Link: Project's EU portal page
Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. Deep Renovation of existing old buildings has the potential to lead to significant energy savings and a tremendous carbon footprint shrinkage. The current EU climate targets open an ample opportunity for exponential growth in the building thermal insulation materials market owing to the increasing number of new residential buildings and current deep renovation needs.
The target is to support residential building´s construction performance extraordinary at all three hierarchical levels of construction parts simultaneously (building, component, material) by creating an amplified environmental impact and reducing additionally VOC emissions. BIO4EEB will apply non-hazardous bio-based material as e.g. Posidonia and various bio-based foams to develop and to proof the marketability of smart components for external and internal use as material application, pre-fab panels or windows. The efficiency and effectiveness is quite important to match with market demands and establish a unique selling proposition including a seven years RoI!
BIO4EEB will close the increasing gap of insulation material shortage caused by the regular growing demand and the mismatch caused by lacking production potential and the outcome of the current energy crisis by boosting the use of available bio-based qualified materials as alternative solutions.
The objective is to substitute using fossil resources for components and replace them at a comparable price value positioning. New business models utilizing the complete economic value chain open the market for bio-based BIO4EEB solutions and products uplifting the generic bio-based material use and qualifying their application at a circular economy approach for creating a much greener EU building and construction industry real estate stock.
Overview:
BIO4EEB is dedicated to enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings and reducing their carbon footprint through the utilization of bio-based materials. It focuses on developing and demonstrating various bio-based solutions, including Posidonia panels, PLA foam, and bio-polyurethane, suitable for different building types and climatic conditions. The project encompasses five real and three virtual pilot sites across Europe, where these materials are tested in diverse scenarios, encompassing both new constructions and refurbishments. BIO4EEB aims to improve environmental impact and align with EU directives throughout a building's lifecycle while demonstrating the affordability and versatility of these solutions in various real-world contexts.
Efforts and expected outcomes:
The BIO4EEB project represent a step towards sustainable development in the building industry, it brings together a multidisciplinary team from 10 European countries and a Latin American partner, comprising research organizations, universities, large companies, and Small and medium-sized enterprises. The project's focus is on transforming the building industry using bio-based insulation materials, with a particular emphasis on Posidonia oceanica. This material choice is driven by its sustainable sourcing, environmental benefits, and enhanced energy efficiency. The outcomes anticipated from BIO4EEB include innovative bio-based building materials like Posidonia core panels, special coatings, fire-resistant foams, and sprayable insulation foams, as well as high-performance windows and prefabricated facades.
CEU Contribution to BIO4EEB
Led by Prof. Diana Urge-Vorsatz, the Central European University (CEU) research team conducts Life Cycle Assessments of bio-based solutions, contrasting them with traditional products to underscore environmental advantages. This includes assessing both embodied and operational energy usage and employing simulations for performance evaluation, as well as analyzing construction efficiency and user disturbance impacts. Their findings aim to identify improvement and sustainability opportunities. Additionally, the High-Efficiency Building (HEB) model, developed at CEU, will be utilized to assess how bio-material based insulation and renovations can reduce energy demands for heating and cooling across EU member states.
Partners:
3L 3L Architects and Industrial Designers Germany
SOLINTEL SOLINTEL Spain
EBC European Builders Confederation Belgium
AIMPLAS AIMPLAS Spain
TANDEM TANDEM Spain
PROTECH PROTECH Lithuania
R2M R2M Solution France and Italy
ABUD ABUD Hungary
SOPHIA Sòphia High Tech Italy
STARCELL Starcell Italy
BYCN BOUYGUES CONSTRUCTION France
STU-K STÚ-K Czech Republic
INDRE INDRESMAT BV Netherlands
CAMACOL CAMACOL Columbia
FOCCHI Focchi S.p.A Italy