Launched in 2011, BUILD UP Skills is a European initiative aimed at enhancing the skills of building professionals to deliver high-energy performance renovations and Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs). This project (no 101076274) started in September 2022 and funded by LIFE programme seeks to revitalize Lithuania’s construction sector by upskilling professionals, attracting stakeholders, and updating the Status Quo Analysis and National Roadmap to align with 2030 energy and decarbonisation targets.
In Lithuania, building stock contributes significantly to CO2 emissions, with existing buildings requiring the most attention. The country’s long-term renovation strategy aims to reduce primary energy consumption, fossil fuel energy consumption, and CO2 emissions from the building stock by 2050.
To achieve this, a substantial skills deficit must be addressed, focusing on repair, maintenance, and improvement of traditional buildings. Additional skills are needed for renewable energy system planning and implementation, as well as digital construction technologies (e.g., BIM) and eco-friendly building materials.
The project is structured into 4 work packages: Project management and coordination, Analysis of the national status quo, Visioning and roadmap development, and Sustainability, replication, and exploitation of project results. It will address skills development and certification in areas such as digital technologies, smart buildings, resource efficiency, circularity, and renewable energy integration.
By renewing the qualifications platform, the project will facilitate collaboration among stakeholders to create and implement a roadmap for achieving Lithuania’s 2030 targets.
Following best roadmap development methodological practices (e.g., Kerr, C and Phaal, R (2021) Roadmapping and Roadmaps: Definition and Underpinning Concepts. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. ISSN 0018-9391) based on experience in previous BUILD UP Skills-projects and roadmap development, and the new detailed 5-phase methodology with detailed descriptions of workshop agendas, division of responsibilities and tasks between Chairman and facilitator, description of detailed instructions to run the workshops, including methods will be developed. The methodology developed by Regional Innovation Management Centre will contain a specifically defined at least 3 themes for the establishment of the working groups covering the whole building life cycle (e.g., planning and design, construction, exploitation), vertically covering all major roles with required sets of competencies. The development will be done in several short iterations with all involved partners with RIMC as a methodological partner as a Lead. We foresee 5 major workshops for each selected theme chaired by experienced sector representatives and facilitated by experienced RIMC experts.
