CULTURAL-E project is developing the European Climate and Cultural Atlas for Plus Energy Building Design (2CAP-Energy Atlas) to share the knowledge and results developed in the project with designers, policy makers and researchers.

A significant CULTURAL-E project element focuses on the identification of specific climate and cultural features which affect building energy consumption: "the multifaceted building context". This entails an innovative approach that looks at cultural and climate context to define appropriate solutions.

The 2CAP-Energy ATlas is a comprehensive tool that allows users to focus the development efforts on appropriate technologies throughout the context analysis based upon local climate factors and all the important cultural factors associated with building occupants. After all, buildings don’t use energy, people do. The existing energy efficiency ‘gap’ – which describes the difference between what is optimally possible in terms of energy efficiency and the actual energy performance – is complex and multidimensional.

In addressing and accounting for culture and climate, the 2CAP-Energy Atlas will have relevance far beyond the project and will have an impact on future building design. To do so, the integrated results of Cultural-E are made freely available through this dedicated online tool that can be constantly updated by the building science community.

How does it work?

The Atlas is conceptualised with the scope of driving designers to new levels of knowledge; where the current experience is aimed at being captured and improved. The Atlas, a data visualization library, is perceived as a comprehensive set of information sources which add questions to building designers’ daily practices.

The tool is backed up on a GIS online interface, Mapstore as part of the GeoNode platform, which provides the necessary technical features and enables us to integrate the various contents and data typologies while allowing users to conduct an operative data analysis. Visit the Main Map section to explore the 2CAP-Energy Atlas. Its layers and contents are displays as described here below:

A. Cultural and Climatic statistical data. The first group of layers is composed by: (i) Household Energy Demand, (ii) Climatic factors, (iii) Socio-economic factors and (iv) Indoor Environmental Quality aspects.

B. PEB design criteria drivers. The second group of layers integrates different knowledge domains affecting PEB design and feasibility criteria: (iv) Local policies and boundary conditions; (v) PEB Case studies; (vi) PEB Guidelines and (vii) Energy Culture drivers.

Read more here.