ICLEI partner project EXCESS has engaged in a new building project in Valladolid (Spain) to refurbish and transform a 16th century Renaissance palace into a plus-energy apartment building. The project aims to give a new life and purpose to the palace by turning it into a highly energy efficient residential complex, while also preserving its original façade and historical value.

Work on the palace will set an important example and blueprint for deep renovation of protected historic buildings, which are currently accounting for more than 30% of the entire European building stock. Future proofing these historical buildings will be an important step for cities and towns across Europe in reaching their energy and emission reduction targets.

The demonstration project in cooperation with EXCESS (Flexible user-centric energy positive houses) foresees the entire renovation and subdivision of the building into nine separate apartment units, five of them as duplex apartments. The energy concept of the building takes into account the local climatic conditions in Valladolid, which are characterised by mild temperatures and high solar radiation. The EXCESS PEB concept for the palace hence relies on maximising the electricity production from conventional PV panels installed on the roof of the building. The produced PV energy will supply energy for household electricity for collective self-consumption, and for two electric vehicle charging stations. The internal design of the building will be shaped so as to maximise renewable energy generation, storage integration as well as self-consumption, making it one of the very first positive energy buildings in Spain.

For more information about the EXCESS PEB demonstration project in Valladolid, Spain click here

For more information about all four EXCESS demonstrations buildings across European climatic zones, click here.