Boosting the Renovation Wave with Modular Industrialized Renovation Kits: mapping challenges, barriers and solution strategies

Successfully applied in other industries, the application of modularity and construction 4.0 strategies are seen as key to step up the pace of building renovation to achieve European Union (EU) climate goals for 2050. This led to the development of Zero Energy Renovation Kits addressing the need for efficient, sustainable and customizable deep-renovation solutions. The European innovation program Horizon 2020 supports various projects in developing market ready Zero Energy Renovation Kits. This positioning paper reports on the results of a workshop at the Sustainable Places 2021 Conference by six Horizon 2020 projects, assessing the challenges and barriers to develop, adopt and/or implement Zero Energy Renovation Kits. As a result, 32 technological, market, financial, legal, and institutional challenges and barriers were identified.

During this workshop strategies were also discussed that could allow overcoming the identified challenges and barriers. This paper presents a coherent framework, which maps the intervention strategies against the challenges and barriers. The position paper concludes by addressing the implications for innovation managers, decision makers and policy makers to sustain the market for Zero Energy Renovation Kits. Finally, further research opportunities are highlighted.