Imagine wrapping an old office building in a smart new skin — like putting a high-tech jacket on it — that insulates better, generates its own solar electricity, and stores energy for later. The team built modular panels you can bolt onto existing facades without tearing anything apart. These panels use cutting-edge insulation, thin perovskite solar cells, and built-in energy storage, all factory-made so installation is fast. They tested the system on real buildings in Portugal, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
Non-residential buildings across Europe need deep energy renovation to meet nZEB targets, but conventional facade retrofits are expensive, slow, and disruptive to building occupants. Traditional renovation methods often require structural modifications, extended construction periods, and high upfront costs — making building owners reluctant to invest even when energy savings would pay back over time.
The team built prefabricated modular facade upgrade kits combining vacuum insulation panels, perovskite thin-film solar cells, phase-change materials for thermal storage, and a dedicated building-scale electric storage system. Full-scale functional prototypes were manufactured and installed at three demonstration buildings in Portugal, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
If you are a commercial property owner dealing with aging facades, high energy bills, and pressure to meet near-zero energy standards — this project developed prefabricated modular facade panels that cut installation cost by 50% and installation time by 74% compared to conventional renovation. The panels improve insulation by 35% over standard double glazing and generate on-site solar power.
If you are a facade contractor looking for faster, lighter renovation solutions — this project built off-site prefabricated glazing and opaque modules weighing under 30 kg/m² and 5 kg/m² respectively. They require no structural modifications to existing buildings, meaning you can complete retrofit jobs dramatically faster and win more contracts.
If you are an energy service company guaranteeing savings on building retrofits — this project delivered facade-integrated perovskite solar cells with over 12% conversion efficiency and 15% improvement in energy storage capacity. Combined with vacuum insulation 33% better than standard PIR, these modules turn building envelopes into energy assets you can finance through performance contracts.
The project targeted a 50% reduction in installation cost compared to conventional facade renovation. Exact per-square-metre pricing is not published in the available data, but the modular prefabricated design and no-structural-modification approach are the main cost drivers behind that reduction.
The system was designed for off-site prefabrication as 'ready-to-buy' and 'easy-to-install' modular elements. Full-scale functional prototypes were built and installed at three demonstration sites across Portugal, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic. The consortium includes 5 industry partners positioned to scale production.
The project was funded as an Innovation Action with 14 partners across 8 countries. IP is typically shared among consortium members under the grant agreement. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the coordinator, Instituto Pedro Nunes in Portugal, and relevant industry partners.
The system was specifically designed to help non-residential buildings reach near-zero energy building (nZEB) standards. Environmental sustainability was validated through LCA and LCCA approaches. The insulation and energy generation specifications target compliance with current EU energy performance requirements.
The project achieved a 74% reduction in installation time compared to conventional approaches. This is possible because modules are prefabricated off-site and designed to mount on existing structures without additional structural modifications.
Yes — compatibility without additional structural modification was a core design requirement. The lightweight modules (transparent modules under 30 kg/m² and opaque modules at 5 kg/m²) were specifically engineered to mount on existing facade systems including double skin and curtain walls.
Based on project objectives: insulation 35% better than standard double glazing for transparent modules, thermal resistance 33% better than standard PIR for opaque modules, perovskite solar conversion efficiency above 12% for opaque and above 8% for transparent modules, and 15% improvement in energy storage capacity.
The POWERSKIN PLUS consortium brings together 14 partners from 8 countries, with a healthy mix of 6 universities providing research depth, 5 industry players for commercialization muscle, and 3 research organizations. With 6 SMEs in the group and a 36% industry ratio, the project has real market orientation — not just an academic exercise. The coordinator is Instituto Pedro Nunes in Portugal, a technology transfer institute classified as an SME, which signals a practical, business-minded leadership style. The geographic spread across Central and Southern Europe (CZ, DE, EL, IT, PL, PT, SI, UK) covers key construction markets, and the three demo sites in Portugal, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic provide validation across different climates and regulatory environments. The EUR 5.9M EU contribution indicates substantial investment in bringing this to market readiness.
Instituto Pedro Nunes (Portugal) — technology transfer institute and project coordinator. Contact through SciTransfer for a facilitated introduction.
Want to explore licensing the POWERSKIN+ facade system or connecting with the consortium for your building retrofit projects? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the right partners.
