37º IAHS World Congress on Housing: - Universidad de Cantabria

XXXVII <strong>IAHS</strong><strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> on HousingOctober 26 – 29, 2010, Santander, SpainCODE: 228INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR SMART-ECOBUILDINGS IN 2030Prof. ing. Marco Imperadori, ing. Gabriele Masera, arch. Giuliana IannacconeDepartment of Building and Environment Science and Technology - BESTPolitecnico di Milano, Italye-mail: marco.imperadori@polimi.it, gabriele.masera@polimi.it, giuliana.iannaccone@polimi.itKey words: Sustainable buildings, technological innovation, renewable energy, building design,innovative building products and materialsAbstractThe design of buildings has always been a complex matter, not least because life cycles areextremely long and it is difficult to predict what will happen in decades. Today, this challengeis made even more compelling because climate change is accelerating and we may findourselves in 2030 with a very different world from the one we have known in the last century.Smart-ECO is a EU funded project that provides a vision of what should be a sustainablebuilding in the time period 2010–2030. The research focuses on routes and means that enablethe uptake of efficient innovative technologies that in turn enable buildings to meet therequirements originating from the identification of changes that will affect the building sectorin the next future. Adaptation strategies and other relevant aspects are considered to illustratehow Smart-ECO buildings, over their service life, could meet future requirements.The building sector has a considerable potential for positive change both in mitigation andadaptation strategies, to become more efficient in terms of resource use and environmentalimpact. Building practices will have to change to ensure buildings continue to fulfil theirfunctions throughout their life cycle. Most of the strategies for adapting buildings to theeffects of climate change are described in this paper. Many of these measures also help tomitigate climate change – and quite a few reduce building operating costs or improvedurability, benefiting building owners as well as the future of the planet.37º <strong>IAHS</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Congress</strong> On Housing Science 126