How can modular building solutions remain adaptable, energy-efficient and reusable across very different climates?
This is one of the key questions Le’ Colaz will explore through its Living Labs in Athens, Greece, and Trondheim, Norway. Representing Southern and Northern European climatic conditions, the two Living Labs will provide close-to-real-world environments for validating the project’s modular construction solutions and digital technologies.
The goal is not only to assess whether the developed components perform as intended, but also to understand how they behave over time, how easily they can be assembled, disassembled and reused, and how digital monitoring can support better lifecycle decisions.
Why two Living Labs?
Buildings across Europe face very different environmental conditions. A solution that performs effectively in a warm Mediterranean climate must also be able to respond to cold temperatures, moisture and increased heating demands in Northern Europe.
For this reason, Le’ Colaz will validate its solutions in two distinct climatic zones.
In Athens, intense solar radiation and high temperatures create a strong need for effective thermal regulation and reduced cooling demand. In Trondheim, prolonged cold conditions place greater emphasis on thermal insulation, moisture resistance and reducing heat losses.
By testing the same modular principles across these contrasting environments, the project aims to demonstrate their adaptability and reliability under different operational and climatic conditions.
What will be tested?
The Living Labs will focus on three of the project’s core modular solutions:
- modular façade elements
- interior modular wall panels
- modular floor coverings
These components are designed around Le’ Colaz’s circular and adaptable construction approach, including snap-fit systems that support assembly, disassembly, reconfiguration and reuse.
The project will evaluate their adaptability, durability and lifecycle performance in close-to-real-world environments.
The façade solutions, for example, will be assessed for thermal performance, structural integrity, resistance to environmental conditions and their ability to withstand repeated assembly and disassembly cycles. Real-world validation will also examine their potential to reduce heating and cooling demand while supporting reuse and circularity.
Interior wall systems will be tested for thermal and acoustic performance, structural stability and their ability to be repositioned or reconfigured without unnecessary material loss.
Floor coverings will address challenges such as durability, moisture resistance, repeated use and modular reconfiguration, while also exploring Debonding on Demand (DoD) technologies that can support controlled removal and reuse.
Athens Living Lab: The Southern climatic zone
The Athens Living Lab will test Le’ Colaz modular components under real warm-climate conditions.
Thermal and energy performance will be assessed through measurements including U-value evaluation, thermal bridging and air leakage analysis using infrared thermography. The pilot will also examine Indoor Environmental Quality by considering thermal comfort, CO₂ and VOC emissions.
Another important area will be fire performance. The modular solutions will undergo reaction-to-fire testing, supported by additional testing and simulation activities aimed at understanding and improving their behaviour under high-temperature conditions.
Structural elements will also be examined for crack propagation and deformation during assembly and disassembly, helping the consortium understand how repeated reconfiguration affects their performance over time.
Trondheim Living Lab: The Northern climatic zone
The Trondheim Living Lab will focus on validating the same modular principles under cold-weather conditions.
Here, particular attention will be given to advanced insulation solutions and their potential to reduce heating demand. The project will also monitor energy flow and material degradation to understand how components perform over extended periods in colder environments.
Moisture is another important consideration. The project documentation highlights the need for strong moisture resistance in Trondheim, alongside effective insulation capable of limiting thermal losses during prolonged cold conditions.
Together, these activities will help validate whether Le’ Colaz solutions can remain durable, reusable and adaptable even under demanding Northern European conditions.
Smart monitoring through IoM² and the Building Brain
The Living Labs are not only physical demonstration environments. They will also provide valuable real-world data for the project’s digital systems.
IoM² sensors will monitor parameters related to thermal performance, environmental conditions and structural behaviour. This information will support lifecycle monitoring and help identify changes in component performance over time.
The data will then feed into the Building Brain and IoB² framework, which is being developed to support decisions related to maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, recycling and modular reconfiguration.
In the Northern pilot, the IoB² network will also explore how modular components could be reallocated between buildings according to operational needs, supporting more efficient use of materials and zero-waste approaches.
From validation to better design
An important purpose of the Living Labs is to create a continuous feedback loop between testing and development.
Data from Athens and Trondheim will be combined with simulation activities, allowing Le’ Colaz to evaluate conditions that cannot be directly reproduced in the two pilots. The resulting insights will then contribute to further design refinements, validation guidelines and best practices for deploying modular components and digital systems in real-world settings.
This approach will help the consortium move beyond laboratory development and understand how Le’ Colaz solutions can perform in real buildings and under different European climatic conditions.
Building adaptability into the future
Through the Athens and Trondheim Living Labs, Le’ Colaz will demonstrate how modular construction, circular design and digital intelligence can work together.
By testing components across two contrasting climates, monitoring their performance throughout their lifecycle and exploring their potential for disassembly, reuse and reconfiguration, the project aims to generate practical evidence for a more adaptable, resource-efficient and circular built environment. The Living Labs are therefore a central part of translating the Le’ Colaz concept from innovative design into solutions that can ultimately support broader real-world adoption.