Mediterranean University as Catalyst for Eco-Sustainable Renovation: the experience of Med EcoSure Cross Border Living Lab

The paper presents the innovative activity related to the international research project Med-EcoSuRe Mediterranean University as Catalyst for Eco- Sustainable Renovation, developed by nine partners in four countries with the aim to implement an efficient approach for energy renovation of educational institutions in the Mediterranean area. The idea is that universities can play a strategic role to define innovative schemes for decision support in building renovation processes, and that university buildings can be renovated as pilots. Low energy educational buildings are becoming the standard for new buildings in European and Mediterranean countries. Technical solutions are continuously developed by universities for eco-sustainable building renovation, but there is still a gap between designed models and their actual application. This is due to several barriers, such as the insufficient collaboration between key actors and the lack of efficient suitable tools from the public sector to develop solutions. The project offers an innovative approach for the definition and diffusion of cost-effective energy renovation within university buildings, with the perspective of extending results to the whole public buildings sector in the long term. Principles and methodologies for the setting up and implementation of the Cross border Living Lab focus on the combination of the Living Lab and the Digital Twin approaches, implementing a platform bringing together researchers, building managers, companies, public organizations and students, to drive a more informed decision-making to develop energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions as well as retrofitting schemes to be implemented in 9 university buildings selected as pilot projects.