BTA presents Living labs and innovation strategy at Education Construction Network Conference
Climate-KIC’s Building Technolgies Accelerator representative, Zeno Winkels, presented the programme and its impact at the Education Construction Network conference in London last month.
The Education Construction Network (ECN) organised its third annual conference on 22-23 November 2016. The Network is a multi-discipline networking organisation where members can interact with peers who are working in their relevant sector. They provide a forum where information about forthcoming bid and tender opportunities can be shared in an open and informal environment at an affordable level, is accessible to all and does not significantly impact on the working day.
The event hosted some exceptionally thought provoking sessions; with speakers discussed the design and construction of schools and colleges, homes and community’s abroad, and looked at the influences they derive from UK models.
Climate-KIC BTA’s Zeno Winkels together with Shea Hagy from Chalmers University promoted Climate-KIC’s flagship programme, BTA. They presented the ideas & innovations put forward from the HSB Living Lab (Gothenburg) and the other BTA Living Labs in Europe, with audience interest in the prefab-modules of the HSB LL, made by Swedish Modules and the quick built up (three days) of the building itself.
The event created also the opportunity to reach out for the participants – mainly architects – to engage with the Climate-KIC community and the flagship projects.
Building Technologies Accelerator
The dissemination of new and sustainable building technologies into downstream sales channels is currently slow, both for new buildings and renovations. Moreover, it’s hard to stimulate investment in renewable energy when the current price for energy remains low. Research and development of new technology often requires long-term investment and stakeholders are often reluctant to do so due to uncertainty about the Return on Investment (ROI). They prefer investing in new technology with a proven track record. On top of this, potential buyers are often not even aware of new technological solutions. And even if they are, sometimes buyers such as builders lack the necessary expertise to implement new technology.
BTA offers various solutions to make sure that new low-carbon solutions can effectively find their way into the market.