Innovative PEDRERA Model Tool Boosting Sustainable and Feasible Renovation Programs at District Scale in Spain

Abstract

In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the transition of cities towards a new sustainable model, this paper provides an overview of the outcomes of the PEDRERA project, which is focused on the development of a novel tool able to calculate multiple key performance indicators that can support renovation actions at the district level, according to a Positive Energy District (PED) concept. The new tool is programmed in Python programming language and is useful to evaluate several strategies for the renovation of existing building stock. It moves from a quick list of input according to several Public Private Partnership (PPP) models, in addition to other potential business models. Furthermore, the design of the model is supported by a step-by-step methodology in order to deal with a “financial appraisal” that is interactive in each context, customizable for each stakeholder, and user-friendly. The paper describes this innovative tool and reports on the stronger potential that this model can offer when it runs in a QGIS software environment and interacts with a PostgreSQL database, as demonstrated in two case studies located in Spain.

Operational Insights and Future Potential of the PED-Database

“…Indeed, according to the different feedbacks and comments gathered during DB presentation and workshops at multiple international eventsi.e., COST Action PED-EU-NET 'Urban Stakeholders Workshop' [60], PED Conference 'Experiences and Guidance for Design and Implementation' in Amsterdam [61], EURAC Conference 'Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions' in Bolzano [62], ENEA Conference 'Urban Transition Pathway' in Bergamo [63], COST Action PED-EU-NET and EERA JPSC Conference 'Energy in Built Environment: Climate-Driven Solutions for Next Generation EU Cities' in Lisbon [64] it emerged that the DB aims to collect a consistent number of informationi.e., fair data collection for a comprehensive DB -, but not all the inputs are relevant for all stakeholders. Likewise, the interests and perspective of potential stakeholders, such as the promoters and the constructors in the districts or the Public Administration, have to be addressed in a specific way because different needs and expectations exist and have to be balanced through the complex PED process [65]. At the same time, DB users are supposed to have different backgrounds, competences and skills, meaning that the information needs to be transferred by different channels and allowing for a tailored selection of the data that better fulfils their expectations and objectives.…”

Energy citizenship. Tools and technologies to enable transition in districts

“…-Tools to facilitate decision-making and implementation: these are mainly step-by-step methodologies that accompany the implementation of PEDs with a focus on the planning phase of the intervention. The research carried out by Civiero et al (Civiero et al, 2022(Civiero et al, , 2021 proposes an innovative simulation model, called PEDRERA, to support PEDbased redevelopment actions to be applied in consolidated urban contexts. As part of the Making-City research project, a methodology is developed to accompany cities in the implementation of PEDs.…”

“…-Strumenti per agevolare il processo decisionale e concretizzazione: si tratta principalmente di metodologie stepby-step che accompagnano l'implementazione dei PEDs con una particolare attenzione alla fase di pianificazione dell'intervento. La ricerca svolta(Civiero et al, 2022(Civiero et al, , 2021 propone un modello di simulazione innovativo, denominato PEDRERA, per supportare azioni di riqualificazione in chiave PED da applicare in contesti urbani consolidati. Nell'ambito del progetto di ricerca Making-City viene sviluppata una metodologia per accompagnare le città nell'implementazione dei PEDs: a partire dallo studio delle componenti urbane e dall'analisi degli strumenti di piani-(Mee et al, 2021).…”

Toward a Fast but Reliable Energy Performance Evaluation Method for Existing Residential Building Stock

“…Renovating the existing building stock to a zero-carbon-ready level is a key priority for achieving the sector's decarbonization targets for 2030 and 2050 in the Net Zero Emission Scenario [2,3]. However, "the retrofitting of buildings is a significant challenge since at least 40% of a building's floor area in developed economies was built before 1980 when the first thermal regulations came into force" [4,5]. Therefore, the retrofit of building which existed prior to the 1980s is a necessary but demanding task.…”