Bioclimatic approaches for improving energy performance in buildings in Africa & Europe

Project status

ongoing
project duration: 09/2020 – 08/2023

Project partner

• Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI), Italy
• Agence Marocaine de l'Efficacité Énergétique (AMEE), Morocco
• Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências (FC.ID), Portugal
• Direction de l'Environnement et des Etablissements Classés – Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement durable (DEEC), Senegal
• Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy (MATNUHPV), Morocco
• Universite de La Réunion (UR), France
• Ecole Africaine des Metiers de l'Architecture et de l'Urbanisme (EAMAU), Togo
• Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco
• United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN HABITAT), Kenia

Project description

ABC 21 aims to increase the energy performance, the quality of life and sustainability of West-African buildings through the identification, strengthening and effective deployment of affordable bioclimatic designs and local materials under the challenging African climate and urbanization context.
The key element of the project is the Africa-EU exchange and cooperation with the aim to create the conditions for a wave of policy initiatives on low-cost and effective bioclimatic constructions involving the nations that are partners of ABC the nations inspired by UN-Habitat forums, and the nations influenced by allies.

The involvement and information exchange with the allies will provide information in order to identify and describe construction scenarios (e.g. rural, ongoing urbanization, materials...), the regulatory infrastructure and the policies supporting passive and bioclimatic approach adopted in Africa and EU, laying the ground for mapping further key stakeholders. ABC 21 will also draw a picture of best practices for the application of bioclimatic design, passive techniques and use of local materials, and identify a set of bioclimatic indicators based on the use of appropriate nomenclature and definitions according to international standards as a necessary basis for effective design work and its communication.

For the exchange for policy support and market uptake policy-makers, local construction builders, material producers and other actors will be identified. A steering session on needs and opportunities with the allies will also contribute to map important actors. Workshop sessions and webinars with all actors, including allies, will help to gather the experiences so far, in order to complete the guidelines containing the policy proposal.