GRADBENI INSTITUT ZRMK DOO

Their core work

GI ZRMK is a Slovenian private building research institute specializing in energy performance of buildings, renovation strategies, and nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) standards. They provide technical expertise on building codes implementation, energy performance certification, and district-level refurbishment planning. As Slovenia's representative in the EU's Concerted Action on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), they bridge European policy with national building regulations and practical renovation solutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier phase (2015-2018), GI ZRMK focused on energy-efficiency tools, district-level refurbishment design, and national EPBD transposition — essentially the technical and regulatory foundations of building energy performance. By the later phase (2018-2022), their work shifted toward deep renovation of residential buildings, financial guarantee mechanisms, and awareness-raising — moving from technical standards toward practical deployment barriers like cost, trust, and market uptake. This evolution shows a clear progression from "what are the rules" to "how do we actually get buildings renovated at scale."

GI ZRMK is moving from technical rule-setting toward solving the real-world barriers (cost, trust, market readiness) that prevent large-scale building renovation — a partner well-positioned for Renovation Wave projects.

How they like to work

GI ZRMK operates exclusively as a project participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for a specialized national institute contributing domain expertise rather than managing large consortia. With 60 unique partners across 29 countries in just 5 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia — especially through the Concerted Action projects which involve representatives from all EU member states. This makes them well-connected across Europe despite their small size, and easy to integrate into new partnerships.

Despite only 5 projects, GI ZRMK has collaborated with 60 unique partners across 29 countries — a remarkably wide network driven largely by the pan-European EPBD Concerted Action projects. Their geographic reach spans virtually all EU member states, with no strong regional bias.

What sets them apart

GI ZRMK combines two rare qualities: deep knowledge of EU building energy regulation (through continuous participation in EPBD Concerted Actions since 2015) and hands-on renovation expertise at both building and district scales. For consortium builders, they offer a credible Slovenian partner who understands how EPBD requirements translate into practical renovation projects — useful for any proposal that needs to demonstrate policy-to-practice impact. Their SME status also helps consortium composition requirements.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MODER
  Largest budget (EUR 229,950) and focused on an ambitious district-level approach to refurbishment with integrated design tools and business models.
• HAPPEN
  Addressed the critical gap between technical renovation solutions and market uptake through financial guarantees and trust-building in Mediterranean residential buildings.
• CoNZEBs
  Directly tackled the cost barrier for NZEB construction — a highly practical problem that remains central to EU building policy.