Development of a distance learning platform based on a network of connected labs to study the energy performance of buildings systems

The energy performance of building systems for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation is a driving
factor to reduce global CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change. Five Universities located in Belgium,
France, Germany and Luxembourg have joined to connect their thermal laboratories to provide
complementary research and teaching capabilities to contribute to more sustainability in the building
sector.
Within the project RCC|KN, Network of Climatic Chambers (“Réseau de Chambres Climatiques |
Klimalabor Netzwerk”) which started in 2018, the laboratories and their equipment were connected
through a remote connection on a digital platform [1]. The platform delivers real time data (temperature,
pressure, humidity, flow rates, controls from the equipment, thermal comfort values) from the
laboratories and it offers the opportunity to perform remote experiments between the connected labs.
Furthermore, the platform can be connected to a simulation tool (TRNSYS) to extend the applicability
of the experiments via emulation [2].
This paper aims to present the next step of the RCC/KN project which is the development of a multistakeholder
distance learning platform for university students and practitioners. It will be based on the
RCC/KN platform and allows the remote testing and distance learning in the field of thermal systems
and building environment. In addition to the complementarity of sensors and equipment in the different
labs, the Covid pandemic further increases the need for such a joint effort to offer cross-institutional
collaboration in a digital format.
The platform will encourage the interaction of students as they can decide over possible solutions, for
example in terms of choosing the right system to maintain thermal comfort, they can experience the
inertia of different heat emission systems and the actual energy demand needed to achieve the required
conditions. It will enhance the students’ ability to set up an experiment with the given systems,
monitoring the output during the experiment, working with the gathered data and analysing the results.
Through the digital lab experiments they will improve their understanding of how to operate buildings in
an energy efficient way and hence, later on in their career, they are able to contribute to a reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector.