Open Thor Living Lab
Exploring Climate-Neutral Construction at Open Thor Living Lab
During the summer, representatives from CRH SCB / Prefaco NV, VITO/EnergyVille, KU Leuven, and the Open Thor Living Lab gathered at Thor Park in Genk to explore synergies between the EU LIFE CARBIP project and the cutting-edge test infrastructures at Open Thor.
The CARBIP project aims to revolutionize the construction sector by developing prefab building solutions with a low CO₂ footprint. This solution combines innovative insulated double wall (IDW) panels with aerogel, a high-performance insulation material, offering a pathway to drastically reduce the environmental footprint of buildings.
The meeting focused on identifying opportunities to integrate IDW with aerogel into Open Thor’s test environments, such as ConstrucThor, THOREAQ, and Demonstrathor—with the goal of realizing a demonstration building that showcases sustainable, circular, and energy-efficient construction.
ConstrucThor is a large-scale climate-neutral infrastructure focusing on energy-neutral construction, circular materials, renovation strategies, water management, comfort, and digitalization. It includes modular housing and various renovation typologies, with testing set to begin in 2026.THOREAQ represents a unique test environment with twin houses, a workshop, and an outdoor lab, enabling realistic testing of renovation solutions and air quality systems with “virtual residents.” Demonstrathor offers a shared demonstration zone for validating and showcasing technologies in a controlled yet realistic setting, emphasizing integrated energy, water, and digital systems.
Conclusion
The result of the visit hints at a potential great opportunity to showcase the solution from CARBIP project within the Open Thor Living Lab. Stay tuned!
Huge thanks to Patrice Fleurquin, Kevin Vastmans and Katrien Clou for their contributions and support.
To explore more about the CarbIP project and their advantages, please contact Katrien Clou at katrien.clou@crh-sc.be.
To find more about the Aerobel, please contact Steve De Pooter at steve@aerobel.tech.
