Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits

On the 18^th of April the local Ecosystem Game workshop in Leuven took place as part of the Cities 4.0 program. The session took place at Studio Silo on the Vaartkom in Leuven. With around 30 participants from Leuven, the new urban old factory building was an excellent setting for a workshop focusing on making the built environment climate neutral before 2030.

It was extra special for ESTI to be in Leuven as it was a sort of home coming for our Ecosystem Game. Home coming as the game is inspired on the collaboration model by Leuven’s imec foundation where over 600 organizations with conflicting interests successfully collaborate on technology development of the future of high tech. As was the case in the other regions, the built environment is crucial in solving the climate neutral challenge as it represents a large part of the emissions. In Leuven around 95% or 60.000 residential buildings need renovation to certain extend. The focus of the workshop was on a specific neighborhood, Ter Els. This is a homogenous area of listed buildings with a protected architectural and historical value.

The stakeholders in the workshop represented city government, academics, architects, builders, real-estate owners, local companies, citizens and many other stakeholders. Solving these complex multifaceted challenges require true collaboration. That is why everyone got to work from the start with the Ecosystem Game^©®that ESTI had brought for enabling multi-stakeholder innovation collaboration. The group enjoyed building a collaboration on solving an off-topic challenge before starting to work in teams on the sustainable built environment challenges.

The built environment challenge was introduced by the ESTI foundation with a number of possible future scenarios for making the building sustainable. Two of these possible scenarios worth mentioning are:

1. The energy transition scenario and materials breakthrough scenario. At the current rate, it would take 350 years to touch all 143,000 residential buildings that need renovation to save energy consumption and transition from natural gas to a sustainable heating solution. In the energy transition scenario, a number of game changing and exponentially developing solutions would allow transition in the 2030 timeframe. There are three game changers that are part of that scenario. Game changer 1 is the availability of solar energy at 3-4 Euro cents per kWh, this is expected to be a reality before 2030. The second is related to the projected normalized cost for battery storage to around 2 Euro cents per kWh assuming 10 years battery lifetime and sizing based on required seasonal storage of 70 hours. Finally, game changer 3 is that the system will flip to a new energy system based on a 100% sun, wind and battery-based system. The system will flip from a maximum demand to a minimum supply system with abundance in energy and far lower cost per kWh for energy compared to today’s system.
2. The second scenario is related to the innovation in materials. The first game changer in this scenario is related to the bio-tech and biobased revolution in materials. New materials are becoming available with excellent characteristics and in many cases a carbon negative footprint like e.g. PLA based polymer and bio-based materials like mycellium insulation. The second is the application of super insulator materials like aerogel that are becoming affordable and available in building products. And the third is the further adoption of phase change materials like e.g. heat storing and insulating cellulose – PCM mix solutions.

During the discussions the teams identified over 40 challenges that potentially need to be addressed ranging from finding and organizing representation for neighborhoods to enable collective renovation and renovation challenges for listed buildings to challenges around creation of interest from citizens to participate in collective renovation projects.

As a follow-up for Leuven a number of prioritized key challenges related to a sustainable built environment will be shared with a larger community of stakeholders including many citizens. They will vote on what they see as the key issue to be solved. This will then be integrated into the international workshops with representatives from all four regions involved: Turku, Bologna, Eindhoven/Helmond and Leuven to create a number of shared challenges and a joint action plan.

“Cities 4.0 project has been funded by the European Union’s Lump Sum Europe program for Coordination and Support Actions GA 101070827- HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01”.

Click here to return to the Cities 4.0 page.

Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits

March 30^th was the date for the home game for ESTI on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven of the local session for Eindhoven and Helmond of the Cities 4.0 program. With a group of around 30 participants we came together at the Conference Center on the Strip of HTC. A great setting for an inspirational afternoon on making the built environment climate neutral.

In Eindhoven and Helmond, like in the other regions, the built environment is crucial in solving the climate neutral challenge as it represents a large part of the emissions. In Eindhoven around 115.000 residential buildings need renovation to certain extend, in Helmond it is needed for around 40.000 buildings. The focus of the workshop was on challenges related to acceleration of circular renovation of the existing housing stock.

The stakeholders in the workshop represented city government, academics, demolition companies or rather urban harvesting companies, builders, real-estate owners, local companies, students and many other stakeholders. Solving these complex multifaceted challenges require true collaboration. That is why everyone got to work from the start with the Ecosystem Game^©®that ESTI had brought for enabling multi-stakeholder innovation collaboration. The group enjoyed building a collaboration on solving an off-topic challenge before starting to work in teams on the sustainable built environment challenges.

The built environment challenge was introduced by the ESTI foundation with a number of possible future scenarios for making the building sustainable. Two of these possible scenarios worth mentioning are:

1. The energy transition scenario and materials breakthrough scenario. At the current rate, it would take 350 years to touch all 143,000 residential buildings that need renovation to save energy consumption and transition from natural gas to a sustainable heating solution. In the energy transition scenario, a number of game changing and exponentially developing solutions would allow transition in the 2030 timeframe. There are three game changers that are part of that scenario. Game changer 1 is the availability of solar energy at 3-4 Euro cents per kWh, this is expected to be a reality before 2030. The second is related to the projected normalized cost for battery storage to around 2 Euro cents per kWh assuming 10 years battery lifetime and sizing based on required seasonal storage of 70 hours. Finally, game changer 3 is that the system will flip to a new energy system based on a 100% sun, wind and battery-based system. The system will flip from a maximum demand to a minimum supply system with abundance in energy and far lower cost per kWh for energy compared to today’s system.
2. The second scenario is related to the innovation in materials. The first game changer in this scenario is related to the bio-tech and biobased revolution in materials. New materials are becoming available with excellent characteristics and in many cases a carbon negative footprint like e.g. PLA based polymer and bio-based materials like mycellium insulation. The second is the application of super insulator materials like aerogel that are becoming affordable and available in building products. And the third is the further adoption of phase change materials like e.g. heat storing and insulating cellulose – PCM mix solutions.

During the discussions the teams identified 14 key challenges that potentially need to be addressed ranging from finding challenges in balancing supply and demand of circular materials, missing information on used materials in buildings and on how to scale up projects to the question about how we can get to standardization in materials and processes.

As a follow-up for Eindhoven a number of prioritized key challenges related to a sustainable built environment will be shared with a larger community of stakeholders including many citizens. They will vote on what they see as the key issue to be solved. This will then be integrated into the international workshops with representatives from all four regions involved: Turku, Bologna, Eindhoven/Helmond and Leuven to create a number of shared challenges and a joint action plan.

“Cities 4.0 project has been funded by the European Union’s Lump Sum Europe program for Coordination and Support Actions GA 101070827- HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01”.

Click here to return to the Cities 4.0 page.

Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits

On the 23^rd of March the local ecosystem workshop in Bologna took place as part of the cities 4.0 program. The session took place in the Palazzo d’Accursio, the city’s 13^th century beautiful town hall. With over 40 participants from Bologna, it was an excellent setting for the workshop focusing on making the built environment climate neutral before 2030.

Bologna has been a settlement for over 5000 years. Bologna became part of the Roman empire and the Romans started introducing their, as we now know, unique self-healing concrete 2500 years ago. That was a great start for the workshop on innovations in the built environment. The built environment is responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the domain Bologna chose to focus on for the Cities 4.0 program. The objective of the workshop was to identify the main challenges Bologna has in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment.

The stakeholders in the workshop represented city government, academics, architects, builders, real-estate owners, local companies, students and many other stakeholders. Solving these complex multifaceted challenges require true collaboration. That is why everyone got to work from the start with the Ecosystem Game^©®that ESTI had brought for enabling multi-stakeholder innovation collaboration. The group enjoyed building a collaboration on solving an off-topic challenge before starting to work in teams on the sustainable built environment challenges.

The built environment challenge was introduced by the ESTI foundation with a number of possible future scenarios for making the building sustainable. Two of these possible scenarios worth mentioning are:

1. The energy transition scenario and materials breakthrough scenario. At the current rate, it would take 350 years to touch all 143,000 residential buildings that need renovation to save energy consumption and transition from natural gas to a sustainable heating solution. In the energy transition scenario, a number of game changing and exponentially developing solutions would allow transition in the 2030 timeframe. There are three game changers that are part of that scenario. Game changer 1 is the availability of solar energy at 3-4 cents per kWh, this is expected to be a reality before 2030. The second is related to the projected normalized cost for battery storage to around 2 cents per kWh assuming 10 years battery lifetime and sizing based on required seasonal storage of 70 hours. Finally, game changer 3 is that the system will flip to a new energy system based on a 100% sun, wind and battery-based system. The system will flip from a maximum demand to a minimum supply system with abundance in energy and far lower cost per kWh for energy compared to today’s system.
2. The second scenario is related to the innovation in materials. The first game changer in this scenario is related to the bio-tech and biobased revolution in materials. New materials are becoming available with excellent characteristics and in many cases a carbon negative footprint like e.g. PLA based polymer and bio-based materials like mycellium insulation. The second is the application of super insulator materials like aerogel that are becoming affordable and available in building products. And the third is the further adoption of phase change materials like e.g. heat storing and insulating cellulose – PCM mix solutions.

During the discussions the teams identified over 20 challenges that potentially need to be addressed ranging from finding solutions for medieval town centers and listed buildings to challenges around changing behavior and creating awareness.

As a follow-up for Bologna a number of prioritized key challenges related to a sustainable built environment will be shared with a larger community of stakeholders including many citizens. They will vote on what they see as the key issue to be solved. This will then be integrated into the international workshops with representatives from all four regions involved: Turku, Bologna, Eindhoven/Helmond and Leuven to create a number of shared challenges and a joint action plan.

“Cities 4.0 project has been funded by the European Union’s Lump Sum Europe program for Coordination and Support Actions GA 101070827- HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01”.

Click here to return to the Cities 4.0 page.

Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits

On the 1^st of March the local ecosystem workshop in Turku took place as part of the cities 4.0 program. When the mayor of Turku, Minna Arve, opened the session she had a clear view on the multi-crises challenges that we face as a society in this decennium. She proudly mentioned the huge efforts made already by the citizens of Turku and the local government to reduce greenhouse gas with over 50% compared to 1990.

Road transport represents 25% of the total emissions and is the domain Turku chose to focus on in the Cities 4.0 program. The objective of the workshop was to identify the main challenges Turku has in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from mobility.

The mayor challenged the participants in the workshop to take 2029 as the deadline for becoming climate neutral. That is the year that the City of Turku celebrates its 800 year anniversary. The stakeholders in the workshop represented city government, Turku Science Park, Turku University, Business Finland, local companies, students and many other stakeholders. Everyone got to work from the start with the Ecosystem Game that ESTI had brought for enabling multi-stakeholder innovation collaboration. The group enjoyed building a collaboration on solving an off-topic, healthcare related challenge before starting to work in teams on the sustainable mobility challenges.

The mobility challenge was introduced by the ESTI foundation with a number of possible future scenarios for sustainable mobility. Two of these possible scenarios worth mentioning are the all Electric Vehicle scenario and the Transport As A Service (TAAS) scenario. Replacing all current internal combustion engine vehicles in Finland with electric vehicles would take 27 years. In a TAAS scenario, Turku would accelerate the transition towards autonomous vehicles. Going from privately owned cars that are parked 90% of the time to a fleet of cars driving 90% of the time. This scenario would reduce the total amount of cars with 80% and would drive cost per kilometer down to 10% of the current cost per kilometer. During the challenge discussions the teams identified over 40 challenges that potentially need to be addressed ranging from improving bicycle infrastructure to behavioral change towards more sustainable choices in transport modality.

As a follow-up for Turku the 5 key challenges related to sustainable mobility will be shared with a larger community of stakeholders including many citizens. They will vote on what they see as the key challenge to be solved. This will then be integrated into the international workshops with representatives from all four regions involved: Bologna, Eindhoven/Helmond, Leuven and Turku to create a number of shared challenges and joint action plan.

“Cities 4.0 project has been funded by the European Union’s Lump Sum Europe program for Coordination and Support Actions GA 101070827- HORIZON-EIE-2021-CONNECT-01”.

Click here to return to the Cities 4.0 page.

Climate Innovation Through Interactive Ecosystem Summits

Ecosystem Thinking is relevant for many arenas, not in the least in the climate and energy transitions. The Cities 4.0 project is a collaboration of 4 European cities: Brainport Eindhoven/Helmond, Leuven, Turku and Bologna. All 4 have been selected by the EU as members of the 100 Climate Neutral Cities 2030 and thus they aim at reaching the same goal.

ESTI is a neutral facilitator in this project assisting the 4 cities to reach their goals and co-create a Joined Climate Action Plan. For this purpose we use i.e. our Ecosystem Game©® and our Salesforce-based ESTI Innovation Challenge Platform. Because together we can map the shared problems the regions face, we can also create an exchange to come to shared solutions.

An important element of the Cities 4.0 is the outreach towards the citizens in the region, something we strongly believe in. Without true citizen participation, you cannot implement new solutions. It is all about behaviour. And without acceptance and implementation, you haven’t innovated.

Click here to return to the Cities 4.0 page.