a network of high impact initiatives to progress their strategies.
The aim of the Framework is to become a tool for monitoring the impact of building renovation at city level, aligned with national and European targets. The Framework captures not only the usual climate and energy impacts of renovation, but also the wider environmental, economic and social benefits that the improvement of the building stock has a strong nexus with.
The project is led by 8 national Green Building Councils (GBCs) across Europe (see countries in next section) alongside the Building Performance Institute of Europe (BPIE), and the Covenant of Mayors via Climate Alliance (CA).
Further, each GBC in each country is working closely with a Pilot City who has tested the Framework from July 2020. Finally, three follower cities per country have been provided with training materials to enable them to roll out the Framework.
