CLIMATE-READY public buildings for communities

Public buildings in the Žilina Region face growing climate risks, ageing infrastructure, and the need to adapt to a fair green transition. However, public investments are often planned in a fragmented manner, with energy efficiency measures considered separately from climate adaptation, water management, nature-based solutions, and the quality of surrounding public spaces. Consequently, renovation projects do not always adequately reflect long-term environmental and social needs. The project focuses primarily on secondary schools and social care facilities managed by the Žilina Self-Governing Region, which are undergoing significant demographic, legislative, and operational changes. At the same time, building users, including students, school staff, social care clients, and local communities, have limited opportunities to participate in decisions concerning the buildings and spaces they use. The project addresses these challenges by promoting cooperation between civil society organisations and public institutions and supporting a more open, participatory, and climate-responsive approach to public investments. By combining expert data, public participation, and bilateral cooperation with Norwegian experts, it seeks to strengthen climate adaptation, energy efficiency, renewable energy use, and nature-based solutions in public buildings and their surroundings.

The project aims to promote climate-resilient and participatory planning of public investments by combining expert assessments of selected public buildings and their surroundings with stakeholder engagement, public discussions, awareness-raising, and international cooperation. Activities will focus primarily on 51 secondary schools and 24 social care facilities managed by the Žilina Self-Governing Region. The project will conduct internal energy assessments, identify opportunities for nature-based and climate adaptation measures, organise participatory workshops involving building users and public institutions, and facilitate consultations on investment priorities. Planned outputs include assessments of at least 10 public buildings and 10 surrounding sites, 10 internal energy assessments, 24 pilot rainwater harvesting measures in social care facilities, five participatory workshops and public discussions, and 10 consultations with public institutions and building users. At least 150 people will participate in project activities. The project will also establish the BIOKLIMA Community Centre in Rajec as an open space for environmental education, workshops, public dialogue, and community activities linked to the Bioclimate Park. Additional outputs will include a methodological handbook and climate-energy checklist for public buildings, an online database of project results and good practices, and the awareness-raising campaign “Public Buildings for the Future”. Bilateral cooperation will involve at least three joint activities with Norwegian partners, including study visits, consultations, and exchanges of experience on climate adaptation and sustainable public investments.

The project is expected to contribute to more transparent, participatory, and climate-resilient planning of public investments in the Žilina Region by integrating energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and nature-based solutions with the needs of building users and local communities. It will promote an understanding of the green transformation of public buildings as not only a technical and administrative process, but also a matter of public interest, transparency, civic participation, and accountability in the use of public resources. Expert assessments, energy and climate adaptation analyses, methodological tools, and stakeholder inputs will provide a stronger evidence base for future renovation and investment decisions. The project will strengthen cooperation among civil society organisations, public institutions, experts, and communities, while improving awareness and practical understanding of rainwater management, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, and sustainable public spaces. The climate-energy checklist and related recommendations will support public institutions in planning future investments. The main beneficiaries will be institutions managed by the Žilina Self-Governing Region, particularly secondary schools and social care facilities, together with their users, including students, staff, clients, and local communities. Civil society organisations, public authorities, and the wider public will also benefit from improved access to information and greater opportunities to participate in discussions on climate-resilient public investments and environmental quality.