Thermal renovation of a panelka building in Chernihiv and technology transfer

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

 

‘Panelka’ is the colloquial term for the vast Soviet-era concrete-panel apartment buildings found in many eastern European cities. Panelkas built using prefabricated concrete panels were initially designed to last just 20-25 years but most are still in use today without major renovation. They are cold, poorly ventilated, use far too much energy and are costly to renovate. 

 

In Ukraine, approximately 85% of such pre-1990 housing stock suffers from poor energy efficiency, consuming twice as much energy per apartment than those found in EU countries with similar climates. This challenge has been made worse by the war with Russia, which highlights the need for energy-efficient homes in the face of deliberate attacks on energy infrastructure. Previous work in this area has shown that manual renovations are slow and costly.

 

Adopting EU energy efficiency standards could cut Ukraine’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 each year while saving the country nearly €1 billion in annual heating costs.

OBJECTIVES

The Panelka 2.0 project will address critical environmental, waste management, energy efficiency and climate issues in the construction sector, at both the EU and local levels, specifically targeting the inefficient energy use and waste management in Ukraine. By recycling war-related construction waste and utilising local bio-resources, the project not only addresses environmental issues but also stimulates local economies and supports sustainable reconstruction efforts.

 

The goal of this project is to empower both the professional community of architects and engineers and homeowners' associations (HOAs) to facilitate comprehensive circular renovations. As there are no previous instances of renovations based on prefabrication and bio-based materials in Ukraine, this project aims to pioneer this approach.

 

The project will take and apply lessons learned from similar projects in Estonia (technology transfer) and will be in line with recent changes in Ukrainian law to improve energy efficiency and insulation. This in turn will support Ukraine’s broader European integration goals.

 

The project specifically aims to:

 

Objective 1: Implement Lighthouse Renovation in Chernihiv

1. identify a pilot building in good condition requiring thermal modernisation and possessing a motivated community of co-owners
   
2. design and implement a participative and inclusive decision-making process for co-owners, including education on technical aspects of renovation, sustainability, funding opportunities and energy certificates
3. carry out a thorough renovation of the building using prefabricated panels
4. test the use of straw insulation and recycled wood in the Ukrainian context, demonstrating the potential of demolition waste for creating new building materials

 

Objective 2: Capacity Building

1. collect knowledge on necessary competences and design a capacity-building programme for professional apartment building managers focusing on prefabricated circular renovations
2. develop and implement a capacity-building programme for construction industry stakeholders, leveraging the pilot renovation's materials and technology experiences

 

Objective 3: Maximise Impact and Outreach

1. identify barriers and strategies for scaling up prefabricated circular renovations and disseminate this knowledge - this includes identifying legal issues, innovative techniques to make renovations cost-effective, labour and material efficiency, local bio-based building materials and finding additional funding sources
   
2. promote and exploit project results widely within the construction sector while advocating for the use of its methodologies

 

Panelka 2.0 will contribute significantly to EU policy areas such as climate change mitigation, circular economy and clean energy transition.

 

RESULTS

 

The project’s expected results are:

 

• 75% reduced energy consumption in the pilot building
• CO2 emissions reduction: achieving EU-level energy efficiency could cut approximately 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually
• potential $1 billion reduction in annual heating bills
• 4 training programmes for building managers and construction professionals to promote widespread adoption of sustainable renovation practices
• a set of detailed renovation guidelines and policy recommendations for replicating best practices at scale and enshrining them in national legislation