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PROBONO, a Horizon 2020 project dedicated to demonstrating sustainable and people-centred building renovation through a network of Living Labs across Europe, has generated valuable lessons not only about innovation itself, but also about what it takes to deliver it. When a research project sets out to renovate a building, retrofit a neighbourhood, or build something genuinely new in the physical world, the hard part is rarely the idea. The idea is usually brilliant, which is

PROBONO developed a card-based workshop tool, the Placemaking Maptivity, to translate the ISO 37101 sustainability framework into a practical, collaborative planning experience for cities. Developed across four European countries with support from three EU-funded projects, it has now been prepared in a peer-reviewed submission. The team, from industry and academia, across four European countries has developed a new methodology to help cities turn sustainability goals into coo

Numerical tools developed by ITA within PROBONO project to improve thermal comfort and energy performance of buildings were presented at IC2: Innovation Industry Construction Congress celebrated 1-5 June. The current shift toward green building development requires the accurate design of HVAC systems and building envelope solutions, with digitalization serving as a key enabling technology in this transition. HVAC4People is a set of tools based on open-source solutions which a

Around schools, streets are more than transport corridors. They are arrival points, crossing spaces, waiting areas, social spaces, and daily zones of interaction between children, parents, pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and private vehicles. Even small changes in street layout or traffic rules can influence how people move, where vehicles slow down, and how safe the environment feels. But testing such changes directly in the real world is not always easy. Redesigning a street,

The PROBONO project recently brought together stakeholders from across Europe in a public webinar highlighting innovative solutions supporting the transition toward sustainable, people-centred neighbourhoods. The session attracted 76 participants, including researchers, policymakers, industry professionals, and urban practitioners, reflecting strong interest in practical approaches to advancing Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBNs). Bridging Technology and Society in the Built

Urban development is undergoing a profound transformation as cities strive to balance growth with sustainability. The concept of Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBNs), developed within PROBONO project, has emerged as a cornerstone for creating resilient, inclusive, and environmentally responsible urban spaces. Within this context, Madrid Living Lab located in Madrid Nuevo Norte, one of Europe’s most ambitious urban regeneration projects, serves as a living lab for integrating

Design for disassembly” (DfD also called Design for Deconstruction) is intended to ensure the future reuse of building materials, preferably as directly as possible. Since it is difficult to predict, especially about the future, it is also challenging to foresee whether the materials we build with today can and will be reused in the future. While there is general agreement on the principles that should ensure DfD in a construction project, mechanical joints, clean materials,

The PROBONO project is hosting a public webinar on 29 January 2026 , highlighting a series of technical and social innovation tools being implemented within three of its Living Labs: Dublin , Aarhus , and Porto . As European cities face growing challenges in transitioning towards sustainable, people-centred neighbourhoods, the PROBONO Living Labs offer concrete examples of how new technologies and community-oriented approaches are being tested on the ground. This one-hour