ProGETonE proposes a new approach to upgrade buildings regarding energy and seismic performance
"New solutions for more comfortable, efficient and seismic-safe homes"
15 European entities working together in the innovation project ProGETonE to deliver new ways to renovate buildings, by increasing their seismic safety, drastically reducing the energy consumption, while keeping a user-centred approach.
Nowadays, buildings in Europe are not usually prepared to face important earthquakes, except the ones built under recent building codes. Thus, there is a strong need to improve buildings safety to save lives under these circumstances. One of the barriers of implementing safety measures is the high upfront cost of a structural renovation. ProGETonE proposes a pre-fab approach to reduce these costs significantly.
On the other hand, we also have an important and urgent need to save energy, with a special focus on the built environment. Therefore, ProGETonE is tackling at the same time these safety needs and a deep energy renovation solution.
Finally, a high percentage of citizens is not still committed to energy savings targets and usually not involved in building renovation processes. A user-centred approach is not common praxis, but it can offer many benefits and reduce risks. ProGETonE includes building users' in the process to listen to their needs, to pass on the benefits of renovation, beyond energy savings. The project develops an abacus of solutions to offer flexibility and fit with case by case motivations.
In four pilot projects, it will be applied this triple-approach design (energy, seismic and users). The case studies are located in seismic areas (Reggio Emilia, Athens, Brasov) and in Groningen, where quakes are induced from gas field extraction.
ProGETonE stands for Proactive synergy of inteGrated Efficient Technologies on buildings’ Envelopes and has a total budget of 5 million euros including funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 723747.
The consortium developing the action is integrated by universities, technical consultants, manufacturers, SME's, public authorities and associations from 8 countries. The activities started in May 2017 and will last for 48 months up to April 2021.
- Keep updated here: www.progetone.eu
- @ProGETonE project