BIRTUOSS stands for Basque Integrated Renovation model (Opengela): enabling a fair, clean energy Transition through a Unique network of One-Stop-Shops.
At the same time as the network of Opengela offices is being extended to municipalities throughout the Basque Country, the BIRTUOSS project faces a number of challenges to refine and expand the regeneration model already in place. In addition, the Torreurizar neighbourhood in Bilbao is being used as a test bench to put progress into practice.
The challenges Opengela faces are:
Opengela, besides having offices in numerous municipalities in the Basque Country, is developing a pilot project in Torreurizar in Bilbao, as part of the European BIRTUOSS project.
The project involves 25 buildings and 264 dwellings in a neighbourhood of great architectural value, designed by Ricardo Bastida in 1919. The neighbourhood office will experiment with different formulas in the social, economic and environmental fields, with an approach based on co-creation with the neighbourhood and with the aim to be scaled-up in the future to other cities not only in the Basque Country but also in Spain and Europe.
In addition to urban regeneration works, a 12-month employment and training plan is being developed for 12 long-term unemployed people from the neighbourhood.
It consists of training these people in digitisation and energy efficiency, who will then provide information and training to the neighbourhood in order to improve their relationship with the e-government and optimise their energy bills.
Programmes will also be implemented to restore the commercial activity of some of the 9 premises of Torreurizar.