The evolution of building materials and processes has led to many possibilities of materials to choose, such as hay, tree barks, stone, timber, brick, mortar, or glass and steel. Today, we can create 3D-printed houses by using several technologies and materials which provide a different range of thermal and acoustic comfort.

There are many aspects that need to be taken into consideration when building a passive house, such as the orientation of the building, choosing efficient appliances and low-flow water fixtures. However, one of the more underrated ways is to avoid materials that readily lose their insulation and require significant energy resources to maintain.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), backed by the new InvestEU programme, is lending €60 million to the municipal housing provider hanova to build affordable and social housing. These new buildings will be energy performant and the project will be aligned with the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

The EXCESS project aims to transform nearly-zero energy buildings into plus-energy buildings (PEBs). The partners met in the demo case in Hasselt to discuss and assess the installed technologies in the residential building, such as geothermal heat pumps, PVT panels and a small roof-top wind turbine.