Assessing Social Inclusion Expectations & Outcomes in Renovation Demo-Sites

This section presents an analysis of social inclusion expectations across the InCUBE demo sites, based on three workshops conducted with InCUBE partners. The analysis reflects stakeholder perspectives on key social inclusion dimensions in order to understand the scope of social aspects that can be addressed within each demonstration site during the renovation period.

Radar visualisations illustrate how different sites prioritise dimensions such as accessibility, affordability, health and safety, participation, and community engagement. These insights informed the formulation of social inclusion recommendations that were implemented across the demonstration sites.

Social Inclusion Expectations

Key findings Trento
In Trento, a key social challenge is transforming the identity of the Santa Chiara district, which currently has a negative perception due to safety concerns in the area. The renovation in Trento adopts an integrated approach, anticipating high involvement, frequent communication, and active collaboration among end users, and internal or external stakeholders. The project prioritizes improving energy efficiency, with moderate expectations for raising awareness on the topic among the end users (office workers) who are already reasonably conscious. Furthermore, improved energy efficiency is expected to reduce energy costs and improve the experience for end users.

Key findings Zaragoza
The Zaragoza demo sites faces the primary social challenge of managing the diverse needs and expectations of different families, especially regarding the financial aspects of the renovation works. Like Trento, the demos site also has high expectations for increased involvement during the renovation, both from end users and stakeholders. Unlike in Trento, in Zaragoza the community’s limited understanding of energy efficiency poses challenges, although demo site partners (especially the municipality agency) are proactive in raising awareness.

Key findings Groningen
For the Groningen demo site, achieving a balance between financial and social considerations to maintain affordable prices of the apartments for the students is of pivotal importance. In this demo site, engagement with end users is notably low because of the need to relocate the primary tenants, students, prior to renovations. The need to educate tenants about new energy-efficient technologies is emphasized, highlighting the importance of awareness during the transition. Minimal improvements in accessibility are anticipated compared to the current state, and affordability is likely to also remain unchanged, as enhancements in comfort and unit size may offset other cost reductions.

Key findings

Across the three demo sites, the implementation of the social inclusion recommendations around: end-user engagement, stakeholder engagement, accessibility, affordability, and health and safety demonstrates that socially inclusive renovation requires different forms of communication, coordination, and support depending on the building context and user profile.

In Groningen, where tenants were relocated before the renovation, direct end-user engagement was limited. As a result, social inclusion efforts focused primarily on stakeholder coordination, communication with nearby residents and health and safety. The key lesson is that, even without end users on site, renovation projects still need clear communication with affected neighbours, safe circulation around the site, coordinated stakeholder roles, and early planning for how future occupants will understand and benefit from the renovated building.

In Zaragoza, the social inclusion dimensions were most strongly tested because residents remained directly affected by the renovation works. The follow-up survey showed positive recognition of the final benefits, particularly regarding accessibility, comfort, and overall living conditions. At the same time, the project confirmed the importance of addressing affordability concerns, managing diverse household expectations, and improving understanding of energy efficiency measures. The key lesson is that socially inclusive renovation in occupied residential buildings requires continuous engagement, simplified and repeated communication, financial transparency, awareness raising, and strong expectation management throughout the renovation process.

In Trento, the renovation of an active public building highlighted the importance of end-user and stakeholder engagement in a complex institutional and urban environment. While users generally recognised the expected benefits of improved comfort and energy performance, communication and understanding of the project remained more challenging during implementation due to ongoing works, changing site conditions, and the presence of other renovation activities in the wider Santa Chiara district. The findings also reflect the initial expectation that the renovation works are slowly contributing to improving the district’s image. The key lesson is that public-building renovation requires structured communication, clear explanation of project scope and expected benefits, defined contact points, and continuous coordination among public authorities, building managers, contractors, technology partners, and end users.