The Sustainable Building Working Group of the Cluster serves as a collaborative space for professionals and organizations working to make the building stock more efficient, decarbonised, and healthy, while maximising resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Recently established, the group aims to foster synergies and create opportunities that accelerate both the decarbonisation and adaptation of the building stock in our country. Given the ambitious challenges facing the sector, energy rehabilitation of existing buildings is prioritised for resilience and decarbonisation, taking into account both the increasing frequency of extreme events and the new regulatory framework to be implemented from 2026 onwards.

The 2050 Challenge
By 2050, 95% of the building stock that will exist is already constructed, yet more than 80% is currently considered energy-obsolete. According to public policies stemming from the Paris Agreements and European decarbonization commitments, the entire building stock must achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, following the timelines set by the new EPBD2024 Directive, a substantial paradigm shift for the sector.

Achieving this goal faces multiple challenges, including:

  • Limited energy awareness and contextual knowledge, compounded by the need for cooperation and coordination among residents.

  • High costs and/or technical and spatial constraints in implementing certain zero-emission technologies.

  • Scarcity of technical, human, and material resources to support the large-scale transformation required in the sector.

  • Financing challenges, as most energy rehabilitation investments are recouped over long periods (10–15 years).

  • Urban planning and landscape regulations, which in many cases limit the most efficient solutions for reducing energy demand and consumption.

The Cluster’s entities are committed to addressing these challenges collaboratively, convinced that a joint approach allows for faster, more effective, and broader impact.

Simultaneously, to avoid repeating past mistakes and to set a forward-looking example, the group is working on improving new construction projects to ensure they are resilient, energy-positive, and operate as efficiently and sustainably as designed.

With great enthusiasm, the Working Group has prepared its next open activity: the Workshop on Energy Refurbishment: Challenges in Decarbonising the Building Stock, to be held on 18th September at the headquarters of the Administrative District of the Generalitat de Catalunya, organized in collaboration with CSIM.. The program and registration details are available via this link.

A Growing Ecosystem
Over 35 organisations are actively participating in the Sustainable Building Working Group. To get involved, please contact the technical manager: Gabriela Paredes (gparedes@clusterenergia.cat).

Jordi Pascual, Ivan Capdevila i Hèctor Fernández

Coordinators of the Sustainable Building Working Group of the Energy Efficiency Cluster of Catalonia (CEEC)