Representatives of the public administration, the building renovation sector and the educational sector met on November 16, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, within the CaPABle project (Building capacity of public authorities towards meeting public building stock renovation challenges). The roundtable meeting was aimed at boosting the exchange of views, experiences and practices of the participants, learning about the opinions and needs of both sides in the field of public building renovation and competence building in this area, as well as to create an opportunity for dialogue between representatives of local governments and experts in the construction industry.

The meeting was opened by representatives of the Polish partners of the CaPABle project: Anna Jaskuła, executive director of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités", and Andrzej Stępnikowski PhD, director of the Research Support Department at the Institute for Sustainable Technologies - Łukasiewicz. Then Karolina Loth-Babut, managing director in the National Energy Conservation Agency presented EU and national strategies and regulations for reducing CO₂ emissions, as well as the impact of buildings on this reduction. She also described the strategy being developed to improve the skills of construction workers at all levels of education (4-8) in energy-efficient building technologies, particularly these used in buildings under major renovations, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the National Roadmap implementation for the development of skills and qualifications in the area of energy efficiency and building renovation.

Representatives of the Lukasiewicz Research Network, Andrzej Stępnikowski PhD and Jolanta Religa PhD, presented a model of environmental education for building masters and stakeholders involved in construction and renovation, as well as ways to educate construction workers in renovation, with the use of work-based learning. Iwona Korohoda, project manager in the Association, presented the aim, scope and expected results of the CaPABle project, within the framework of which the roundtable meeting was organized. Then it was time to present a summary of the current situation, challenges and needs in respect of renovation of public buildings, both in the public and private sectors. Patrycja Płonka, project manager in the Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités", introduced the participants i.a. to the importance of the public sector role in the process of energy renovation of buildings, and presented a summary of the results of a survey conducted among members of the expert group. This survey goal was to identify the challenges that impede or slow down the renovation of public buildings, as well as the competence needs of staff involved in such projects. An analogous overview was presented by Michal Ślusarczyk from the Lukasiewicz Research Network, who summarized the situation in the private sector and commented the results of a survey of representatives of this group.

The speeches were the starting point for discussions between representatives of local governments and industry entrepreneurs present at the meeting. Both groups identified the following biggest barriers: lack of experience and competence of people involved in investment processes, difficult communication between participants of the process, no sufficient resources for careful preparation of the stage immediately preceding the investment, and difficulties arising from the obligation to respect the legal framework, which needs to be improved and updated, as it makes it impossible to build long-term cooperation with a reliable and well-known contractor. The second part of the discussion, however, focused on good practices introduced by local governments. The importance of the position of energy manager in the city and the role of the project operator, supporting local government officials in conducting the investment process, was highlighted.

The collected opinions, experiences and information on ongoing projects and initiatives will help to create a tailored competence-building program that takes into account the current challenges local governments are facing while involved in the renovation of public buildings, as well as new market trends, thus contributing to improving the transformation of the construction sector.

Program

Presentations

1. EU and national strategies to reduce CO2 emissions , Karolina LOTH-BABUT, National Energy Conservation Agency
2. Launch of a cooperation platform and development of a National Roadmap for the development of skills and qualifications in the area of energy efficiency and building renovation - BUILD UP Skills II Poland project , Karolina LOTH-BABUT, National Energy Conservation Agency
3. Environmental education model for stakeholders involved in construction and renovation - results of the ENCORE project , dr Andrzej STĘPNIKOWSKI, Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute for Sustainable Technologies
4. Training of construction professionals in renovation - lessons from the RENOV-UP project , dr Jolanta RELIGA, Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute for Sustainable Technologies
5. Capacity building of public authorities in the area of renovation of public buildings - results of the CAPABLE project , Iwona KOROHODA, Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités"
6. Summary of the situation in the public sector (in terms of the leading role of the public sector, the renovations carried out, their scope and effects, challenges and needs, including a summary of the survey results) , Patrycja PŁONKA, Association of Municipalities Polish Network "Energie Cités"
7. Summary of the situation in the private sector (in terms of available/applied technologies, best practices, challenges and needs, recommendations for the public sector, including a summary of survey results) , Michał ŚLUSARCZYK, Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute for Sustainable Technologies