Project Start-End Date: 04/2023 – ongoing

Planned Duration: 4 years

Funding Institution: HUMAN EDUCATION Programme

Project Budget: €6,000,000.00 (EU Contribution: €700,000.00)

Implementation Building: Dormitory 6, Özyeğin University, Istanbul

Project Team: M. Pınar Mengüç, Cem Keskin, Damla Kaleli, Merve Mermertaş, Ruken Karakuş

Coordinator: Demir Enerji

Project Partners: Turkey: Özyeğin University – CEEC, Middle East Technical University (METU)

Other countries contributing to the LEGOFIT Project: Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia, Luxembourg, Ireland

REASON

LEGOFIT is a Horizon Europe-funded project that aims to develop, implement, and validate advanced, dynamic, and integrative approaches to create Energy Positive Homes (EPH). The initiative focuses on scalable and replicable smart solutions for both construction and renovation through:

  • Developing a BIM-based design platform that integrates technologies for seamless information exchange and system interoperability, tailored for both professionals and end-users.
  • Integrating active and passive strategies, including nature-based solutions, with smart management technologies to achieve climate-neutral, high-energy performance buildings that provide maximum user comfort and flexibility.
  • Exploring innovative ways to minimize environmental impacts through the smart use of solid and liquid residues generated during different building life cycle stages.
  • Promoting sustainable buildings that meet economic, social, and environmental criteria while enhancing their smart readiness.
LEGOFIT also actively engages professionals through a stakeholder community and training courses, fostering a new generation of experts with the knowledge and skills necessary for Energy Positive Homes. Additionally, the solutions are planned to be demonstrated in more than three real-life pilot sites across diverse geographical, cultural, and construction/market maturity contexts to ensure transferability and scalability.

IMPLEMENTATION

The LEGOFIT pilot sites ensure both diversity—covering different geographic areas with varying market maturity, social contexts, financial resources, building types, and stages of building life—and scalability, by selecting buildings representative of their local context. Together, these factors maximize the potential for applying the LEGOFIT process across the EU.

LEGOFIT pilot sites are:

  • A collective housing block in Guadalajara, Spain
  • A site consists of 24 single- family houses in Betzorf, Luxembourg
  • A residential area in Pécs, Hungary
  • A residential complex under construction in Nuenen, Netherlands
  • A dormitory building in İstanbul, Türkiye

Ozyegin University hosts the Turkish demo site, focusing on energy implementations in the new Dormitory 6, B Block, built in 2017. The building consists of five interconnected structures, including dormitories, a social center, accommodation facilities, and a guest house.

The proposed solutions for the Turkey demo site at Dormitory 6, B Block, aim to reduce the building’s energy consumption, lower its carbon footprint, and create user-interactive programs that promote sustainable lifestyles. These approaches make the project environmentally friendly and efficient while contributing to long-term sustainability goals.

  • Energy Management System: Indoor conditions monitored via room sensors are analyzed to autonomously optimize the heating system. This reduces energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort.
  • Photovoltaic (PV) Systems: Rooftop solar panels enable clean energy generation, increasing overall energy efficiency on campus and helping to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
  • Smart Charging Hub: An advanced e-mobility infrastructure will be implemented on-site to meet the energy demands of electric vehicles used on campus. The charging system is designed to operate in integration with renewable energy sources.
  • Behavior Program: Personalized initiatives are developed for students and users to reduce energy waste and encourage sustainable living habits.
  • -Electric Energy Storage System: The system enhances energy quality by increasing the use of solar energy and improving the reliability of the electricity network, supporting renewable energy integration.
  • Building Envelope Retrofit: In six adjacent student rooms of Dormitory 6 B Block, insulation materials will be reinforced, reducing heat losses and improving overall energy efficiency

IMPACT

LEGOFIT, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, brings together 18 partners across Europe to develop, test, and validate a flexible, integrated approach for achieving energy-positive multi-family residential buildings. Coordinated by Demir Enerji, the 48-month project focuses on enhancing energy performance throughout the entire building lifecycle.

By adopting a holistic design strategy—leveraging digitized building data, a centralized BIM-based repository, and seamless interoperability with diverse services—LEGOFIT aims to deliver sustainable, energy-positive, and comfortable living solutions for both new and existing buildings in the EU.

Ozyegin University
Academic Building 4, B5-520,
Nisantepe, Orman Street, 34794 Cekmekoy
Istanbul / TURKEY

Ozyegin University
Academic Building 4, B5-520,
Nisantepe, Orman Street, 34794 Cekmekoy
Istanbul / TURKEY

+90 (216) 564 91 34

+90 (216) 564 91 34

energy@ozyegin.edu.tr

energy@ozyegin.edu.tr

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