Background The building sector (considering the whole life cycle) is responsible for 40% of total European Union energy consumption and is the main contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. European legislation is focusing on existing building stock – most of which has poor insulation performance (with a total thermal resistance R Objectives The LIFE Conipher project aims to demonstrate a high performance insulation photovoltaic envelope that makes deep renovation (DR) (i.e. retrofitting of housing stock to improve energy efficiency) more applicable and enables an increase of buildings’ resilience to climate change by meeting several objectives. Primarily, VICAT and its partners aim to develop the first ready-to-use panels for simple and rapid DR, with the panels to include solar photovoltaics, concrete facade, insulation and connections (mechanical and electrical). The technical feasibility and environmental advantages of the Conipher multi-functional panels, ‘the Conipher envelope’, will be demonstrated at a pilot site, where an occupied building will be renovated. This will demonstrate the adaptability and ease of installation of the technology that is applicable to a wide range of buildings across Europe. The group will define an economical and simple pre-casting process for industrial manufacture of the Conipher solution and also prepare for large-scale market uptake. The project therefore aims to significantly contribute to the implementation of European climate and environmental legislation, with respect to renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, as well as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC, recast in 2010) that sets strict energy targets for existing buildings. Expected results: Implementation of a demonstration installation of the Conipher envelope; Demonstration of high thermal resistance performance (R); Reduction of primary energy use by 60%; Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 75%; A 50% reduction in installation time in comparison with other retrofitting techniques; and Prototype envelope made from 85% recycled materials (by weight), thus contributing to waste reduction and recycling objectives.