The proposal addresses novel concepts for introducing Robotics and Autonomous Systems in the Construction Sector where, at this moment, the presence is minor. Specifically, the Hephaestus project focuses on highly risked and critical construction tasks such as prefab wall installation. In that sense, the Hephaestus has been conceived as a solution for accomplishing multiple tasks on vertical or inclined planes of the built and outdoor environment. For that purpose, the Hephaestus is mainly based on a cable-driven robot and a modular end effector kit. This modular kit can host several tools and devices and therefore we can say it is multifunctional. Among the functionalities, the research project will achieve tasks such as 3D laser scanning of the building structure and the posterior installation of the prefab wall. But we can foresee some other performances such as the cleaning and maintenance of the curtain wall, repair of cracks and painting. The apparatus of the Hephaestus is lean, compatible with other handling systems, highly versatile and its reachability is very broad. Moreover, the controlling system would offer and easy and fast calibration. For achieving this goal, matrix based design methods will be used. It basically consists on decomposing a complex solution, such as the Hephaestus, into interdependent subsystems that can be feasible to solve. Certainly, the integration and adaptation of several technologies into the Hephaestus will be carried out with a systematic approach that will facilitate the election, adjustment and development of suitable tools. This proposal envisages continuous techno-economical assessment, which includes several tests in real conditions where prototypes of the cable-robot and the modular end-effector kit will be demonstrated. As an output of the research, the well balanced consortium and its interdisciplinary expertise will offer a realistic solution to cover primordial needs of the Built Environment and Construction sector.

Traditional silo approaches, where stakeholders manage their own data, could be replaced by digital and smart buildings, merging heterogeneous data sources, and placing the stakeholders as the core of these buildings. DigiBUILD will catalyse this much-needed transformation by making use of high-quality data and next generation digital building services, supporting the deployment of EU-wide Framework for a Digital Building Logbook. An inclusive environment for multi-stakeholder knowledge exchange (based on European Bauhaus initiative) will be applied to co-design end-user-oriented services. DigiBUILD will provide an open, interoperable and cloud-based toolbox to transform current ‘silo’ buildings into digital, interoperable and smarter ones, based on consistent and reliable data, supporting better-informed decision-making for performance monitoring & assessment, planning of building infrastructure, policy making and de-risking investments. It will be built on top of existing platforms and common EU initiatives, towards an Energy Efficient Building Data Space, based on standard cloud-data platform frameworks (FIWARE) and Data Space initiatives (GAIA-X and IDSA). On top of this advanced data governance framework, we will create AI-based data analytics and Digital Building Twins based on high-quality data, aiming to facilitate transparency, trust, informed decision-making and information sharing within the built environment and construction sector, which will be deployed across 10 real-world conditions (TRL 8). DigiBUILD will contribute to the uptake of digital technologies in the building sector to better align the EU Member States’ long-term renovation strategies with the EPBD requirements on decarbonisation, and on a path towards a climate-neutral building stock by 2050.

We will validate an affordable (28% reduction of total costs) and lightweight (35% weight reduction) solution for envelope insulation to bring existing curtain wall buildings to “nearly zero energy” standards while complying with the structural limits of the original building structure and national building codes. Two key commercial insulating products: • Highly insulating mono-component and environmentally friendly spray foam, EENSULATE foam, for the cost-effective automated manufacturing and insulation of the opaque components of curtain walls as well as for the significant reduction of thermal bridges during installation (SELENA and EVONIK in cooperation with ULSTER); • Lightweight and thin double pane vacuum glass, EENSULATE glass, for the insulation of the transparent component of curtain walls, manufactured through an innovative low temperature process using polymeric flexible adhesives and distributed getter technology, thus allowing to use both annealed and tempered glass as well as low emissivity coatings (AGC, SAES and TVITEC in cooperation with ULSTER and UNIVPM ). A multi-functional thermo-tunable coating will allow for dynamic solar gain control as well as anti-fogging and self-cleaning properties (AGC in cooperation with UCL). They will enable insulating solutions that Focchi, DAPP and Unstudio will promote with two different levels of performance: • EENSULATE Basic curtain wall modules where the thermal and acoustic insulation will be provided by the novel EENSULATE glass and EENSULATE foam in the spandrel combined with state of the art low-e coated glass; • EENSULATE Premium modules integrating the thermo-chromic coated glass with additional self-cleaning and anti-fogging functionalities. BGTEC will exploit the limited thickness and high insulating properties of the EENSULATE glass to introduce in their range innovative solutions for the fenestration challenges in historical buildings, compatible with the original window frames and sash designs.

Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. Deep Renovation of existing old buildings has the potential to lead to significant energy savings and a tremendous carbon footprint shrinkage. The current EU climate targets open an ample opportunity for exponential growth in the building thermal insulation materials market owing to the increasing number of new residential buildings and current deep renovation needs. The target is to support residential building´s construction performance extraordinary at all three hierarchical levels of construction parts simultaneously (building, component, material) by creating an amplified environmental impact and reducing additionally VOC emissions. BIO4EEB will apply non-hazardous bio-based material as e.g., Posidonia and various bio-based foams to develop and to proof the marketability of smart components for external and internal use as material application, pre-fab panels or windows. The efficiency and effectiveness is quite important to match with market demands and establish a unique selling proposition including a seven years RoI! BIO4EEB will close the increasing gap of insulation material shortage caused by the regular growing demand and the mismatch caused by lacking production potential and the outcome of the current energy crisis by boosting the use of available bio-based qualified materials as alternative solutions. The objective is to substitute using fossil resources for components and replace them at a comparable price value positioning. New business models utilizing the complete economic value chain open the market for bio-based BIO4EEB solutions and products uplifting the generic bio-based material use and qualifying their application at a circular economy approach for creating a much greener EU building and construction industry real estate stock.

InComEss seeks at developing efficient smart materials with energy harvesting and storage capabilities combining advanced polymer based-composite materials into a novel single/multi-source concept to harvest electrical energy from mechanical energy and/or waste heat ambient sources. Three Energy Harvesting Systems (EHSs) configurations will be realized through the combination of high performance piezoelectric (PE), thermoelectric (TE) and Thermo-Piezoelectric (TPE) generators and monolithic supercapacitors (SCs) to power selected wireless sensors nodes to be implemented in different IoT scenarios for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in buildings and aircrafts (using a new miniature wireless Fiber Optics Sensing (FOS) interrogator) and accurate location and monitoring of vehicles through GPS and MEMS sensing. Advanced concepts for efficient energy transfer will be implemented for increased energy conversion efficiency of the overall EHSs. InComEss EHSs will involve the following smart materials developments: 1) advanced lead-free PE composite-based mono-/bi-component fibres with enhanced PE characteristics up to 100ºC/250ºC for their application into single/hybrid PE/TPE generators; 2) innovative high-performance thermoplastic-based p-and n-type TE composites with enhanced Seebeck coefficients in the range from –25ºC up to 250ºC for their application in single/hybrid PE/TPE generators; and 3) printable high energy density PANI/carbon-based composite electrode materials with enhanced specific capacitance and stability for their incorporation into the monolithic supercapacitor (SC) to store the energy harvested. InComEss technologies, applications and services will impact the partners turnover by €100M after market up-take, generating more than 70 jobs and leveraging the EU economy to more than €4 billion and 12,000 employments and providing direct support to the realization of EU Digital Single Market and the wider implementation of IoT landscape.