In the context of the Paris Agreement, and the derived European, national and regional objectives and associated legislation, the transition to a climate-neutral built environment is one of the main objectives. Sustainable energy generation and energy saving in the built environment are essential for achieving the agreed objectives.

Façades form a large part of the building envelope of houses and apartments, especially in high-rise buildings in the cities. Three technological developments are currently underway related to façades: Energy efficient facades, Aesthetic facade and Aesthetic facades that remain beautiful longer and require less maintenance.

Within the LEEF project, 300 DIRT-REPELLENT COLORED SOLAR PANELS will be produced and integrated into inhabited buildings (new construction) within De Groene Loper in Maastricht. To this end, dirt-resistant colored coatings for the cover glass of building integrated solar panels (BIPV) will be scaled up from TRL 6 to TRL 8. The performance of the dirt-repellent colored BIPV panels will be monitored during and after the LEEF project.

Secondly, two SMART WINDOWS will be produced within the project and integrated in TNO test buildings at SolarBEAT in Eindhoven. The smart coatings technology for window glass will be scaled up from TRL 4 to TRL 6. These coatings are smart because they switch independently between transmitting and blocking of solar heat radiation. The SMART WINDOWS simultaneously optimize the energy demand for heating a house in winter and for cooling in summer. The performance of a thermochromic IGU will be monitored during and after the LEEF project.