Innovative ECO-SEE wall coatings offer natural air conditioning

If you have visited the new Apple store in Brussels then you would have seen first-hand the striking façades coated with white clay. Natural lime and clay based plasters are an increasingly popular choice among architects and homeowners due to their aesthetic appeal and sustainable credentials - clay plaster requires just 10% of the energy input of gypsum plaster and has 10 times lower embodied CO2. On top of this, these materials are also known to improve the indoor climate of a building by helping

Growing interest in CITyFiED’s holistic methodology for district-scale energy efficient retrofitting

A more confident approach to mass-market deployment and replicability of district-scale energy efficient retrofitting is gaining traction across Europe.  One of the key initiatives building confidence among technical, political, civic and financial actors by delivering tangible results at major demonstration sites is the CITyFiED project methodology(full overview). This novel approach pinpoints the optimum role and inputs of a range of stakeholders and evaluates the sustainability of energy rehabilitation

Green living: encouraging investors to go retro

Making our homes greener and more energy efficient is crucial if Europe is to realise its environmental targets and ambitions. But securing financial fuel to retrofit existing properties is tough, with investors often wanting to inject their cash into projects that deliver relatively quick returns   Just because your home was built in the 1950s or 60s doesn’t mean it can’t be green. Retrofitting – the process of modernising properties using the latest technologies – can save energy and reduce CO

Emissions and Odours from materials 2017

From producers to end-users During the last two decades, there has been increasing concern within the scientific community over the effects of VOC exposure on health. Public awareness of environmental, health and safety issues related to air quality has grown significantly. Regulations and labelling of products have been promoted by the governments, resulting in ever more stringent specifications for the industry regarding the emission of volatile compounds from materials. With the participation

Give and take: REMOURBAN at the EU Sustainable Energy Week

As part of this year’s EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), REMOURBAN’s Miguel García Fuentes (CARTIF) and Philip James (Nottingham City Homes) joined two discussion events in Brussels about smart cities.   Organised by the Smart Cities Information System (SCIC), the first event brought together innovative thinkers and decision makers to share their insights into scaling up and replicating smart building solutions. As one of the 75 attendees, Miguel said after the event that “it was particularly useful

1st Seminar on the Promotion of Innovative Projects in Green Economy

Organized jointly by R20 MED, the R20 NGO's office for the Mediterranean region, École Nationale Polytechnique d'Oran Maurice-Audin ( ENPO-MA ) and École des Mines de Saint-Etienne ( EMSE ) 1st Seminar on the Promotion of Innovative Projects in Green Economy was held on 11 and 12 July 2017 at the Algerian School of Business (ESAA) in Algiers. It was sponsored by Ms Fatma-Zohra Zerouati, Minister of the Environment and Renewable Energies. The seminar was attended by numerous national institutional

4 events across Europe propose a Mutual Learning platform for Building professionals

European project LEARN-EER, Mutual Learning for Energy Efficient Retrofitting, will undertake this challenge through an innovative learning platform that will answer to professional’s skill needs from the participating countries as to future professionals from building and energy sector. To introduce the LearnEER project to potential users, four events had been recently celebrated, where the project objectives, the main activities accomplished and the results reached in the first semester have been

EmBuild addressing barriers to deep renovation. A call for sound renovation strategies.

The second renovation strategies due in 2017 are an opportunity to overcome barriers and to boost deep renovation of the existing building stock. Involving local and regional authorities is vital to ensure that the barriers to renovation are well addressed. Without this, barriers will remain and investments in building renovation will not be sufficient to stimulate deep renovation and reap its multiple benefits: reducing greenhouse gases, cutting energy bills, creating jobs, addressing energy poverty

Market day at the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities

During the EU Sustainable Energy Week, the EIP-SCC held a series of practical Action Cluster Meetings bundled into a one-day event entitled « Building a market for Smart Cities and Communities ».  The gathering was part of ongoing efforts to foster cross-sector collaboration to deliver a solid, viable market which is attractive to investors. REMOURBAN partners Miguel García (Cartif) and Zoé Lejeune (AREBS) joined other delegates to share their hands-on Lighthouse experience. As part of the plenary

Solar energy: “googling” your roof

Internet users can assess the solar potential of their roofs through a platform developed by Google. The online “calculator”, which was only accessible in the US, has now reached Europe, starting in Germany Despite increasing talk about renewable energy, many people remain far removed from what’s going on. To tackle this, various projects have been developed over the years helping users to better understand and use green energy sources. Among these experiences is Google’s Sunroof platform that