Smart Twin-project in Aalsmeer

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269244

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

Smart Twin-project in Aalsmeer

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Description

In this project, Smart Twin brings together a municipality and its inhabitants to work on our global sustainability challenge! Using intelligent, interactive 3D models of homes, Smart Twin helps us on our way to a more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful world. Based on these smart, digital images of their own house homeowners receive advice on the possibilities and potential for their home are assisted to live a more sustainable life.

Where was your project implemented in the EU?

When was your project implemented?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Which programme(s) or fund(s)? Provide the name of the programme(s)/fund(s), the strand/action line as relevant and the year.

Please provide a summary of your project

The people of Aalsmeer, The Netherlands, have been given access to Smart Twin; an interactive three-dimensional representation of their own home. After residents have opened the door of their digital home on a phone, tablet or laptop, they quickly and easily discover how their house can be optimized. Smart Twin helps them to explore the possibilities for a more energy-efficient, comfortable and affordable life. Residents can ask Smart Twin for expertise, anywhere and at any time. In 3D housing models, the residents discover how they can contribute to a more sustainable world by making adaptations to their home. In their digital house, they have complete freedom to make virtual adjustments. These adjustments are immediately visible. Is it wise to add more insulation to the wall? Which roofs are best to install solar panels on? Smart Twin's architectural knowledge ensures that these adjustments are implemented quickly and correctly in the 3D models. As a result, the inhabitants of Aalsmeer know in no time what their adapted home will look like and Smart Twin immediately gives the relevant advice and calculations. The residents design their ideal, sustainable home and thanks to Smart Twin these homes become reality. Smart Twin also offers even more smart functionalities. It gives residents a great say over the aesthetic quality of their home and gives insight into the circularity of the materials used in the house. Smart Twin also advises on future-proof living. This gives residents insight into the possibilities to live in their house longer. Smart Twin is fully developed by De Twee Snoeken. This renowned architectural firm has been working on the development of software for over 30 years, with the aspiration of optimizing the living environment. Every day the team of De Twee Snoeken is working on better homes and buildings, pleasant streets, improved neighborhoods, and liveable cities. With Smart Twin, De Twee Snoeken takes a unique step in digitizing all houses.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

One of the main goals of the Smart Twin project is to get homeowners actively work on making their homes more sustainable. It starts with awareness and ends with concrete adaptations to the living environment. Smart Twin shows the inhabitants of Aalsmeer very concretely the impact of their own behaviour on their energy bill. Residents simply set the energy consumption of their own household and Smart Twin generates a comprehensive, clear report that shows how they can save energy and thus effectively reduce their monthly costs. As a result of the confrontation with their own energy consumption, the residents become aware of their own impact on the environment. They notice that small actions and habits can really make a difference. With all its knowledge about circularity Smart Twin also contributes to awareness about sustainability. Using a 'material passport' of the house, Smart Twin shows how parts of the house can be given a new life after renovation or demolition. In addition, Smart Twin shows them what architectural interventions can be done to realize a more energy-efficient home. Smart Twin knows exactly how the house is architecturally composed and what potential it has. Residents can easily try out adjustments for sustainability in the housing models. Install solar panels? Smart Twin immediately puts them digitally on the roof and automatically generates all associated calculations. Smart Twin then generates an extensive energy report in which it becomes clear that these interventions lead to lower monthly costs after a one-off investment. Because the inhabitants of Aalsmeer immediately see how they can contribute to a more sustainable world, they become more aware of their own role in the sustainability challenge. At the same time, they work on the design of their ideal, energy-efficient home all by themselves. Who doesn’t want that?

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

Another important goal within this project is a unique experience of the residents' own living environment. This experience is enhanced by a high degree of freedom of choice in creating this living environment. This freedom of choice is expressed in functional choices, but certainly also in aesthetic choices. The freedom of choice of the inhabitants in this project gives a unique quality to the experience of the living environment. From the selection of a heat pump to the color of the window frames; with Smart Twin, the resident simply chooses it him- or herself. What is special about this is that the residents can first visualize all their own choices in the interactive 3D model and thus continue to adjust the aesthetics of the house. Even before only one adjustment has been made to the house, they can see in the smallest detail what their house will look like. Don't like the color of the door? Is it nicer to attach the heat pump to the other side of the house? It has been adjusted in no time! This allows residents to change the aesthetic quality of their home entirely by themselves. When they choose to make it more sustainable, they can immediately see its visual impact on the home. Smart Twin ensures that the choices of residents are converted into architectural correct adjustments at all times. The use of external advisory parties is therefore reduced. With Smart Twin, the inhabitants of the municipality of Aalsmeer have fully determined how they improve their own home.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

Together we face a huge sustainability challenge. Not only large companies play an important role in this, but also the individual inhabitants of our earth. All solar panels, all times someone takes a shorter shower and all replacements from single to double glazing together ensure the great turnaround to a sustainable world. How do we involve each other in this? How do we ensure that we are going to live more sustainably together? A crucial goal within this project was to involve the individual in this sustainability challenge in an accessible way. A large number of residents of the municipality of Aalsmeer has been approached to participate in this unique project. With great enthusiasm, the municipality invited them to do so. The municipality of Aalsmeer would like to offer together with its inhabitants an answer to the sustainability issue. In addition, it is important for the municipality that no one has to be excluded. The use of Smart Twin is completely free of charge for the residents. Having little money does not have to be a limitation for the use of Smart Twin. Moreover, using this online solution is also completely without obligation; no one has to make adjustments to his or her home! With Smart Twin, the municipality of Aalsmeer ensures that everyone has the opportunity to participate in this challenge. Young and old, highly educated and low educated; Smart Twin takes all the inhabitants by the hand. Therefore, it is very important that Smart Twin presents itself in an accessible way. Smart Twin is not just a software solution. It is is a helpful house friend who lends everyone in the community a hand. Smart Twin's interface is fully tailored to this, combined with tremendous user-friendliness. With recognizable icons, clear wording and attractive illustrations, Smart Twin appeals to all residents. Sustainability has never been so much fun!

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

In this project, a group of Dutch people has been given the opportunity to experiment with sustainability solutions in their own home. Smart Twin has ensured that these participants have gained a greater awareness about their own impact on the environment. Thanks to Smart Twin, the residents of the municipality of Aalsmeer have become more active in making their homes more sustainable and thinking about circularity. Because Smart Twin has shown residents very concretely how they can smartly adapt their own home, the process for renovating and making homes more sustainable has been drastically simplified for them. Smart Twin offers optimal insight into the materials and techniques to be used. In this way, renovation processes for these private homeowners are simplified. Smart Twin's intelligent advice is transformed into a better living environment within this municipality. This leads to an effective step towards large-scale adjustments in the living environment.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

The Smart Twin project in Aalsmeer is the exemplary sustainability solution in which residents are involved and from which they benefit themselves. As mentioned earlier, the municipality of Aalsmeer explicitly wanted to work with its inhabitants to make the municipality more sustainable. By giving a large number of households their own Smart Twin, they were able to get started with possibilities for sustainability in a 3D model of their own home. Thanks to this participation of the residents, Smart Twin has not so much created sustainability from the government, but from the citizens themselves! The involvement of the residents therefore plays a crucial role in this project. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the inhabitants, Smart Twin has been able to help them make their homes more sustainable. Smart Twin only does this when the residents themselves need it; nothing is mandatory! Thanks to this own involvement, the inhabitants benefit enormously from their participation in the project. Residents who had no initial interest in the sustainability issue have been given a first step towards thinking about making their own living environment more sustainable in a very accessible way. However, there are also many citizens who recognise the importance of sustainability, but do not know how to respond to it in practice. Gradually, Smart Twin showed them the most sensible options when making their own home more sustainable. This gave them tools to really work towards a better world. Smart Twin has also made future costs easy for them to understand and made them more predictable. With all the knowledge about expenses and their origins, Smart Twin clearly shows what residents will have to do financially in the future. Because Smart Twin helps with future-proof living, residents can think about the ways in which they can live in their house longer.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

Smart Twin is not just a 'simple' digital twin. It is not a simple copy of a house in which all properties are passively taken over. Smart Twin is a dynamic, interactive image of the house. This means that Smart Twin is actually really smart and can think for itself. With all the information that Smart Twin has in it, it can make calculations and give advice all by itself. What is the consumption of this property? When does this material need maintenance? What is the aesthetic quality of this material? What is the surface of this space? What materials can be reused after the demolition of this house? How much money do you save if you choose these solar panels? Smart Twin gives the inhabitants of Aalsmeer smart calculations and gives expert advice based on this. When a change has been made to a house, Smart Twin immediately adjusts all the corresponding data for the new situation. For example, when a resident sets the new dimensions of his or her living room, Smart Twin immediately calculates the new surface area and all new calculations are immediately based on this. Smart Twin is not just a digital copy, but a digital friend! An advisor who knows everything and also wants to know more and more. Never before have virtual homes been used in this way, in which residents can interact and learn. In addition, the homeowners in Aalsmeer themselves ensure that Smart Twin is enriched further and further! They add all kinds of information to the interactive housing models themselves. In this way, more and more digitized knowledge about the living environment is created. Smart Twin's software application keeps moving constantly and Smart Twin is getting smarter. With these special developments in the field of digitization, the living environment is improved on a large scale and liveability is efficiently increased!

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

In this project we have worked with a municipality and its inhabitants, but it is clear that Smart Twin also has enormous potential for other parties. Anyone involved in housing can be helped by this smart digital solution. The Aalsmeer project made it clear that Smart Twin is an ideal solution for optimizing and making homes more sustainable. With the advice Smart Twin offers, the right choices can be made quickly and easily. Based on these experiences, we can imagine that Smart Twin is even used from the design phase of a home or neighborhood. Even before the architect has put the first line on paper, Smart Twin gives relevant advice. For example, a designer is supported in the field of sustainability, but also in making choices about accessibility, future-proof living, circularity and aesthetics. Using a survey tool, future residents can easily pass on their wishes and expectations to Smart Twin. These wishes are subsequently included in the design. Smart Twin also ensures that everyone is involved in the construction process during construction. Coordination of construction projects is simplified, communication improved and planning optimized. Because Smart Twin keeps all parties involved up to date, errors and misunderstandings are minimized. The management of rental properties can make Smart Twin run more efficiently than ever. This can therefore be the solution for parties such as housing corporations. Is a housing corporation planning to renovate or make it more sustainable? Smart Twin shows how the process can be as effective as possible, which materials are needed for this and how this can be tackled in the most sustainable way. Smart Twin always keeps a sharp eye on the future and shows what maintenance work and costs can be expected based on scenarios.

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.