3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
and solar heating collectors, and micro fuel cells). With regard to the energy sources, the group
concluded that energy sources of the future will be renewable – mainly photovoltaic, due to the
increasing role of electricity in the energy mix. The role of electricity will increase and heat will
also be supplied by electricity even if geothermal energy will also play a role. Instead of each
building being individually heated, whole districts (neighborhoods, cities, etc.) are served by a
district heating network distributing renewable energy and waste heat.
Although the working group believes that “energy” certainly will guide the concept of a smart
building, it is also the group’s approach to refocus on the homeowner/occupant and stress the
high quality of life that is largely dependent upon the construction materials used. The “IoT” is
the data layer of a smart building, but circularity (design for modularity, flexibility, component
and material recovery) and sustainability aspects must be added on top. Building smart means
using the best available technology, yet at the same time it also means promoting good health
and a sound environment for the people who will use it. It seems important for the group to
add the concept of “noble functions of a building” which can greatly contribute to enhance and
support the implementation of the principles of circular economy. The group stresses a focus
only on using circular materials and entire re-useable structural elements, so that the notion of
waste will completely disappear. The group brought up ideas such as including a rational
bioclimatic architecture and urban farming in the concept of a building. Urban farming fits
perfectly within the cities of the future and intelligent buildings should incorporate the
functions of urban farms and greenhouses to bring back agricultural aspects to the cities.
However, the competition for the use of roof space between solar energy generation and urban
farming must be taken into account.
In order to achieve the construction of the building of the future, planning will become a very
important aspect. Reaching the “vision requires adding intelligence from the beginning of the
design phase through the end of the building’s useful life.” 109 Tools such as BIM (Building
Information Management) allow considering the approach through the complete value chain
from design to construction to dis-assembly and reuse of materials and elements. As of the
planning phase, smart rational buildings should be established and the actual building form
should change. Buildings should not only remain residential buildings but should become more
flexible and multifunctional. Additionally, considering the fact that Luxembourg has many old
architectural buildings, the destruction of those buildings should be avoided in order to
preserve the cultural heritage. The aim is to become inventive with regard to retrofitting and
transforming existing buildings into green power plants. With regard to the existing building
stock, the group supports retrofitting rather than demolition when it is more sustainable. Old
and new, historic and futuristic, should be combined by taking into account the “human” aspect
109 See: http://www.buildingefficiencyinitiative.org/articles/what-smart-building?
130