IMAGINE... A built environment that ensures a high-quality life for all
BUILD UPON aims to build a community: a place for us to come together. Our mission is to work with you to co-create ambitious national renovation strategies to improve Europe’s existing buildings; your community spaces. Our specific interest is lowering the amount of energy used by our buildings, to make them perform better environmentally and cost less to run. However, we realize that this is just part of a much bigger story – one in which we all have a role.
BGBC supports the development of a better national deep renovation strategy for the existing building stock
As you know, Bulgarian Green Building Council is of the thirteen European organizations part of the BUILD UPON project. The project is coming to its end, achieving very high results in engaging the stakeholders in the process of supporting the national government for the development of a new strategy for the deep renovation of the existing building stock. Throughout the project, BGBC had to collect the opinions of representatives of all stakeholders and their expert points of view on the key challenges and problems associated with the existing national strategy. The main aim was to get the barriers and drawbacks identified and to propose specific measures for their improvement.
As part of the process, BGBC organized seminars on the following key topics:
I Building skills and competence among various target groups
II Green public procurement and financial instruments
III Building skills aiming to increase the capacity and knowledge
IV Awareness raising
V Policies and regulations
VI & VII cultural heritage and the national strategy for deep renovations - Sofia and Varna
More information on the national and international lectors, as well as the official reports on each workshop can be found at the following links.
As a result of the seminars, there were collected over 115 recommendations, proposed by experts in the sphere of building renovation, architects, engineers, NGOs, building users, academia and the business, as well as experts from the associated government agencies and ministries. The consolidated results of the project in Bulgaria that will be sent out in an official letter to the Ministry of regional development and public works, the Ministry of energy and the Sustainable energy development agency can be found here*. The aim of these recommendations is to support the development of the national strategy for deep renovation of the existing building stock according to Article 4 of Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and the Union from 25 October 2012 related to energy efficiency.
The successful completion of the project is demonstrated by the fact that the seven seminars, organized by BGBC were attended by over 390 people, representatives of the business, the government and citizens. Over 180 organizations, business representatives, experts from the local and central government, academia and other stakeholders presented their opinions and recommendations, which will be soon sent to the related government institutions. BGBC's campaign to popularize the importance of the national deep renovations and energy efficiency strategy achieved very high results, disseminating the project among over 55,000 people in Bulgaria.
As a continuation of the project, the consortium of thirteen countries partnering as part of the BUILD UPON project organizes a Call for Action to all participating organizations to support the Common Vision for the renovation of the existing building stock.
* Summary of the results (Bulgarian)