Editor's Note
This editor’s note highlights the key facts and market implications behind “Sustainable Construction: PNRR Funds, Technologi”, with emphasis on sourcing, product fit, fabrication, logistics, or buyer impact.
Sustainable construction, or green building, refers to the set of practices adopted for the design, construction, and management of residential and non-residential structures, using materials, energy sources, and techniques that reduce environmental impact. This type of construction offers several advantages, such as increased energy efficiency, economic savings, and improved health for those living in buildings built with this perspective.
PNRR Funds for Sustainable Building
Among the topics covered in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), a significant space is given to the redevelopment of public buildings and private homes. These are interventions focused on the sustainability and energy efficiency of public and private structures to be renovated.
Specifically, the PNRR, in Mission 2 Component 3 "Energy Efficiency and Building Renovation," emphasizes the importance of intervening in the redevelopment of public buildings such as schools, judicial complexes, as well as public and private residential buildings. Indeed, Italian buildings account for more than a third of the country's energy consumption, and most were built before the adoption of energy-saving criteria and related regulations.
In detail, with the cited measure, the PNRR has allocated about 15 billion euros to incentivize sustainable construction and concrete energy efficiency.
Furthermore, within Mission 5 "Inclusion and Cohesion," significant contributions are also allocated to the theme of green building. Specifically, in Mission 2 "Social Infrastructure, Families, Communities, and the Third Sector," interventions of about 11 billion euros are planned to build new public housing structures and repurpose existing public building areas and structures.
Trends in Future Construction
In the field of green building, we are witnessing the rediscovery of tools and methods already available, joined by new strategies and solutions to innovate the sector. Here are the trends that will be protagonists of tomorrow's green building.
Innovative Materials
Tomato is used by the company Tomapaint as the main ingredient for formulating paints for metal packaging or food paper. The bio-resin is currently also being tested for the formulation of paints for wood, textiles, and in the cosmetics, green building, bioplastics, and gardening sectors.
The startup Mogu has developed mushroom-based tiles, a 100% compostable construction material usable in construction in the form of resilient flooring or for thermal and acoustic insulation of homes.
Another very promising technology is the one that enables "smog-eating" cement, capable of breaking down pollutants present in urban air, improving its quality and maintaining the aesthetic characteristics of buildings over time. The use of this eco-smart cement is particularly useful, therefore, in places where ventilation is scarce, primarily tunnels and galleries.
There is another innovative, very interesting material: Augmented Wood – or enhanced wood – born from the experience of French biologist and architect Timothée Boitouzet, founder of the start-up Woodoo. In practice, it is a smart wood to be used for eco-sustainable, renewable, and natural constructions. It is a translucent wood, resistant to fire, requiring less maintenance (because it no longer oxidizes in contact with air and humidity), and does not deform or get attacked by insects, fungi, or other bacteria.
Modularity and Prefabrication
Among the new trends, prefabrication, modularity, and off-site processes are developing, which allow moving the part of the value chain that takes place on-site directly to the factory. Pre-processing of material and assembling all construction components in a controlled environment enable the development of a much leaner construction process, reducing site costs, including energy costs. Furthermore, prefabrication allows for a very high degree of product precision. Among the advantages are thus: reduction of waste, improvement of site safety, high-quality standards, and fast and safe building construction.
Among the innovative startups active in this area, Paleadomus has distinguished itself. It deals with the construction of bio-sustainable and customizable buildings up to "turnkey" delivery by integrating: engineering, consulting, design, site management, and safety.
Furthermore, the startup uses natural materials and special insulated wooden and straw wall panels ("Paleadomus" patent) that guarantee quality requirements for the home: respect for human health (healthy buildings) and the environment (low environmental impact), prefabrication (execution speed), and energy efficiency (economic savings).
Circular Construction
The construction sector is responsible for the production of enormous quantities of waste and debris. There is technology that transforms inert waste produced by construction and demolition activities (i.e., materials that do not undergo changes in their physical state, e.g., sand, rubble, debris, tiles, ceramics, and all non-hazardous processing residues from demolition or construction sites) into urban eco-design furniture.
Source: Read the original article | Published: September 14, 2022