SIRCULAR intends to create digital tools, technological solutions and non-technical services for the decarbonisation of the built environment, as well as a ready-to-use methodology for assessing the circularity of a given building capable of evaluating the impact of the developed construction technologies in the demos. These features are intended to improve access to information on decarbonisation for end users who are not experts in these fields, as well as to provide professionals working in the construction sector with tools capable of easily evaluating and improving the circularity of this area. The SIRCULAR solutions will take a multidisciplinary approach, integrating technical, economic, and social approaches with a focus on social and policy innovation, delivering valuable information to policymakers and establishing a solid foundation for the promotion of developed decarbonisation methods. The project will also be distinguished by an overall people-centric approach that prioritizes the needs, ambitions, and well-being of individuals and communities as critical players in the decarbonization of the construction industry. SIRCULAR will prioritize active participation, inclusion, and ethical concerns to ensure that the project's achievements directly benefit society as a whole. The project will also make special efforts to engage the whole supply chain engaged in all phases of the building's life cycle, with the goal of increasing the circularity and sustainability of each of them. SIRCULAR plans to consider four national clusters to promote a circular and sustainable construction sector using a value chain approach. The clusters will focus on Estonia and Spain, followed by Germany and Greece. The clusters will involve construction companies, housing companies, universities, and local administrative entities, and will include buildings owned or occupied by fragile population groups, in line with the SIRCULAR just and affordable transition approach.

The built environment and related construction processes are together responsible for up to half of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. The circular principles can contribute in important ways to achieving the 2050 carbon neutrality target in addition to the zero emissions 2030 target. INBUILT proposes and develops (1) a set of innovative design, retrofit and construction techniques for both existing and new buildings based on the use and/or reuse of locally sourced bio- and geo-materials along with reused and recycled components coupled with (2) a digital platform, as a multi-objective decision-support tool, for the optimisation of the integration such materials in buildings. This can build an integrated strategy in which sustainability and digitalization are embedded into the construction sector. This set of products includes Larged-sized rammed earth blocks, recycled fired and non-fired bricks (with/without bio-sourced insulation), hybrid straw-clay boards, recycled concrete blocks, prefabricated waste wood external and internal wall elements, smart windows with recycled glass and bio-PUR frames, bio-based prefabricated curtain walls, recycled waste paper and textile fibre insulation mats, bio-based recycled insulation sheet panels/infill, and second life PV panels. These solution techniques, already validated at the lab scale and designed following circularity principles, will be up-scaled, demonstrated and tested in real buildings and optimised using the digital platform in a solid life-cycle-based (and social LCA) perspective. A multidisciplinary consortium will support these objectives. Outcomes will positively impact i) European competitiveness of the construction sector in the field of “green” construction technologies ii) decarbonisation of the building stock, iii) increased digitalisation, iv) raise resilience thanks to circular economy, resource efficiency, eco-design and digitization of the INBUILT innovative systems.

MEZeroE is an EU distributed open innovation ecosystem for: (i) developing nZEB Enabler Envelope technology solutions ; (ii) transferring knowledge; (iii) matching testing needs with existing facilities; (iv) providing monitoring in living labs and; (v) standardizing cutting-edge solutions coming from SMEs and larger industries, to foster inclusive change in the building sector, being accessible via a single-entry point to all users. MEZeroE allows the development of ground-based solutions focused on carbon neutrality and healthy indoor environment, validated with advanced assessment methods and services, recognized protocols and long-term vision to embrace industry 4.0 trends, rapid decision making and customer-centric requirements. MEZeroE accompanies enterprises in adopting the open innovation approach comprising discovery (phase 1), empowering (phase 2), and exploiting (phase 3). MEZeroE will be accessed via a single-entry point web-based multi-side virtual marketplace, including 9 Pilot Measurement & Verification Lines (PM&VL) and 3 Open Innovation Services (OIS) covering training, business model development, systematic IP and knowledge management. MEzeroE will fast-track prototypes to the market as fully characterized products. MEZeroE virtual marketplace provides structured knowledge to different stakeholders with a pragmatic and well-grounded mid to long-term ambition of developing and consolidating a trusted expertise network, to be active and self-sustaining well beyond the project timeline. Based on synergies among partners, existing channels and a dedicated marketing strategy MEZeroE will exploit 3 revenue lines to ensure a 4x leverage factor vs. EU contribution. These revenue streams include: (I) memberships (benefit of web-based platform manager); (ii) consultancy for innovation and IPR protection (benefit of OIS developers) and (iii) incremental revenues of industrial partners (benefit of users) thanks to product transferred to market.

SMILE CITY provides realistic circular systemic solutions to support the evolution towards a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable, toxic-free, circular economy by 2050. The contribution to C02 reduction works on two levels: - an intensive use of recycled materials in replacement of virgin ones, without decreasing the performance of final products; - the use of such products and applications to increase sustainable mobility. The project aims to integrate innovative systemic solutions in up to 100 km of cycling paths and implement 20 e-bike charging stations, developed using different types of recycled urban waste: construction materials, EoL tyres and EoL batteries from Electric Vehicles. The foreseen innovations include the creation of e-bike charging stations made of recycled concrete precast elements and PV panels equally produced with recycled materials, the installation of recycled rubber moulded products for urban furniture such as rubber bollard, lane dividers, and rubberized asphalt, which contributes both to increase sustainability and safety. SMILE CITY will thus assemble the technological state of the art of the different value chains involved to implement circular systemic solutions in 7 different EU and non-EU countries, backing the transition towards a regenerative, inclusive and circular economy at local and regional scale across Europe and therefore boosting interregional and cross-border cooperation. In addition, the project will also increase resource efficiency, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy and reduce the negative environmental footprint related to current recycling techniques of the considered urban waste value chains. By supporting awareness raising and information spreading, SMILE CITY will engage both citizens and industrial leaders in the green transition towards climate-neutral solutions for Circular Cities, bolstering the market uptake of circular solutions through regional and local actions. Two partners are CCRI members.

POCITYF supports the Lighthouse cities of Evora (PT) and Alkmaar (NL) and their Fellow cities Granada (ES), Bari (ΙΤ), Celje (SI), Ujpest (HU), Ioannina (GR) and Hvidovre (DK) to address their urgent need to deliver positive energy blocks and districts in their cities, towards rendering their mixed urban environment (also including the case of cultural protected buildings) into cheaper, better accessible, healthier and more reliable. By demonstrating in overall 10 integrated solutions (ISs), comprising 73 individual innovative elements (technologies, tools, methods), rooted under existing City Information Platforms (CIPs), POCITYF quantifies their value, and connects interests of many different stakeholders in innovative business models, allowing for upscale and replication of those solutions in a form of a validated roadmap for sustainable cities across Europe and world-wide. To achieve this, POCITYF works along 4 Energy Transition Tracks (ETTs), encompassing the ISs according to the role each one serves for. ETT#1 focuses on the examination and application of ISs transforming existing and new building stock into Energy Positive, while ETT#2 focuses on the application of a) grid flexibility strategies and b) storage systems, supported by DSM platforms for optimizing energy flows to maximize self-consumption and reduce grid stress. ETT#3 with its merit of innovation offers the integration of e-Mobility to as well promote the decarbonisation of the mobility sector. The 3 ETTs under the coordination of ETT#4, which links existing CIPs with innovative apps and other instruments, offers inclusive and holistic services for interdisciplinary citizen engagement and co-creation of them with the city stakeholders and industry, towards the development of each city’s own bold city-vision up to 2050. Through POCITYF the two LHs will achieve a local RES penetration of 16.2 GWh/y, energy savings of 2.32 GWh/y and an emission reduction of 9,743 tons CO2eq/y within their districts.