RINNO: Towards an Open Renovation Platform for Integrated Design and Delivery of Deep Renovation Projects

The building stock accounts for a significant portion of worldwide energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. While the majority of the existing building stock has poor energy performance, deep renovation efforts are stymied by a wide range of human, technological, organisational and external environment factors across the value chain. A key challenge is integrating appropriate human resources, materials, fabrication, information and automation systems and knowledge management in a proper manner to achieve the required outcomes and meet the relevant regulatory standards, while satisfying a wide range of stakeholders with differing, often conflicting, motivations. RINNO is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to deliver a set of processes that, when working together, provide a system, repository, marketplace and enabling workflow process for managing deep renovation projects from inception to implementation. This paper presents a roadmap for an open renovation platform for managing and delivering deep renovation projects for residential buildings based on seven design principles. We illustrate a preliminary stepwise framework for applying the platform across the full-lifecycle of a deep renovation project. Based on this work, RINNO will develop a new open renovation software platform that will be implemented and evaluated at four pilot sites with varying construction, regulatory, market and climate contexts

Development of a methodological framework for assessing the environmental sustainability of industrial facilities and processes

The primary objective of this PhD thesis is to improve the way in which industries assess the environmental sustainability of their industrial facilities and processes, through the development of an innovative methodological framework. The proposed framework was build upon the principles and proposals of Industrial Ecology (IE), in order to ensure that the most significant issues in terms of environmental sustainability will be assessed and sustainable actions highlighted by IE will be promoted. The PhD thesis is structured in six (6) interrelated chapters, each of which answers to specific key queries.In Chapter 1, the objectives of the thesis are defined. Additionally, the characteristics of sustainable development are summarized and analyzed in order to enhance the understanding of the theoretical background. In Chapter 2, the special characteristics and challenges regarding the assessment of environmental sustainability are highlighted. Furthermore, an original and comprehensive literature review of the available assessment methods is performed. The aim of this review is to document the research gap to be covered by this thesis, and highlight the general characteristics that should be involved in an efficient assessment method. In Chapter 3, the characteristics, the principles and tools of Industrial Ecology are analyzed. According to these principles, the parameters in which an industry should focus in order to improve its environmental sustainability are selected. In Chapter 4, the final methodological framework for assessing the environmental sustainability of industrial facilities and processes is presented in detail. The framework consists of ten (10) well defined steps that include specific guidelines and tips that allow its gradual implementation. The steps were selected with a view to address major shortcomings identified during the analysis of forty eight (48) relevant methods available in current literature such as their ability to help decision making, the adequacy of environmental aspects examined, the applicability by non-experts and the integration of spatial and temporal characteristics in the assessment. Eight (8) assessment categories were selected which are assessed with the application of thirty five (35) core indicators carefully selected from a pool of environmental sustainability indicators according to pre-defined ranking criteria. A normalization procedure is applied following a distance to a sustainability reference point approach, which enables the parallel evaluation of every indicator in comparison with a commonly accepted sustainability goal or threshold. In Chapter 5, the methodological framework is applied to a case study in order to evaluate the usefulness and identify additional ways of improving its usability. In Chapter 6, the main conclusions of the thesis are summarized. Additionally, further research areas for improving the assessment of the environmental sustainability of industrial/wider systems, are proposed.Βασικός σκοπός της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι η βελτίωση του τρόπου με τον οποίο οι βιομηχανίες αποτιμούν την περιβαλλοντική βιωσιμότητα των βιομηχανικών εγκαταστάσεων και διεργασιών τους, μέσω της ανάπτυξης ενός καινοτόμου μεθοδολογικού πλαισίου αποτίμησης. Το μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο αναπτύχθηκε σύμφωνα με τις αρχές της Βιομηχανικής Οικολογίας για την ενίσχυση της περιβαλλοντικής βιωσιμότητας βιομηχανικών συστημάτων και με γνώμονα την αντιμετώπιση των κυριότερων αδυναμιών των διαθέσιμων μεθόδων αποτίμησης. Το αντικείμενο της διδακτορικής διατριβής δομείται σε έξι (6) αλληλένδετα Κεφάλαια, καθένα από τα οποία απαντάει σε συγκεκριμένα ερωτήματα. Στο 1ο Κεφάλαιο, ορίζεται το πρόβλημα το οποίο καλείται να επιλύσει η παρούσα διατριβή, ενώ συνοψίζονται και αναλύονται τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά της βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης ώστε να ενισχυθεί η κατανόηση του θεωρητικού υποβάθρου της. Στο 2ο Κεφάλαιο, αναδεικνύονται τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά και προκλήσεις της διαδικασίας αποτίμησης της περιβαλλοντικής βιωσιμότητας. Επιπλέον, εκπονείται μια πρωτότυπη και αναλυτική βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση των διαθέσιμων μεθόδων αποτίμησης, με στόχο την τεκμηρίωση του ερευνητικού κενού το οποίο καλύπτει η παρούσα διατριβή και την ανάδειξη των γενικών χαρακτηριστικών τα οποία θα πρέπει να εμπεριέχει μια μέθοδος αποτίμησης. Στο 3ο Κεφάλαιο, αναλύονται τα χαρακτηριστικά, οι αρχές και τα εργαλεία της Βιομηχανικής Οικολογίας βάσει των οποίων επιλέγονται τα στοιχεία εκείνα στα οποία μια βιομηχανία θα πρέπει να στοχεύει ώστε να βελτιώσει την περιβαλλοντική της βιωσιμότητα και κατά επέκταση χρήζουν αποτίμησης. Η Βιομηχανική Οικολογία επιλέχθηκε λόγω της ικανότητάς της να υποστηρίζει καινοτόμες και δημιουργικές δράσεις όσον αφορά την βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη. Στο 4ο Κεφάλαιο, παρουσιάζεται αναλυτικά το τελικό μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο αποτίμησης της περιβαλλοντικής βιωσιμότητας βιομηχανικών εγκαταστάσεων και διεργασιών. Η ανάπτυξη του πλαισίου πραγματοποιείται με γνώμονα την επίλυση των αδυναμιών που παρουσιάστηκαν, της κάλυψης των αρχών της Βιομηχανικής Οικολογίας και των γενικών κανόνων ανάπτυξης σύνθετων δεικτών από την βιβλιογραφία. Αποτέλεσμα όλων αυτών των δράσεων, είναι η ανάπτυξη ενός τελικού μεθοδολογικού πλαισίου το οποίο μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί από όλες τις βιομηχανίες και αποτιμά με αξιόπιστο και αποτελεσματικό τρόπο την περιβαλλοντική τους βιωσιμότητα τονίζοντας τις περιοχές ιδιαίτερου ενδιαφέροντος. Στο 5ο Κεφάλαιο, το μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο εφαρμόζεται σε μια μελέτη περίπτωσης ώστε να αξιολογηθεί η χρησιμότητά του και να ανεβρεθούν επιπλέον τρόποι βελτίωσης της χρηστικότητάς του. Στο 6ο Κεφάλαιο συνοψίζονται τα βασικά συμπεράσματα της διδακτορικής διατριβής και προτείνονται πεδία μελλοντικής έρευνας για την περαιτέρω βελτίωση του τρόπου αποτίμησης της περιβαλλοντικής βιωσιμότητας βιομηχανικών/ευρύτερων συστημάτων

A Conceptual Framework to Evaluate the Environmental Sustainability Performance of Mining Industrial Facilities

The aim of this study is to strengthen the capacity of mining industries to assess and improve their environmental sustainability performance through the introduction of a relevant framework. Specific assessment categories and respective indicators were selected according to predefined steps. Sustainability threshold values were identified for each indicator to enable the comparison of the facility’s performance with a sustainability reference value. The application of the framework results in the extraction of an Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Mining Industries Index (IESAMI). The framework was applied to evaluate a mining facility in Greece, with a view to improve its applicability in parallel. The final score of environmental sustainability for the examined facility was 3.0 points (IESAMI = 3.0 points), indicating significant room for improvement where the company should aim to further enhance its sustainability performance

Assessing Impact, Performance and Sustainability Potential of Smart City Projects: Towards a Case Agnostic Evaluation Framework

We report on a novel evaluation framework to globally assess the footprint of smart cities and communities (SCC) projects, being also expandable to the case of smart grid related projects. The uniform smart city evaluation (USE) framework is constructed upon three complementary evaluation axes: the first one aims to weigh up the success of a SCC project based on performance metrics against pre-defined project-specific target values. The second axis focuses on the project’s impact towards the sustainability of a city and it is bench-marked against national and international key objectives arising from strategic plans. This bench-marking feeds the third axis which provides a more inclusive evaluation against four pre-defined and widely acclaimed sectors of interest. The steps to be followed for the uniform evaluation of each axis and corresponding index are presented in detail, including necessary key performance indicator (KPI) normalization, weighting, and aggregation methods. The resulting indices’ scores for each axis (namely project performance index, sustainability impact index, and sustainability performance index) can be post-processed with adequate data processing and visualization tools to extract important information on the extent to which the range of success of a SCC project contributes to the city sustainability progress. Illustrative examples from an on-going SCC project are provided to highlight the strengths of the approach. The proposed framework can be used to compare multiple projects within a city and sustainability and project performance in different cities, evaluate the interventions chosen per project against city needs, benchmark and design future projects (with, e.g., reverse engineering, projections), as well as evaluate various spatial and temporal scales

The Smart City Business Model Canvas-A Smart City Business Modeling Framework and Practical Tool

Cities are challenged with increasing population growth and need to implement smart solutions to become more resilient to economic, environmental, and social challenges posed by ongoing urbanization. This study reviewed business model development frameworks and developed a practical tool to help cities assess business models by adapting components of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and adding new ones that operationalize the smart city dimensions. The Smart City BMC (SC-BMC) proposed provides a practical framework that supports developing and communicating a more holistic and integrated view of a smart city business model. It also supports creatively innovating toward more sustainable value creation. As a framework, the SC-BMC bridges sustainable value creation for business model development and smart city innovation

The Nexus between Market Needs and Value Attributes of Smart City Solutions towards Energy Transition. An Empirical Evidence of Two European Union (EU) Smart Cities, Evora and Alkmaar

This study presents an experiential process and a market-oriented approach for realizing cities' energy transition through smart solutions. The aim of this study is twofold: (a) present a process for defining a repository of innovative solutions that can be applied at building, district, or city level, for two European Union cities, Evora and Alkmaar, and support the deployment of positive energy districts enabling a sustainable energy transition, and (b) understand in a systematic way the attributes of value offered by energy-related smart city solutions, in order to facilitate the development of sustainable value propositions that can successfully address city needs. The repository is assessed against four elements of value, which include social impact, life-changing, emotional, and functional attributes, according to the value pyramid of Maslow. Results show that the value attributes of quality, motivation, integration, cost reduction, information, and organization are highly relevant to the proposed smart solutions. The results presented in this study are useful for city planners, decision-makers, public bodies, citizens, and businesses interested in designing their energy transition strategy and defining novel technologies that promote urban energy sustainability