ExPEDite Living Lab
The ExPEDite Living Lab is a real-life innovation environment established within the ExPEDite project to accelerate the transition of a selected district (Kipsala) in Riga (LV) toward becoming a Positive Energy District (PED).
A space for co-creation and experimentation
The ExPEDite Living Lab serves as an open and collaborative platform where citizens, researchers, municipal representatives, and private-sector partners co-design, test, and evaluate energy-transition solutions in real urban settings. The Living Lab bridges the gap between research and real-world implementation.
It aims to identify and validate technical solutions, behavioural changes, and development pathways that enable positive energy performance — while improving residents’ quality of life and supporting Riga’s climate-neutrality ambitions.
Core Functions
Co-creation and stakeholder engagement
The Living Lab promotes close collaboration between Riga Technical University (RTU), the City of Riga, local communities, and technology providers.
Through co-design workshops, participatory consultations, and user feedback sessions, stakeholders jointly define priorities, identify barriers, and shape the district’s transformation strategy.
Testing and validation of solutions
The ExPEDite Living Lab provides a framework for testing both digital and physical interventions — such as renewable energy integration, building retrofits, smart control systems, and energy-sharing mechanisms — under real operating conditions.
Initial activities include alpha testing of the digital Living Lab environment at RTU, focusing on usability, user interaction, and feedback collection through the project’s mobile application.
Iterative learning and feedback integration
Insights from participants are continuously fed back into the technical development process, helping refine both the digital tools and the methodological approach for PED transformation.
This iterative cycle ensures that proposed solutions remain responsive, user-centred, and robust.
Assessment and scalability
The Living Lab systematically assesses implemented measures using both quantitative indicators (energy balance, CO₂ reduction, participation rate) and qualitative criteria (user experience, social acceptance).
These results form a strong basis for replication and upscaling of the Living Lab concept in other European cities.
Strategic Role
The ExPEDite Living Lab acts as a local interface between project research activities and municipal energy-transition policies.
By combining participatory research with data-driven analysis, it supports evidence-based decision-making and helps design sustainable, inclusive, and energy-positive urban districts. The knowledge and experience gained will feed directly into the ExPEDite PED methodological roadmap and enhance the replicability of the approach across Europe.
ExPEDite Living Lab Events
- Understanding what young generation thinks of PEDs – Student session at RTU February – March 2026 (closed)
- Demonstration of integrated tools to experts and sister projects as a part of CONECT conference – 15 May 2026