The recent drive to decarbonize buildings in Ireland, including retrofitting existing buildings, is high on the Irish policy agenda, as outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2023. This Irish demo case intends to prepare guidelines and tested case studies to ensure a circular, decarbonized retrofit approach is realized for the construction industry and to inform policy change.
On the 12th of December, the involved DeCO2 partners from 3L (Germany), TUS & LCETB (Ireland) met in Limerick to start preparing for the upcoming demonstration activities. The building complex, built in 1911 with extensions to the rear in the 1940s and 1960s, is a protected structure/campus owned by the Limerick Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB). Some of these buildings have been partially renovated to improve energy performance; however, consideration of circularity and elemental dismantling was not undertaken. The demo site will test bio-based materials, using mycelium and breathable adhesives to sequester carbon, as well as green roof testing with different waste products and green vegetation.
Balancing cost, mechanical properties, and sustainability will be crucial in ensuring the success of the decarbonized retrofit. Bio-based, fully recyclable composites and products in the form of sandwich insulation panels developed by TUS will speed up the retrofit modular processes in a circular and cost-effective way for scalability in the construction industry.
TUS, with the support of Fraunhofer, will establish practical retrofitting and circular guidelines for the construction industry and building owners to support the DeCO2 uptake of circularity, exchange, and use of materials. The retrofit guidelines will include approaches to audit the condition and performance of the buildings, decarbonization approaches, and address considerations such as implementing bio-based materials and carbon sequestration methods, as well as strategically integrating renewable services (ventilation, heat pumps, and PV) to ensure healthy buildings, circularity, and ease of dismantling in the future.