Events

Webinar

Urban Densification Solutions for achieving Near Zero Energy Buildings

26 March 2019, 11:00 - 12:30
- Webinar

This webinar is being carried out by the Covenant of Mayors Office in cooperation with the ABRACADABRA H2020 project.

Urban densification is a key solution to tackling housing shortages and to reduce urban sprawl in European cities. How can cities increase comfortable and affordable housing while preserving soil? How can they accelerate the renovation of existing homes towards Near Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs)?

Increasing urban density by adding habitable space to existing buildings represents a great option to deal with these challenges. This extra surface, thanks to the income it generates, can help finance the renovation of the entire building. It can also help reshape the urban landscape by transforming former non-residential buildings into housing units.

In this webinar, practitioners and municipal staff from several EU countries will share their experiences with urban densification policies. A particular focus will be given to implementing deep renovation of already existing buildings by adding extensions to housing façades or rooftops. The webinar will also present planning experiences discussing the need of cities to expand while limiting soil consumption through sustainable and effective urban densification policies.

Join us to find out:

  • The perspectives of planners and property owners
  • Lessons learnt for research and practice
  • Impacts on cities’ local mitigation work
  • What are the technical, regulatory and financial tools to assess the feasibility of these approaches

Agenda

11:00         Welcome and Introduction - Michele Zuin, Covenant of Mayors

11:10         Densification through AdoRes: Abracadabra Project tools and lessons for NZEBs - Annarita Ferrante, University of Bologna (Italy)

                  Freiburg’s new Dietenbach district: a green city’s answer to urban growth - Klaus von Zahn, City of Freiburg (Germany)

                  Vertical extensions in nineteen-century buildings in Barcelona: a means to improve the architectural heritage - Alba Platero, La casa por el tejado, Barcelona (Spain)

                   Harnessing open data to identify retrofit opportunities in the built environment – the ENERFUND tool - Alexandros Charalambides, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)

12:10           Q&A

To register for the webinar, click here.