From circular renovation to collective buy-in schemes: three days of site visits, workshops and shared inspiration in Ireland.
In May, Arec Reno partners came together in Dublin for the project’s first consortium meeting after the kick-off in Paris. Hosted by KORE Retrofit, the three-day gathering offered a valuable moment to reconnect, exchange lessons from across Europe and look ahead to the next phase of the project.
Arec Reno is all about accelerating deep renovation at district level. The project brings together partners from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Ireland to explore how collective buy-in schemes, biobased materials, inclusive workforce development and better business models can help make renovation more accessible, scalable and future-proof. Dublin proved to be a fitting place to bring these ideas to life.
Learning from circular renovation in practice
The programme started with a close connection to another European project: Circular Reno. Partners joined the Irish Biobased Stakeholder & Advisory Group close-out meeting, creating a useful bridge between the two projects and their shared interest in circular, low-carbon renovation.
The day also included site visits that showed how different renovation approaches are already being tested in practice. Partners visited an EcoCocon low-carbon project and a Circular Reno pilot, exploring how biobased and circular solutions can be applied in real buildings. These visits made the project’s ambitions tangible: renovation is not only about improving energy performance, but also about rethinking materials, processes and collaboration across the whole value chain.
Shaping the Arec Reno story
On the second day, partners gathered at The Masonry for project updates, coordination sessions and interactive workshops. This repurposed warehouse in the heart of Dublin provided a fitting setting for a day of collaboration and exchange.
The workshops focused on two key questions: how do we tell the Arec Reno story clearly to different audiences, and how can pilot projects move from single test cases to a more scalable approach? Through a playful card game, partners explored the general pilot methodology and discussed country-specific challenges and opportunities for replication. Together, the sessions helped define the common thread behind Arec Reno: not only renovating homes, but building the conditions that make better renovation possible at scale.
Inspiration from Dublin’s renovation landscape
The final day took partners into Dublin’s built environment. Starting at St Bricin’s Park, where partners saw how existing housing can be transformed into better-performing, more comfortable homes, while also learning about the importance of craftsmanship, implementation quality and worker education in achieving strong energy results.
The visit to Clancy Barracks offered another perspective: how historic buildings and new developments can come together in one area. The location showed the complexity and potential of working with existing structures, heritage value and changing urban needs.
[Photo: Clancy Barracks during renovation – Acara Concepts]
Collaboration is key
Across the three days, one theme kept coming back: renovation at scale depends on collaboration. No single organisation can solve the renovation challenge alone. It requires residents, housing organisations, local authorities, SMEs, material suppliers, financiers and project partners to work together in new ways. That is exactly where Arec Reno partners want to make a difference.
By combining practical pilots with European knowledge exchange, the project aims to support collective buy-in schemes that make deep renovation easier to organise, easier to finance and easier to replicate. The Dublin meeting was an important step in that journey. It helped partners align around the next phase, learn from Irish examples and strengthen the shared ambition behind the project.
A big thank you to our partner KORE Retrofit for hosting the meeting and to all partners for their energy, ideas and open conversations throughout the three days.
Video on LinkedIn – more video’s will be posted in the next weeks!
