RESTO: PIONEERING SUSTAINABLE BUILDING RENOVATION IN ESTONIA

Location: Võru
Country: Estonia
Contact Information: [email protected]
Website Address: Link

The RESTO pilot project, launched in early 2022 in Estonia, represents a significant step towards sustainable urban renovation. A collaboration between the city of Võru, the FinEst Smart City Center of Excellence, and TalTech, the project aims to create a digital tool for local governments to develop effective building renovation strategies. Addressing the European Union’s Green Deal’s ambitious goal of renovating all existing buildings by 2050, RESTO focuses on enhancing energy efficiency and climate neutrality in urban architecture. By collecting and analyzing data on thousands of renovation options for each building, the tool is designed to guide renovations in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. This innovative approach, tested in Võru through a specific pilot project, could revolutionize the way cities approach building renovation, balancing historical preservation with modern energy needs.

Thematic Area – Digitalisation
Thematic Sub-category –

  • Buildings & environment
  • Smart city solutions and tools

Type of Actor/Agent – Local council, Taltech,
FinEst Smart city centre of excellence, others.
Typology of Green Urban Site – Urban areas

Green City Elements:

  • Buildings and Climate Change
  • Smart Governance
  • Smart Environment
  • Citizen Engagement
  • Sensorization
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Energy Savings
  • Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Engagement and Consultation:
Target Groups – Citizens, property owners
Public Engagement – Was applied
Consultation Tools Used – n/a

Resources and Transferability:
Teaching Materials/Resources: Video
Personal Skills Required: High
Non-discriminatory Principles: Yes
Transferability Potential: High

Innovation and Impact:
RESTO project is marked by its innovative approach to urban renovation, primarily through the development of a sophisticated digital tool to aid local governments in planning and executing building renovations. This tool uniquely integrates extensive data from various sources, analyzing around 6,000 renovation options for each building, with the aim of optimizing energy efficiency and reducing emissions. The impact of this innovation is significant: it enables a more targeted, costeffective approach to renovation, ensuring that buildings, even in heritage-protected areas, can meet modern energy standards without compromising their historical value.
Expected Impact High
Level of Scale of Innovation 5

Budget and Analysis: Budget Spent, Source of Money: 600 000 Euro, EU fonds and Taltech
Benefits: It enhances energy efficiency and reduces carbon emissions, supporting climate change mitigation. Improves living conditions with better-insulated buildings, fostering public awareness about sustainable practices and project drives cost savings in energy, stimulating job creation in construction and renewable energy sectors. Challenges: Need for accurate data collection from diverse sources and also adapting the tool to evolving urban development and environmental standards for long term goals.