This document presents the crossCert building repository created by the crossCert consortium within Task 2.4 crossCert Benchmark Repository (WP2). This document describes the data included in the repository, how the data were obtained and structured, where they were hosted and how users can access them.
The crossCert building repository is aimed at researchers and modellers. It offers detailed data on buildings that they can use to test and validate their EPC models. The data provided by this repository are, in general, hard to obtain by researchers and modellers. Other existing databases, such as (the EU Building Stock Observatory) or (the BuiltHub Platform, still in development), contain building data or a more general nature, geared towards monitoring the evolution of the building stock towards decarbonisation, and as an aid for the design of building renovation policies. These data are relevant for policymakers and public authorities (EU, national or local). However, the level of detail offered by these databases is not sufficient for the development of building energy models (for validation or sensitivity analysis) or for use as a testbench of new EPC procedures.
The crossCert building repository helps address this need with very detailed building data (such as (building envelope characteristics and technical systems), results of energy certificates, energy consumption data and even examples of dynamic models for some of the buildings. These data have been curated and, where needed, anonymised to circumvent restrictions on its use.
crossCert aims to contribute, with this database, to the development and validation of building energy models, a core component of the energy certificates.
The data were generated during crossCert testing activities in Task 2.3 and were contributed by the partners in the crossCert consortium. Mirroring the geographical dispersion of crossCert partners, the repository contains data for buildings with different typologies and located in very different climates. This variety in climates and typologies enriches the repository, allowing for a broader testing and validation of building energy models.
The files are organised in the following categories (for each building): main data and results, energy consumption data, drawings, other data, and dynamic model. The data have been hosted on the Zenodo platform https://zenodo.org/, a general-purpose, open-access data repository developed under the European OpenAire program and operated by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). In addition to allowing open and fast access, hosting on Zenodo ensures access to data beyond the conclusion of the crossCert project.
There are two possible routes to access the information contained in the building repository: 1) through the crossCert Knowledge Exchange Centre, and 2) directly through Zenodo. The crossCert Knowledge Exchange Centre main webpage includes a direct link to the crossCert Building Repository, where the user can filter the data according to several criteria (country, typology or data available). Accessing through Zenodo requires searching the term crossCert_building or crossCert in Zenodo or going to Zenodo Communities and searching the crossCert community.