How do Digital Building Logbooks (DBLs) move from policy concept to practical tool? And what actually changes when real users are involved?
These were the central questions explored during the recent Demo-BLog webinar on 12 February 2026 at 10am CET entitled, “Digital Building Logbooks in Practice: Co-creation, Inclusion and Lessons”. The session brought together experts from TU Delft, Leap Forward, Energy Saving Trust, and Qualitel Solutions to share concrete experiences from the Demo-BLog project and two demonstrators in the UK and France.
From policy ambition to operational tools
After a quick introduction by the webinar’s moderator Zia Lennard (R2M Solution), Demo-BLog coordinator Henk Visscher (TU Delft) opened the session by situating DBLs within the broader EU policy landscape. With increasing emphasis on digitalisation, renovation passports, and decarbonisation pathways, DBLs are becoming a structural element of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) framework .
In the Demo-BLog project, five existing DBL systems are being further developed and demonstrated:
- CHIMNI (UK)
- CLÉA (France)
- Woningpas (Flanders)
- CAPSA (Germany)
- CIRDAX (Netherlands)
Each addresses different functions, from automated renovation advice to circularity marketplaces, and operates in distinct regulatory contexts .
Social inclusion as a design principle
Sun-Ah Hwang (TU Delft) introduced the Demo-BLog Social Inclusion Playbook and outlined how inclusive design goes beyond accessibility compliance .
Key principles discussed included:
- Understanding diverse user backgrounds and abilities
- Developing detailed personas
- Mapping user journeys
- Involving real end users in workshops and testing
- Validating early and iteratively
An important insight was that many partners were already applying inclusive principles in practice, but without explicitly labelling them as “social inclusion”. The project helped formalise and structure these efforts.
Co-creation in action: from assumptions to validation
Laurens Somers (Leap Forward) then presented the co-creation methodology used across each of the 5 Demo-BLog pilots.
Using design thinking and the “double diamond” framework, teams moved from broad exploration to focused solution development. Early stakeholder workshops clarified “How might we…” design challenges, which were then translated into:
- Personas
- Customer journey maps
- Rapid prototypes
- Figma-based interactive mock-ups
Crucially, prototypes were tested with real users. Rather than asking “Do you like this?”, participants were asked to use the tool and demonstrate how they would navigate it. This exposed friction points, misunderstandings, and unnecessary complexity.
A key lesson: ten well-structured interviews can already generate substantial improvements.
CHIMNI: reducing friction through integration
Next, Karol Chojnowski (Energy Saving Trust) shared the UK experience with CHIMNI and its integration with the Homewise platform. The goal was to reduce user friction by:
- Integrating multiple data sources
- Pre-populating property information
- Reducing the number of required clicks
- Minimising cognitive load
User testing led to tangible changes. For example, certain menu options were simplified, data presentation was streamlined, and unnecessary explanatory elements were removed after discovering they were not valued by users.
Trust emerged as a critical factor: if property data appeared inaccurate, confidence in the entire system decreased.
CLÉA: mandatory DBLs in a competitive market
Bertrand Leclercq (Qualitel Solutions) then presented the French case, where DBLs have been legally mandatory for residential buildings since 2023. CLÉA operates in a competitive private market under this regulatory framework. The demo focuses on:
- Automated renovation advice
- Pedagogical guidance on sequencing works
- Freemium and B2B business models
A major design shift emerged from co-creation: initially, users were required to create an account before accessing the renovation simulator. Testing revealed this discouraged adoption. The team reversed the logic, allowing open access to the simulator and requiring account creation only for saving results.
This change significantly improved accessibility and uptake.
Data, governance and scalability
The roundtable discussion highlighted several recurring themes:
- Data interoperability remains a major challenge
- Governments often hold relevant data but do not fully exploit it
- Privacy and GDPR constraints limit direct data sharing
- Automatic data integration reduces entry burden and increases trust
- Business models for DBLs are still evolving
One common conclusion was that reducing manual data entry is essential for long-term scalability.
Key takeaways
- Co-creation must be structured and time-bound to avoid endless discussion
- User testing does not require large samples to be impactful
- Social inclusion extends beyond accessibility to trust, language, and digital literacy
- Regulatory context strongly shapes DBL adoption
- Data integration is central to scalability
