BLUEPRINT
Building Living Urban Ecosystems through Participatory Renovation and Innovation Tools
Project Summary
BLUEPRINT addresses the critical need for climate neutral, resilient, and socially inclusive cities by developing an integrated digital ecosystem for urban renovation design and planning. The outcome will provide cities with a user centred technological framework which aims to accelerate climate neutral, resilient and inclusive urban transformation.
BLUEPRINT creates a novel and robust system into its digital architecture to ensure community access and participation during the designing and planning stage of to-be renovated built environment. The BLUEPRINT project deploys an integrated system of Digital Twin (DT) technologies, extending to Building Digital Twin (BDT), Neighbourhood Digital Twin (NeDT) and District Digital Twin (DiDT), to simulate energy performance, carbon impacts, mobility patterns, microclimate conditions and renovation scenarios. An immersive AR/VR modeler transforms DT outputs into interactive 3D experiences, enhancing citizen engagement and participatory planning. Complementing the DT ecosystem, the AI boosted participatory renovation toolkit, built from large language models and knowledge graphs, supports transparent, inclusive and data driven stakeholder decision making.
Across its five pilot cities—Balla (IE), Issy les Moulineaux (FR), Athens (GR), Budapest (HU), and Benetutti (IT)—BLUEPRINT will apply its tools to real urban challenges, such as energy efficient retrofitting, public space improvements, sustainable mobility transitions, and climate resilience. The outcomes feed into policy recommendations, scalable frameworks, and a comprehensive integrated platform.
IES' Role
IES and IES R&D lead major technical components within BLUEPRINT, particularly in Work Package 7, where they are responsible for developing multi‑scale Digital Twins and net‑zero planning tools.
Key responsibilities include:
- Building Digital Twin (BDT) Development
IES leads the creation of advanced BDTs which integrate physics‑based and data‑driven modelling simulations. These BDTs models will incorporate real data (historical datasets) and operational IoT inputs, to assess energy performance, carbon footprint and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). Simulation of multiple what-if scenarios and their combinations utilizing AI-enhanced technology will used to deliver building‑level Net Zero roadmaps, and deep renovation strategies. - Neighbourhood Digital Twin (NeDT) Expansion
IES extends the BDT framework to a neighbourhood scale Digital Twin (NeFT), which will assess energy and carbon performance of neighbourhood as-a-whole, including also outdoor thermal and environmental conditions. Net Zero road mapping will be delivered providing climate-proof strategies on neighbourhood level. - Contribution to District Digital Twin (DiDT)
IES supports UPAT in integrating city‑scale data on mobility, energy networks, and district‑level infrastructure to development of a District Digital Twin (DiDT). Inputs feed into climate‑proof scenario modelling and system optimisation. - Integration with AR/VR Tools
IES provides DT outputs and simulation results for the AR/VR modeler, enabling immersive exploration of renovation strategies. - AI Toolkit Collaboration
IES contributes datasets, model outputs, and user pathways used by the AI participatory toolkit. - Platform Integration & Validation
IES supports WP8 (platform integration) and WP11 (evaluation), ensuring seamless interoperability, data flows, and real‑world testing using pilot city data.
IES’s role is therefore central to delivering the simulation, data integration, analytics, and technical functionality that underpin the entire BLUEPRINT platform.
Test Sites
- Balla, Ireland
- Issy‑les‑Moulineaux, France
- Budapest (District 18), Hungary
- Athens, 6th District, Greece
- Benetutti, Italy
