RESILIENT: New strategies and tools to advance climate-resilient renovation of the building stock

Climate change is already showing observable effects on the environment, with heatwaves, rising temperatures and extreme weather events increasingly affecting buildings. In this context, the RESILIENT project addresses this challenge by assessing the impact of climate-resilience strategies on the Spanish building stock and developing a new decision-making model to optimise the allocation of funds for climate-resilient renovation, both at individual building level and across building portfolios.

Unlike previous initiatives, the project adopts a comprehensive approach by exploring the still untapped potential of building envelopes and building systems in the implementation of climate-resilience strategies, such as:

• Envelope-related strategies (insulation, façades and roofs with photovoltaic integration, shading devices).
• Green strategies (green roofs and façades, urban agriculture combined with photovoltaics).
• Building systems strategies (replacement of inefficient HVAC systems with systems integrated with renewable energy sources).

Data clustering and the modelling of representative buildings under current and future climates, combined with the implementation of pilot actions, will make it possible to obtain a validated decision-making model for optimised renovation.

The project will enable progress in:

• Development of a comprehensive set of reference buildings to support cross-cutting analyses of energy use, comfort and resilience.
• Implementation of an automated method to identify representative buildings from open data sources, adaptable to different geographical scales.
• Evidence-based strategies: detailed assessment of the effectiveness, feasibility and cost of climate-resilient design and renovation measures, to support informed decision-making.
• Decision-support tools: development of an innovative model to prioritise investment and the allocation of funds for resilient renovations, both at individual building and building portfolio level.
  

Impact

The project is expected to make a significant contribution to generating new scientific and technical knowledge in the field of sustainable and climate-resilient buildings. By combining advanced climate models, data integration and analysis of building performance, the project will provide innovative tools and knowledge to support the energy transition and climate adaptation of the built environment.

In addition to its scientific and technical results, the project will generate substantial socio-economic benefits:

• For policymakers: support in developing national and local strategies aligned with European decarbonisation and climate-adaptation objectives.
• For building occupants: improved health, comfort and safety, as well as reduced energy costs and energy poverty. Public buildings renovated in line with the project results can act as climate shelters during extreme heat episodes.
• For professionals and industry: new business opportunities and job creation through the integration of resilient solutions into building design and renovation.
• For owners: increased asset value and operational savings, turning resilience investments into long-term economic advantages.
  

Budget and Funding

The RESILIENT project is funded under the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2024-2027 (PID2024-160139OB-I00; State Research Agency), with a budget of €101,250 and a duration of 3 years (September 2025 - August 2028).