Last February, the three communities selected to participate in the rehabilitation process as part of the VILAWATT project were announced. The three communities in question will be subject to an ambitious energy renovation of their buildings, built almost 50 years ago, with the ultimate goal of reducing energy consumption by 70% and, at the same time, offering healthier and more comfortable interiors for its inhabitants.
The project is innovative in many aspects, for instance, in the way of focusing and managing the renovation process. Vilawatt is above all an energy transition project and, therefore, it aims to motivate a change in the way users have participated so far in the renovation processes of their buildings, integrating energy culture and environmental quality.
Such an ambitious renovation project also needs the change in the way users will perceive their buildings. Habits that were common until now will have to adapt to the new needs of the renovated building.
For the renovation to be successful and meet the needs of the users, it is very important to ensure their active and proactive participation in the whole process. For this reason, as part of the project, a participatory process has been designed with the neighbors of the communities. This process is based on learning and exchange meetings to co-design the necessary energy renovation actions in each building and adapt it to the singularities of the users and the community.
Last March, the participatory process began with the first meetings with the communities where the entire process was explained, the ambition of the project and the need and convenience of their active participation. Since then, and during the coming weeks, intensive work is being carried out between the actors responsible for the renovation project – VIMED, Associació LIMA, Gespromat – and the users of the buildings in order to reach a consensus on the interventions of renovation to be implemented in the three buildings and to approve some executive projects before summer.
