On the 1st of June, the RENplusHOMES project was launched, based on the Horizon Europe initiative, with the involvement of ITeC and two companies from ITeC Impulsa: Worldsensing and Evowall.

The project aims to address the necessary transition of the construction industry towards sustainability; not only through the reduction of carbon emissions, but also by addressing the scarcity of resources, the energy poverty, and the involvement and education of the stakeholders. The initiative develops a set of 23 solutions, including constructive technology, software, and circular methodologies for the construction of homes and positive energy. These solutions will be tested and implemented by four large-scale demonstrators in Austria, Spain, Estonia, and Romania, encompassing both renovation projects and new construction.

ITeC intends to incorporate into the TCQi software (used for the design and functionality of buildings) the capability to manage buildings’ functionality in real-time through the monitoring of values and the collection of IoT data, thereby enhancing its maintenance and sustainability, including fuel consumption, air quality, human health, and wellbeing parameters. This improvement will include the development of a new building management system (BMS) specifically for the project, a digital platform on TCQi’s cloud used for data storage and operations (decision-making) throughout the processes and a visual interface.

Together with ITeC, Worldsensing will develop an innovative solution, based on IoT, to monitor the integrity of the constructive panels during the first stages of the set-up process. This solution will use data wireless sensors with ultra endurance and low-energy consumption, specifically designed to be integrated with concrete. This first supervision will help to access the data without interfering with the day-to-day construction operations, while also being a low-maintenance device for a long-term monitoring.

Moreover, this project will allow the development of a new kit of structural engineering solutions for high-rise buildings from the company Evowall. Based on the panel system currently available in the market (Evowall Kit for single family homes), prefabricated structural panels will be developed for multifamily buildings, incorporating a new sheet metal distribution, a unique design for unions, enhanced mechanical performance, and panels with different section composition. Furthermore, this new product will be constructed in alignment with various circularity strategies such as recycled materials and leftovers, the recycling of grey water during the manufacturing process, and the reduction of the global carbon footprint.

The kick-off meeting of the project took place at the RINA facilities in Geneva at the beginning of June.