BIMERR · Project

Digital Toolkit That Cuts Building Renovation Time, Cost, and Guesswork

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Renovating old buildings is a nightmare of paperwork, guesswork, and surprises — contractors show up, discover the walls aren't where the blueprints say, and the whole schedule falls apart. BIMERR built a set of digital tools that automatically scan an existing building, create a precise 3D digital model, and then let designers test different renovation options on screen before touching a single brick. Workers on site even get smart glasses that overlay instructions onto what they see. The whole system was tested on real apartment buildings in Poland and Spain.

By the numbers

Real buildings used for validation

EU Member States with demonstration sites

Consortium partners

Countries represented in consortium

SME partners in consortium

67%

Industry partner ratio

Total project deliverables

Demo/tool deliverables with working prototypes

EUR 6,933,320

EU funding received

The business problem

What needed solving

Renovating existing buildings is expensive, slow, and unpredictable. Most older residential buildings lack accurate digital plans, forcing contractors to discover problems on site — leading to delays, cost overruns, and suboptimal energy upgrades. There is no single platform that takes a building from initial scan through design optimization to on-site construction coordination.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a complete digital renovation toolkit: automated Scan-to-BIM tools that create 3D building models from laser scans, a renovation decision support system, building energy and life cycle cost modeling modules, smart glass applications for on-site workers, workflow management and process simulation tools, and an interoperability platform connecting everything together. All components went through at least 2 development iterations and were tested on 4 real buildings.

Audience

Who needs this

Housing associations and municipal housing companies with large renovation backlogsGeneral contractors specializing in residential building renovationArchitecture and engineering firms designing energy retrofitsProperty developers converting older buildings to meet energy standardsPublic authorities managing social housing renovation programs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Residential property management

enterprise

Target: Large housing associations or municipal housing companies managing aging residential portfolios

If you are a housing association managing hundreds of aging apartment blocks and struggling with renovation backlogs — this project developed an integrated ICT system that automatically scans buildings, creates digital models, and simulates renovation options so you can compare energy savings vs. cost before committing. It was validated on 4 real buildings across 3 EU countries.

Construction and general contracting

mid-size

Target: Mid-size construction firms specializing in building renovation

If you are a renovation contractor losing time and money because on-site conditions never match old blueprints — this project developed Scan-to-BIM tools that automatically generate accurate 3D building models from laser scans, plus a workflow management tool that optimizes coordination between trades. Smart glass applications let workers see digital instructions overlaid on the actual building during renovation.

Architecture and engineering consultancy

any

Target: AEC firms designing energy-efficient retrofits

If you are an architecture or engineering firm preparing renovation designs for older residential buildings and spending weeks gathering building data manually — this project developed a Building Energy Modeling Module and a Life Cycle Cost/Assessment Module that plug into a single interoperability platform. The renovation decision support system lets you explore options and estimate performance impact before finalizing designs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt the BIMERR toolkit?

The project was funded with EUR 6,933,320 in EU contribution across 21 partners. Based on available project data, individual licensing or subscription costs for the toolkit components are not publicly specified. Contact the consortium — led by Fraunhofer — to discuss commercial terms.

Can this scale beyond individual buildings to large portfolios?

The toolkit includes an Urban Planning Module (developed through 2 iterations) designed for district-level analysis, not just single buildings. The interoperability framework connects with third-party legacy ICT tools, which means it can plug into existing property management systems rather than replacing them.

Who owns the IP and how is it licensed?

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft coordinates the project with 21 partners across 10 countries. IP is likely distributed among consortium members. Given that 10 partners are SMEs with 67% industry ratio, commercial exploitation paths were built into the project design. Contact Fraunhofer for specific licensing arrangements.

Has this actually been tested on real buildings?

Yes. The toolkit was validated on 4 buildings in 3 EU Member States. Two buildings were used for pre-validation and refinement, then the refined toolkit supported actual renovation design and construction works in one residential building in Poland and one in Spain.

How does this integrate with BIM software we already use?

The Integrated BIMERR Interoperability Framework (developed through 2 full versions) was specifically built to enforce semantic interoperability with third-party legacy ICT tools. The goal is seamless BIM creation and information exchange among architecture, engineering, and construction professionals without replacing existing software.

What about compliance with building energy regulations?

The Building Energy Modeling Module provides accurate estimation of renovation impact on building performance. The Life Cycle Cost/Assessment Module (2 versions delivered) helps evaluate long-term financial and environmental impact. These tools can support documentation needed for energy performance certificates and regulatory compliance.

Do workers need special training to use the on-site tools?

The project developed smart glass applications for on-site renovation workers through 2 iterations, plus AI-enabled tools for in-situ digital building model annotation. Based on available project data, the tools were designed for practical construction site use, but specific training requirements would depend on your team's digital maturity.

Consortium

Who built it

The BIMERR consortium is unusually industry-heavy for an EU research project: 14 out of 21 partners come from industry, including 10 SMEs, giving a 67% industry ratio. This signals the tools were built with commercial viability in mind, not just academic publication. Fraunhofer — Europe's largest applied research organization — leads the project from Germany, adding credibility for technology transfer. The 10-country spread (AT, BE, CY, DE, EL, ES, IT, PL, SK, UK) means the toolkit was designed to work across different building standards and renovation practices. With EUR 6,933,320 in EU funding and 68 deliverables produced, this was a substantial development effort with real software outputs, not a paper exercise.

NOVITECH ASparticipant · SK
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
MERIT CONSULTING HOUSEparticipant · BE
SUITE5 DATA INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS LIMITEDparticipant · CY
BOC PRODUCTS & SERVICES AGparticipant · AT
GLASSUP SRLparticipant · IT
EXERGY LTDparticipant · UK
HYPERTECH (CHAIPERTEK) ANONYMOS VIOMICHANIKI EMPORIKI ETAIREIA PLIROFORIKIS KAI NEON TECHNOLOGIONparticipant · EL
UBITECH LIMITEDparticipant · CY
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
BUDIMEX SPOLKA AKCYJNAparticipant · PL
FERROVIAL CONSTRUCCION SAthirdparty · ES
ANONYMOS ETAIREIA KATASKEVON-TECHNIKON ERGON, EMPORIKON, VIOMICHANIKONKAI NAUTILIAKON EPICHEIRISEON KON'KATparticipant · EL
XYLEM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT GMBHparticipant · AT
UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESEparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
MERIT CONSULTING HOUSE - OLOKRIROMENES SYMVOULEFTIKES IPIRESIES EPIXEIRISEON IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUXIKI ETAIREIAparticipant · EL
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGHparticipant · UK
BOC ASSET MANAGEMENT GMBHparticipant · AT

How to reach the team

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany) — Europe's largest applied research organization. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how the BIMERR renovation toolkit could fit your building portfolio? SciTransfer connects businesses with EU research teams — we can arrange a technical briefing with the Fraunhofer-led consortium tailored to your renovation challenges.

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