The Andalusian Government has decided to use its public housing stock to test innovative techniques in the energy rehabilitation of heritage buildings and the use of artificial intelligence in housing construction. Specifically, the Andalusian Government has made its own land available for the European projects FuturHist and Zebai. Both initiatives, funded by the Horizon Europe program, will mobilize a grant of 8.9 million euros.
Rocío Díaz, the Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing of the Andalusian Government, presented the European projects FuturHist and Zebai at an event held at the Santa María de los Reyes Convent in Seville. This event was also attended by organizations and companies related to innovation and construction in Andalusia.
The heritage building rehabilitation program will be carried out in a public development of nine homes in Plaza de la Corredera in Córdoba, declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC). Simultaneously, a plot owned by the Andalusian Housing and Rehabilitation Agency (AVRA) on Calle Sagunto, in the center of Seville, has been chosen to draft a project for the construction of five social housing units applying artificial intelligence. These research and innovation projects aim to drive a clean energy transition for historic buildings and improve the design of sustainable homes, reducing energy consumption and providing comfort and environmental quality.
Efficient and Innovative Methodologies
In the FuturHist project, the Andalusian Housing and Rehabilitation Agency (AVRA) is participating along with 17 other European organizations to define an intervention approach that will ensure the future energy transition of historic buildings. The solutions developed will be applied and tested not only in the Junta’s public housing in Plaza de la Corredera but also in other buildings in Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
In the Zebai project, 18 European entities (including AVRA) will work to develop efficient and innovative methodologies, based on artificial intelligence, to construct sustainable buildings with zero energy consumption and better environmental quality. The tools and methodologies established in this process will be applied both in the project on Calle Sagunto in Seville, in a building on the University of Birmingham campus (UK), as well as in social housing in Ukraine and the AMS Institute hospital in Deerns, the Netherlands.
Minister Rocío Díaz emphasized the importance of these projects in advancing sustainable rehabilitation and efficient construction, highlighting that "innovation and technology are key to addressing the challenges of climate change and improving the quality of life for citizens." These projects not only represent a significant advance in heritage management and housing construction but also position Andalusia as a leader in the application of new technologies for sustainability and energy efficiency.