Multilayer education for sustainable building Retrofit with renewable resources

In Central Europe population is declining whereas the number of new buildings keeps rising. To avoid building waste and high energy demand, the existing building stock should be seen as a resource that can be utilized by retrofitting. Thermal insulation in particular reduces heating energy demand. The use of insulation materials made from renewable resources helps to reach environmental protection targets by reducing waste and CO₂ emissions. The project Renew Building aims to accumulate knowledge about retrofit materials and techniques from renewable resources and transfer it further to a multilayer group of disciplines involved in the building process: planners, builders, craftsmen and building owners. The knowledge will be accessible in a database with free and unlimited access after revision according to practical requirements of the target groups. To successfully reach the goal of developing a cross disciplinary exchange and encouraging the use and acceptance of regional, renewable resources in the field of sustainable retrofitting, knowledge is spread via multiple pedagogical formats: on-site and e-learning training sessions for planners and craftsmen, lectures at Vienna University of Technology, via virtual platform, brochures, and by advising experts during the construction process of demonstration buildings.