Research database

The reduction of greenhouse gases in the building sector, according to EU targets, can be reached only through a properly informed process, providing a set of procedures, methodologies, data that support professionals and manufacturers in adopting novel and more energy efficient and sustainable materials and solutions. The project is thus finalised to support the green transition in the building sector making available methodologies, validated procedures, metrics, tools and data for energy, environmental and cost effective characterization of the most novel materials for building envelope insulation, recently entering the market. The project consists of five main lines: 1) Procedures and metrics for the thermal characterisation, under steady state and transient state, of novel solutions at material/components scale This step will focus on the development and implementation of characterisation procedures, at the material and small-scale component level, of the different advanced and sustainable materials under investigation. Measurements will also make available data to validate procedures (both experimental and numerical) aimed at supporting manufacturers in the optimisation process 2) From lab to in situ experimental characterization The measurement of the actual performance under real operating conditions is not a trivial task when materials are characterised by specific hygrothermal behaviours or by a dynamic behaviour. Data are needed in order to validate models and reduce the gap between expected and actual outcomes. New solutions at material/components scale on actual case studies will thus be tested by means of in situ investigations, using suitable experimental set-up. 3) Dynamic behaviour assessment of highly inhomogeneous components The dynamic tests of inhomogeneous materials are not fully covered by any standard, thus, an experimental approach, and a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) investigation will be analysed to fill this gap. 4) Environmental and economic issues The assessment of the real advantages of the innovative materials and components has to include an analysis of their energy and environmental life-cycle performances (eco-profiles), as well as their life-cycle costs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies will be applied to this purpose, starting from the outcomes of the previous research phases and thanks to Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and market data. 5) Dissemination The Dissemination will ensure the proper communication of results and a better market penetration of the proposed advanced solutions, through scientific papers and other channels (workshops and social media). The project will be developed according to the block diagram reported in fig.1 and the Gantt chart reported in fig.2. The project consists of 6 Work Packages (WPs), divided in Tasks, including one WP on Project management and coordination and one WP on Dissemination.