Category: Activities

Conscious and fulfilled living

An open innovation project by Strüby Konzept AG Forecasts by the Federal Statistical Office predict that the permanent Swiss resident population will grow from the current 8.6 million to 10.4 million in 2050. The 10 million mark is expected to be exceeded in 2040. The proportion of over-65s in the total population will increase at an above-average rate - from 18.9% today to 25.6% by 2050, i.e. a good 2.7 million. This will require 70,000 additional places in retirement and nursing homes. However, organizations in the geriatric sector warn that an increase in capacity on this scale will not be feasible. Alternatives must therefore be created. The expansion of various forms of housing is a promising approach. There is also a shortage of land in Switzerland. Inward densification is intended to meet the continuing demand for living space. The question therefore arises as to how a liveable built environment can be created in the context of an ageing population, denser construction and increasing anonymity. Objective With the aim of realizing a concept for a multi-generational housing project that addresses precisely these challenges, Strüby Konzept AG launched an open innovation project in the Central Switzerland Innovation Park at the beginning of 2020. As part of the social lab, an interdisciplinary team of park members was put together. The primary aim was to better understand the two target groups "young old people from their mid-60s" and "middle-aged couples and families". Under the title "conscious and fulfilling living", the project team invited a dozen participants from the region to a structured target group workshop. Together, they discussed what constitutes quality of living, a meaningful environment and neighborhood activities. Result Based on these findings, Strüby Konzept AG was able to develop a suitable spatial program and define unique selling points. In collaboration with the Energy Lab, ideas were also developed for a sustainable energy concept with a focus on Minergie-A-Eco. Also in an open setting, participants considered the recyclability of the materials to be used, the digitalization of the infrastructure and possible forms of sponsorship and operation. The whole process was supported by the Innovationspark Zentralschweiz, in particular the Social Lab. At the end of 2020, Strüby Konzept AG brought the project back into its own organization with thanks to the input providers, where it developed it further and expanded it into a marketable business model. The complex requirements were incorporated into a process model under the title HOMA (Holz Magnet). The model is intended to enable densification with existing buildings through new construction, primarily in conurbations and well-developed rural regions and municipalities. The current generation, which owns single-family homes and no longer has children at home, is invited to make their attractive living spaces accessible to families again. To this end, an offer must be developed to suit the location and life goals of this generation of detached house owners. In order to define the right use and objectives, a participatory process is recommended to identify the needs of future residents and the existing potential of the site. The vision includes a timber construction project, close to the center, for and with local people. The participation process is supported by digital tools in order to quickly define concrete, common denominators for the new building. Tried and tested, social and technical as well as qualitative, sustainable implementation modules are available, which can be used individually and adapted to the location depending on user requirements and objectives. The next step will be the evaluation of a corresponding pilot project by Strüby Konzept AG in 2021. Strüby Konzept AG As a full-service provider with a focus on wood, the Strüby companies combine development, architecture, planning and timber construction under one roof. Strüby is Switzerland's leading full-service provider with a focus on timber, active in the fields of architecture, real estate, residential construction, interior design, conversion, commercial construction and agriculture. The expertise, specialist knowledge and commitment of around 300 employees in 25 professions enable the company to plan and realize the most demanding projects.

2050 energy concept for a mixed-use area

Development of an innovative energy concept for a new, location-independent, medium-sized site in Switzerland with different types of use. Global warming affects everyone. Global warming of at least 2 degrees Celsius is expected. This is also likely to result in a change in humidity and more extreme weather conditions. This will create new challenges for the built environment. The need for summer cooling will increase. At the same time, the increased use of sustainable energy sources implies seasonal energy storage. What must an energy concept for a site look like with a view to 2050 in order to do justice to these aspects and cover user needs in the long term? News. Three rough concepts were developed for the project, which were discussed and enriched by a panel of experts. The next step will be a synthesis workshop for the overall project. On this basis, the requirements for the degree of innovation for the energy concept will be derived. As the most progressive concept, it is conceivable to design and develop an energy concept with modeled climate data for 2050. The site would then be climate ready in 2050. Objective. The project team is aiming for an energy concept that can be implemented using a specific example in Central Switzerland. The aim is to comply with the Minergie-A-ECO framework conditions and supplement them with innovative elements - depending on local conditions. The ideal of a net-zero concept should be incorporated. Initial situation. The focus is on a medium-sized, mixed-use, non-urban site. The Energy Strategy 2050 in accordance with the SIA standards serves as the starting point. Responsibility for the project lies with Strüby Konzept AG, a leading Swiss full-service provider that not only relies on Minergie-A to achieve climate targets, but also promotes ECO construction to ensure the health and well-being of its customers.  

Energy Alternatives for an Asphalt Production Site

Reducing the CO2 emissions and optimizing the energy consumption in asphalt production. Alternative Energies will help to reduce the CO2 footprint of an asphalt production site. Asphalt production nowadays is mainly driven by the usage of fossil high-density fuels. Asphalt production companies are seeking for alternative solutions to make the production of asphalt much more sustainable. Moreover, the recycling of old asphalt harvested from used roads needs to be considered as well. News. A visit to Implenia site in Ecublens (VD) was performed to learn more about the asphalt manufacturing process and plant operation features. This recently overhauled plant is equipped with new technologies that aim at plant efficiency and therefore sustainability while improving productivity. This includes efforts to increase energy savings and reduce environmental impacts, improve plant versatility to better meet individual customer requirements and increase use of recycled asphalt in mixtures. The visit provided a good overview of the process requirements and pointed out current limitations and possible improvements areas for higher efficient and cleaner processes, some of them to be tackled in this project. Targets. The following questions should be addressed by this project: How can we run an asphalt production site with the minimum amount of fossil high-density fuels? How can we increase the thermal efficiency of such a plant? How can we increase the amount of recycled asphalt in the whole production process? Initial situation. Implenia as one of the project partners is seeking for optimized design solutions as they plan to overhaul existing Swiss production sites. Contact. Sara EicherUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, HEIG-VDsara.eicher@heig-vd.ch Pierre RazurelImplenia Suisse SApierre.razurel@implenia.com

Automation of threshold values

Deep learning algorithms to define best threshold values are key components in this project. Threshold values play an important role in the optimization of running HVAC-systems and their surveillance concerning unexpected operating modes. MST as energy management provider and HSLU - T&A in cooperation with Empa will be working on deep learning algorithms to get automatized values based on historical data. Targets. The following points are addressed within the project: How can historic energy data be used to address both, energy optimization and surveillance? How can knowledge of historical data be used to optimize threshold values in an automated way? How much CO2 can be saved using automated threshold values? Initial situation. MST provides an energy management system for more than 14,000 buildings. Due to its unique pool of historical data, automated threshold values shall be derived based on conventional statistical methods as well as using deep learning algorithms. Outlook and next steps. The project's first steps have already been funded by an Innocheck. Lately, a subsequent application has been submitted to Innosuisse. Therefore, the project's start is expected in autumn. Contact. Dr. Thomas Schluck Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Institute of Building Technology and Energy IGE thomas.schluck@hslu.ch 

Renewable Energy on Neighborhood Level

Integration of renewable energy on neighbourhood level is a key point in reaching the goals of the Swiss energy strategy 2050. If the commitment of the goals of ES 2050 shall be fulfilled, the integration of renewable energy-especially for space heating and domestic hot water production-comprise one central key point. SFOE has lately started its own initiative on the topic. An interdisciplinary approach of social, financial and technical researchers will provide insights into the processes required to achieve this goal. Targets. The following points are addressed within the project: Bottom-up initiative concerning substitution of fossil driven heat converters on building/district level and best use of thermal energy storages. Integration of new renewables such as PV and utilisation of economy of scale-providing best ROI of capital invested Build a demonstration case to exemplify the possible decarbonization of buildings/neighbourhoods. Initial situation. The neighbourhood "Wesemlinquartier" in Lucerne serves as test case to roll out different approaches on electricity self-production, thermal conversion emitting CO2 and most fitting integration of thermal storages taking into account best revenues of capital. The public will be closely accompanied on a social research level to build a bottom-up initiative within the neighborhood to strengthen the case. Outlook and next steps. Already, eight industry partners could be bound and the social impact will be a key success criteria. Are you interested in contributing your expertise? Then let us know. Contact. Prof. Alex WilllenerLucerne School of Social Work, Institute of Sociocultural Developmentalex.willener@hslu.ch

Efficiency Improvement Program for Domestic Appliances

Boosting Energy Transformation 2050 by accelerated removal & replacement of inefficient domestic refrigeration It's (global) time to act! The energy transformation (Swiss: 2050) is under huge time pressure, in the housing sector the implementation speed is not fast enough! The housing sector has a big impact on the national energy & carbon base line. White goods are consuming ~9% of national energy, refrigeration devices consuming ~33% of white goods energy. Description. Energy consumption of domestic refrigeration could be reduced by almost 40% replacing all less efficient units with devices rated A+++. Swiss based household refrigeration units are consuming ~1.7 TWh, equivalent to~9% of national household energy and 3% of total >50% of refrigeration units are older than 10 years, consuming almost 60% of total energy 20% of the units are used for more than 15 years, consuming ~ 30% of total energy Up-to-date refrigeration units offering ~40% efficiency gains compared to older devices Traditional efficiency programs have limited impact due to low energy cost gains and not being credible in terms of ecological motivation Objectives. Efficiency Improvement Program driven by manufacturers, trade and supported by BFE Motivating owners/users to remove/replace inefficient appliances; 1st category: refrigeration Reducing energy consumption of domestic refrigeration by up to 55% replacing less efficient units with best-in-class devices rated A+++ Partner. FEA / Branchenverband Elektroapparate BFE / Bundesamt für Energie (Proklima) eae / Energieagentur Elektrogeräte Project lead. Dirk Hoffmann (FEA) Project team. Diego de Pedrini (eae) Jürg Berner (FEA) Sem Mattli (Switzerland Innovation Park Central)

BUILDing360.cockpit: Digital twin retrieves real-time data

Improving building operations and saving energy thanks to BIM and IoT The BUILDing360 portal developed by HHM enables digital planning, construction and management. The current project is working on the cross-location monitoring of buildings with BUILDing360.cockpit using the example of the digital twin of the Innovation Park Central Switzerland Rotkreuz. The cloud-based networking of the building information model with IoT sensors from a start-up and building automation elements is making building management and monitoring a reality.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hojoShSqeLg Initial situation Building management requires complete and up-to-date data that can be displayed in a spatial context. Through the cloud-based networking of 3D building information models (BIM) with asset management databases, building automation systems, IoT sensors and geoportals, the BUILDing360.cockpit portal enables cross-location monitoring and optimization of the real estate portfolio. The core of the application is the customer's desire for cross-portfolio information transparency with a "data-at-the-center" approach that clearly regulates data and access sovereignty. Objectives & technology The aim of the project is to develop a cloud-based application at the level of a minimum viable product (MVP) that uses two realistic application scenarios to demonstrate the benefits and added value of digital building models in the management of a real estate portfolio. The solution is based on the technologies Autodesk Forge, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ThingDust IoT. Procedure & solution The focus is on the creation of the digital twin of the Innovation Park Central Switzerland based on the BUILDing360 building component system, including furnishing, materialization and enrichment of manufacturer data as well as the creation of the web application with dashboard, IoT integration, model viewer, query and analysis tools. Two scenarios were implemented: Using IoT sensors to plan the conversion in the digital twin Using IoT sensors to identify and rectify faults in building operation Learnings & results The MVP represents a showcase of a building information system based on a specific object (IPZ) that can be experienced both digitally and in real life. The application can be accessed online. Project management: Matthias LiechtiHead of BIM competence field+41 79 744 41 72matthias.liechti@hhm.ch Anastasiya BosovaProduct Management BUILDing360+41 78 825 13 85anastasiya.bosova@building360.ch

White Paper: Circular Economy Business Models

Adapting Business Models to a Changed Global Agenda Economic performance in the secondary sector is characterized by a linear value creation model: extraction of raw materials - production of goods - use of goods to satisfy needs - disposal. This model is proving to be unsustainable in several respects. The one-time use of resources depletes their stock. At the same time, the disposal process harms the planet as a producer of resources, which limits the possibilities for satisfying future needs. Circular economy is based on an alternative resource flow, a cyclical model that promises sustainable and long-term satisfaction of needs. The circular economy also offers companies the opportunity to improve the availability of resources, strengthen brand value and stakeholder engagement and tap into new markets and business opportunities. The various aspects will be presented in a white paper. The content will serve as food for thought for future joint activities by the participants of the Sustainable Business Lab. Project status 90% Objectives (1) Definition of circular economy(2) Preparation of processes and design principles(3) Overview of value creation opportunities and business models(4) Discussions and further activities as part of the Sustainable Business Lab Results White paper Contributors Melissa Kneubüher, Innovationspark Zentralschweiz

SDGs: Business Model Impact

Recognizing the impact of the business model on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The agenda comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 sub-goals. Globally, the SDGs form the only common framework for sustainability efforts. Business, science and the public sector all play a role in their implementation. For companies in particular, however, understanding the impact of their business model on the SDGs offers added value. On the one hand, this can minimize risks and strengthen their own responsibility, while on the other hand it opens up new business opportunities. Using two example cases from the Building Excellence environment, participants of the Sustainable Business Lab tested and further developed approaches for analyzing their own business model across the entire value chain as part of a workshop. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with Swiss Triple Impact, the national program of B Lab Switzerland. Project status 100% Objectives (1) Develop an understanding of the SDGs(2) Raise awareness of the impact of your own business model on the SDGs(3) Provide methodology/tools for your own analysis (e.g. SDG spider (see image above)). SDG Spider (see image above), SDG Action Manager from B Lab) Results (1) Joint analysis of two example cases (InnoConstruction AG / ExcellenceFactory AG)(2) Individual, internal company analyses Participants Swiss Triple Impact (STI) / B Lab Switzerland, HHM Group, Strüby Konzept AG, Swissmem, Zehnder Group, V-ZUG AG, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences / WERZ