Exploring the Future of Building Renovation: The Second One Click Reno Co-Creation Workshop in Dublin
On November 15th, the second One Click Reno co-creation workshop took place in Dublin, Ireland. Led by Ideas for Change, this engaging session aimed to gather first-hand insights from professionals in the building renovation sector. By applying the Pentagrowth methodology, a systemic approach where participants can anticipate the future needs and possibilities and combine internal and external resources, we encouraged participants to collaboratively envision the future of their industry and identify actions to take today to build a thriving and sustainable renovation ecosystem.
The workshop was co-hosted by IHER Energy Services and Gamma, representatives of the Irish Pilot Site, and welcomed 13 key national stakeholders from Dublin's building renovation ecosystem. This diverse group brought together experts from the financial sector, government officials, real estate professionals, energy office personnel, and representatives from insurance companies, ensuring a multidisciplinary perspective on the challenges and opportunities in the renovation field.
The workshop was structured into three parts, each designed to provoke forward-thinking discussions and actionable insights:
Part 1: Envisioning 2035 – tools and opportunities
The workshop began by asking stakeholders to imagine the tools, technologies, and capabilities that will be available in 2035. Based on their current expertise and professional outlook, participants explored how these advancements could impact their work and the building renovation field as a whole.
Key insights included:
The democratization of technology (e.g., more accessible energy assessment tools).
The growing role of AI and real-time data monitoring in enabling precision diagnostics and actionable roadmaps.
A stronger focus on user-centric designs, such as mobile-friendly tools and dashboards that improve usability for diverse audiences.
The rise of decentralized energy trading systems, leveraging renewable energy and storage solutions.
Part 2: Bridging the present to the future
Building on their vision for 2035, participants were asked to identify the present-day actions required to bridge the gap between the current reality and their ideal future. This exercise emphasized the practical steps needed to achieve meaningful progress in the sector.
Key takeaways included:
Investing in education and training programs to equip professionals with the skills needed for emerging technologies like AI-driven diagnostics and energy-efficient systems.
Developing robust policy frameworks to incentivize building renovations, such as tax benefits or grants tied to energy performance improvements.
Fostering collaborations across sectors, linking stakeholders like property owners, construction companies, and energy providers through platforms that integrate and share validated data.
Part 3: Shaping the ideal Building Renovation Passport
In the final exercise, stakeholders collaboratively imagined their ideal future Building Renovation Passport (BRP)—a key tool being developed by the One Click Reno project. They explored features, functionality, and structural elements that would best serve their needs and those of the broader renovation ecosystem.
Highlights of the envisioned BRP included:
The need for dynamic and real-time diagnostics, where data is not static but evolves with the building’s usage and condition.
The importance of a centralized and secure data platform, potentially government-regulated, to ensure reliability and accessibility.
Features like visual roadmaps, tailored retrofit solutions, and easy-to-understand dashboards that show the environmental and economic impact of renovation decisions (e.g., CO2 reductions, cost savings).
Suggestions for incentivizing adoption through financial tools like green loans and collaborations with banks to make renovations more accessible.
The insights gathered from the Dublin workshop will be instrumental in shaping the design and functionality of the Building Renovation Passport, ensuring it reflects the real-world needs and expectations of diverse stakeholders. This tool aims to serve as a comprehensive roadmap, helping property owners navigate their renovation journeys with confidence and clarity.
Looking ahead, the co-creation process will continue with two additional workshops in early 2025, hosted in the Netherlands and Italy. These sessions will build on the findings from Dublin, expanding our understanding of regional challenges and opportunities across the European building renovation landscape.
Through the One Click Reno project, we are not just designing a tool—we are creating a shared vision for the future of building renovation, where innovation, collaboration, and sustainability drive progress.
