Development of urban building energy assessment technology combined with AI methodology for an innovative transition to net-zero buildings

Our Phase 1 feasibility study marks the beginning of a groundbreaking, business-led R&D collaboration between UK's UCL and Mortar IO and South Korea's KICT and Ninewatt. Leveraging UCL and KICT's world-leading research expertise in the built environment and the commercial innovation capabilities of Mortar IO and Ninewatt, we aim to merge artificial intelligence with physics-based Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) to enhance sustainability and resilience in urban planning.

Cities house \>20% of the global population and are responsible for 70% of carbon emissions, underlining the critical requirement for climate-resilient urban infrastructure. Urban populations will exceed 70% by 2050 (IEA, 2021), intensifying the business need for sustainable urban planning and implementation, esp. as UK and South Korea Governments' 2050 net-zero commitments are enshrined in law (UK Climate Act and Carbon Neutrality Act, respectively).

This urban shift presents a £1.3tr annual opportunity for climate-resilient building solutions (McKinsey, 2022).

Phase 1 feasibility study lays the groundwork for Phase 2, where partners will collaborate on bringing distinct, complementary, software solutions (from Mortar IO and Ninewatt) to market. The limitations of current urban planning software, which either miss the detailed interactions within cities or the broader trends affecting them, underscore the need for our disruptive, integrated approach.

By integrating detailed simulation with state-of-the-art AI techniques, our project motivation is to provide a comprehensive tool for sustainable urban development, c.+20% accurate than market standard.