Project Goals

It aimed to build a global network for sharing knowledge on eco-innovation, green economy strategies, and sustainable development, with a European focus but worldwide reach. The project harmonized concepts, mapped actors and policies, and promoted best practices for technology adoption without harming economic competitiveness.

Key Outputs

Core results included the launch of the inno4sd online platform in November 2018 (demo at new.inno4sd.net) for collaboration across sectors like research, business, and policy. It organized events, created a knowledge repository, and launched a global initiative at the European Parliament in 2018.​

Timeline and Funding

Running from around 2015, it received H2020 grant No. 641974 and emphasized inter- and transdisciplinary networking to accelerate green transitions. Work packages covered networking, concept harmonization, policy agendas, and knowledge transfer.

Project Goals

It aimed to create multifunctional components for building envelopes and internal walls suitable for new constructions and renovations. Key priorities included reducing embodied energy and carbon footprints while enhancing thermal and acoustic comfort to foster healthier indoor environments by minimizing pollutants and noise.

Innovations Developed

Developers combined materials like hydrothermally produced ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC), earth, wood, wood fiber, and cellulose into lightweight façade elements and partition systems. These improved durability, energy efficiency, moisture management, and recyclability through easy disassembly.

Materials Approach

On the material level, the project enhanced surface functionalization, vapor permeability, heat resistance, and reduced moisture transport using existing technologies. Composite elements on the component level boosted overall functionality for better indoor air quality and lower maintenance costs.

Project Goals

The 4-year EU FP7-funded initiative (completed around 2017) aimed to produce healthier, low-energy buildings meeting Passivhaus standards through multifunctional natural materials. Key benefits included reduced embodied carbon, better acoustics, and control of pollutants like mold and microbes.

Key Innovations

• Materials: Bio-based insulations (sheep’s wool, cellulose, hemp fibers), vapor-permeable finishes (clay/lime plasters), and low-VOC wood products.​
• Technologies: Hygrothermal regulators, VOC-absorbing insulations, and novel photocatalytic nanotech coatings applied to lime/wood for air purification—first-of-their-kind integration.
• Applications: Internal partitions and external walls forming a “breathing envelope” for thermal comfort and energy savings.​

Outcomes and Relevance

Prototypes demonstrated multifunctionality for affordability and durability over standard solutions. For architecture students like you interested in sustainable BIM design, ECO-SEE’s holistic approach aligns with eco-systemic principles, potentially adaptable in Revit/Dynamo workflows for energy modeling.

Project Goals

The initiative ran from July 2013 under FP7 funding (Grant 608910) to create customizable indoor materials that reduce building energy use and support low-energy designs. Key aims include combining bio-based origins with high performance for healthier indoor environments and scalability to panels like A2 sizes (40 x 60 x 1 cm).

Key Innovations

Materials feature NCC foams optimized for microstructure via freeze-drying, maximizing renewables for strong mechanical properties and low embodied energy. They act as barriers for heat/noise and pollutant absorbers, outperforming traditional insulators in sustainability.​

Outcomes

Final reports highlight successful upscaling and commercialization potential, with prototypes ready for energy-efficient building integration. No ongoing activity noted post-project, but results influence bio-based insulation trends.

Project Goals

ELISSA aimed to create nano-enhanced lightweight steel skeleton/dry wall systems with superior thermal insulation, fire resistance, seismic resilience, and acoustic performance. These used inorganic nanomaterials like Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs), aerogels, and intumescent paints to optimize energy efficiency and safety in modular construction.

Key Innovations

• Prefabricated elements tested as load-bearing structures under thermal, fire, and earthquake loads.
• Integration of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) for damping vibrations.
• Emphasis on recyclability, reduced material use, and lifecycle sustainability from production to decommissioning.

Funding and Timeline

Funded by the EU’s FP7 program (grant No. 609086), the project ran around 2013–2016, involving industries, SMEs, and research partners for testing and demonstration.

Project Goals

FOAM-BUILD aimed to cut CO2 emissions by improving external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS). Key targets included reducing thermal conductivity by up to 50% to 0.023 W/mK using nano-cellular polystyrene foams and aerogels.​

Nanomaterial Innovations

Researchers created halogen-free, flame-retardant foams with nano-scaled nucleating agents and high-pressure expansion processes. These lightweight materials boost insulation while enabling recyclability and low carbon footprints, verified through life-cycle analysis.

Smart Facade Features

A moisture control system used sensors and ventilation to prevent mold, algae, and fungi growth without chemicals, extending facade life to 20 years. This eco-friendly design powers itself via small solar inputs, addressing health and maintenance issues.

Outcomes and Relevance

The project delivered hybrid foams meeting EU building codes, with potential for standardization.

Project Overview

The project created climate-adaptive façade panels combining lightweight concrete with nano-additives (like nano-silica and PCM-impregnated aggregates) for thermal storage, switchable polymer insulation for variable resistance, and a total heat exchanger for moisture and air control.
This integration aimed to cut building energy use by over 50% compared to standard retrofits, reduce panel weight by 50%, and enable quick, low-cost installation on façades, roofs, or new builds.
Prototypes were tested at ACCIONA’s Demo Park in Spain, demonstrating solar heat harvesting, storage in concrete buffers, and on-demand release indoors.​

Key Features

• Adaptive Functions: Harvests outdoor heat for winter warming or expels indoor heat for summer cooling, based on real-time conditions.
• Materials Innovation: Uses nanomaterials for high thermal mass in lightweight concrete, plus nanostructured membranes for efficient ventilation (over 75% energy recovery).
• Benefits: Improves indoor comfort, fire safety, sound insulation, and load-bearing without extra HVAC systems; suitable for European climates.

Status and Relevance

Completed around 2016, the project focused on retrofitting but showed potential for broader use. As an architecture student interested in sustainable design, this aligns with BIM workflows for eco-friendly panels in tools like Revit.

Project Goals

The initiative aimed to cut the carbon footprint of asphalt roads significantly without sacrificing durability. Funded under Europe’s FP7 program, it targeted sustainable materials that perform comparably to conventional ones across their lifecycle.

Key Innovations

• Bio-fluxing agents enabled lower production temperatures and higher recycled content (RAP and C&DW).​
• Greener binders nearly fully substituted crude oil-derived bitumen.​
• Integrated designs optimized for asphalt plants with minimal equipment changes.​

Testing and Results

Lab validation, prototypes in the UK, and full-scale trials in Poland and Spain confirmed structural integrity and surface performance. Lifecycle analysis showed environmental benefits and lifetime cost savings versus standard pavements.

Project Overview

This EU-funded initiative (around 2012-2014) aimed to create eco-friendly cement by mimicking natural microbial processes, targeting reductions in greenhouse gases by 11%, construction waste by 20%, and production costs by 21%. It focused on revalorizing waste streams like cement kiln dust (for calcium), biological wastes (for urea), and dairy wastes (for nutrients). The process avoids traditional cement’s high-energy kiln firing, which contributes about 5% to global CO2 emissions.

Bacterial Process

Sporosarcina pasteurii was selected as the key bacterium due to its high urease activity, calcite precipitation rate (up to 100% efficiency at 3-4 mg/mL Ca2+), and resilience to harsh conditions like cement kiln dust. The bacteria hydrolyze urea into ammonia and CO2, forming carbonate ions that bind with calcium to create crystalline calcite, which acts as a cement binder when mixed with aggregates like sand or rice husk ash. Tests showed improved hardness (e.g., Shore A of 64 vs. 54 for controls) and potential applications in tiles, plasters, mortars, and self-healing materials.

Outcomes and Impact

Life-cycle assessments confirmed superior sustainability over Portland cement, with pilot trials validating strength and scalability. The project proposed dry bacterial inoculants for easy on-site use and anticipated 2,000 jobs in Europe. While not yet mainstream, it inspired ongoing bacterial concrete research for self-healing and low-carbon builds.

Project Overview

ISOBIO was an EU-funded Horizon 2020 initiative (grant 636835) running from February 2015 to early 2019, coordinated by TWI in Cambridge, UK, with a 6.3 million euro budget. It focused on creating durable bio-based composites like panels and renders from low-embodied-carbon aggregates (e.g., pretreated natural fibers). The approach integrated raw material production to finished systems for scalability in mass housing.

Key Innovations

Materials used hydrophobic sol-gel treatments on bio-aggregates to boost biodegradation resistance while preserving hygrothermal properties for moisture management. These composites leveraged natural moisture sorption for better indoor air quality and reduced air conditioning needs. Outcomes included prototypes tested in real buildings, advancing sustainable envelopes.

Performance Targets

Targets included 20% better thermal insulation than mineral wool or closed-cell foams, 50% lower embodied energy/carbon, and 15% cost reduction versus traditional systems. Whole-life benefits projected 5% total energy savings per building via carbon sequestration. Results confirmed viability for retrofits and new eco-builds.