Project Opportunity #1

Call for Pilots: Social Housing Retrofit Lab

We are inviting housing providers to join a pilot initiative aimed at eradicating energy poverty through frugal, low-cost renovation. The project targets the challenging building stock typical of social housing constructed between 1960 and 1985—often 4-5 storey apartment blocks with uninsulated masonry walls and highly exposed façades, leaving residents vulnerable to summer overheating and winter discomfort.

The Lab is testing prefabricated, bio-based insulation systems that can be installed quickly—without the need to relocate tenants during construction. The goal is to reduce heating bills while making buildings thermally resilient with minimal dependence on energy-consuming systems.

We are recruiting for two pilot opportunities:

  • Pilot Building B: A physical demonstration building matching the traditional 1960–1985 profile, where the insulation solution will be installed and monitored.
  • Pilot Building D: A simulation pilot for providers with larger portfolios of similar housing, testing how solutions proven on one building can scale to hundreds of units without additional prototyping costs.

Providers with a suitable building or an interest in large-scale simulation are encouraged to get in touch.

Contact us at joao.goncalves@housingeurope.eu

Project Opportunity #2

Call for pilots: RENAISSANCE Project – Robotic Ecosystems for Social Housing Renovation

We are inviting social housing organisations to join a Horizon Europe consortium as demonstration and validation partners. The proposed project, RENAISSANCE (Robotic Ecosystems for New and Adaptive Industrialised Sustainable Smart Automated Next-generation Construction and Renovation in Europe), targets the call HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D4-05 – “On-site robotic and automated techniques for building renovation and new construction.”

The project will develop collaborative robots, or cobots, designed to operate safely alongside construction workers—including in occupied residential buildings. These systems may support activities such as drilling, installing structural connectors, positioning reinforcement meshes, applying insulation materials, spraying mortar, rendering and painting. The aim is to improve the energy performance and structural safety of social housing while minimising disruption and enabling residents to remain in their homes during renovation work.

Three social housing partners are being sought to host demonstration activities across Northern/Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, covering different construction technologies, climatic conditions and renovation needs. One pilot should focus on concrete or masonry buildings, another on prefabricated housing stock, while the third should include on-site robotic 3D-printing technologies.

The project will also address the legislative, regulatory, safety and liability barriers that may hinder the deployment of cobots and automated systems on construction sites. A dedicated financial and business framework will assess investment requirements, operating costs, expected savings, scalability and the long-term economic sustainability of the proposed solutions.

The consortium currently includes universities and industrial companies and is now seeking social housing owners and managers as key demonstration and validation partners. The expected EU contribution is approximately €6.75 million per project, and the deadline for proposal submission is 15 September 2027.

Interested social housing owners and managers are invited to get in touch to discuss their potential role in the consortium.

Contact us at joao.goncalves@housingeurope.eu