Typology Approach

TABULA aims to create a harmonised structure for European building typologies. Residential buildings are the focus, but activities extend beyond them.

Each national typology will be a set of model residential buildings with characteristic energy related properties. These will each represent a certain construction period of the country and a specific building size. Furthermore, the number of buildings and apartments which they represent, and the overall floor areas, will be identified. The development and utilisation of a webtool, serving as a data source for scenario analyses, will be the other key outcome.

The action addresses experts working on scenario analyses, as well as policy makers, at regional, national or EU level. Energy consultants can also use the typologies for initial advice.

Efforts are made to expand the typology structure to countries not involved in the project, with the webtool being open for addition of further national typologies by relevant experts.

Major outputs and Results

The major outputs will be:

• Structure of Building / System Typology

A common structure for building typologies will be developed on the basis of already existing national typologies of residential buildings and heat supply systems. The structure considers the different national construction types. Its presentation follows the needs of the target groups and involved key actors.

• Building Typology data

The typology structure will be filled with national data by each partner:

- typical values for: thermal envelope areas, U-values and g-values

- performance of supply systems

- frequencies of building and system types in the national stock

- energy saving measures on two levels: “typical” and “advanced”

The documentation will result in brochures for each participating country which give an overview of the energy performance of typical buildings and the possible energy saving by refurbishment measures.

• Building Typology Webtool

The building typology data elaborated during the project will be published by a special Building Typology Webtool. For each participating country the national typology will be presented in form of a matrix with photographs of typical buildings, arranged according to construction year period and building size. For each building type information will be given about frequency, typical supply systems, typical energy performance. Furthermore the possible energy savings and carbon dioxide emission reduction will be indicated. Clicking on a building type will give access to building data sheets and sub-typologies with detailed information about the structural elements and the supply systems. For each building type from each country an online-calculation can be performed for assessing its energy performance in the original state and the achievable energy savings by applying one or several measures which are selectable by the user.

Specific Objectives of the Action

The specific objective of the action is to elaborate a set of model buildings for each participating country that can be used as representatives of the national building stock.. The typical buildings will be used in each country as a showcase for demonstrating the energy performance and the energy saving potentials which can be obtained by refurbishing the thermal envelope and the supply system. This will be shown on two levels: for “typical refurbishment” applying measures which are commonly used in the country and for “advanced refurbishment” applying measures which reflect the best available technologies, e.g. passive house technologies. These demonstration calculations will be done in each country by using the national EPBD asset rating method and by showing the assessment before and after the refurbishment. The results will be published by each partner in national building typology brochures.

Additional information about the frequencies of building and system types will make it possible to use the typology as a model for the assessment of the energy performance of the whole national building stock. This will be demonstrated during several national typology projects.

The main result of the project will be a webtool which provides thermal envelope areas, U-values, supply system efficiencies and other indicators for typical buildings of each participating country. The published data can be used by experts from all European countries for the assessment of national building stocks, for cross-country comparisons or for scenario calculations (evaluations for energy saving policies, programmes or projects, e.g. in the frame of ESD implementation). Apart from publishing the building data and statistics the webtool serves as a demonstration tool: For each typical building an online-calculation feature will show the possible energy saving which can be obtained by refurbishment measures of different quality (categories “typical” and “advanced”).

The objectives of the action therefore respond especially to the priorities “Energy Efficient Buildings, / market transformation” and “Energy Services Initiative / enabling policies and strategies” of the IEE Work Programme 2008.

Strategic Objectives of the Action

In the long run the national building typologies can be used as data sources for forecasting and evaluating the energy savings and the carbon dioxide emission reduction for each European country. Such calculations are being performed for example in the framework of the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive (ESD), or in the framework of national carbon dioxide emission balances. Due to the harmonisation of the typology scheme the data will be consistent for all participating countries which will be in favour for reliable cross-country comparisons. Furthermore an expansion to non-participating European member states is possible and would facilitate an EU wide evaluation and monitoring.

If the application in the sector of residential buildings is successful an expansion to non-residential buildings can be performed.