Project Name: MED-SUV (MEDiterranean SUpersite Volcanoes)

Source: EU CORDIS Project Website

More than three million people live directly in the shadow of southern Italy’s most active volcanoes: Mount Etna, Vesuvius, and the sprawling Campi Flegrei caldera. The metropolitan area of Naples alone features a population density greater than 2,600 inhabitants per square kilometer. If a massive explosive event were to occur, a 10-to-30 kilometer-high volcanic column would scatter ash clouds across international airspace while devastating pyroclastic flows threatened local communities.

To optimize safety and advance our predictive capabilities, the European Union funded MED-SUV (MEDiterranean SUpersite Volcanoes) under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Led by Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and comprising a 24-partner international consortium, this initiative unified advanced satellite radar eyes with deep underground ground sensors to establish a next-generation geohazard observation network.

Project Scope: Open Conduits vs. Hidden Calderas

The structural scope of MED-SUV focused on creating a dual operational framework to address two fundamentally different types of volcanic plumbing systems:

• Open Conduit Systems (Mount Etna): Characterized by frequent eruptions, lava fountains, and consistent, visible venting. Here, the focus lay on tracking continuous material transport and estimating changing hazard zones in real time.
• Closed Conduit / Caldera Systems (Vesuvius & Campi Flegrei): These systems experience prolonged periods of quiet punctuated by high-explosive eruptions. Because their ground structures can slowly swell or drop over decades without a sudden breakout, tracking subterranean magma accumulation requires highly sensitive baseline instruments.

By combining long-term in-situ monitoring datasets with spaceborne Earth Observation (EO) telemetry, MED-SUV created a unified model capable of picking apart pre-, syn-, and post-eruptive behaviors.

Key Deliverables: The Interoperable Supersite Architecture

Over its lifespan, the MED-SUV consortium delivered a series of breakthroughs designed to bridge the gap between academic research, industrial innovation, and emergency civil response:

1. Unified Interoperability Data Hub

Historically, different scientific organizations archived data in isolated formats. MED-SUV solved this by creating a three-layer digital e-infrastructure. The core tier serves as a mediator that harmonizes messy, heterogeneous sensor streams into a single, accessible hub. This architecture aligns completely with the global principles of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO/GEOSS).

2. Deep Borehole 3D Strain Monitoring

The project pioneered the installation of highly specialized borehole strainmeters capable of tracking microscopic rock deformations deep inside the volcanic structures. These instruments capture structural stress changes down to parts-per-billion scales, identifying subsurface pressure shifts long before traditional seismometers detect fracturing rock.

3. Automated InSAR Baseline Mapping

By integrating automated pipelines with European satellite radar missions (such as Sentinel-1), the project turned surface deformation tracking into a routine asset. Land displacement maps—historically generated manually after long intervals—could now be generated continuously, letting scientists watch calderas breathe from space.

Field Reporting: Watching Campi Flegrei Breathe

The real-world importance of the MED-SUV architecture has become increasingly apparent during ongoing phases of unrest at the Campi Flegrei caldera. For decades, the ground beneath the city of Pozzuoli has undergone cyclical episodes of inflation and deflation (a phenomenon known as bradyseism).

Project Insight: By cross-validating space-based radar interferometry maps directly against internal 3D borehole strain gauges, MED-SUV researchers demonstrated that surface swelling isn’t just driven by hydrothermal water boiling—it tracks real magma pressure variations moving at shallow crustal depths.

This integrated approach means civil defense organizations no longer have to rely on guesswork. Emergency managers can cross-reference surface deformation shapes with internal gas chemistry to determine whether a volcanic region is experiencing a standard thermal cycle or preparing for a serious systemic breakdown.

Volcano Supersite Risk Assessment Matrix

To explore how volcanologists use combined satellite and borehole telemetry to classify danger profiles across open and closed conduits, try adjusting the sensor variables in the interactive simulation model below.

Featured Image: Project FFW: Sustainable Biofuel Production from Olive Residues

Project Name: FFW (Liquid and gas Fischer-Tropsch fuel production from olive industry waste: fuel from waste)

Source: EU CORDIS Project Website

As the global push for renewable energy intensifies, treating agricultural by-products as valuable resources rather than disposal headaches has become the cornerstone of the circular economy. A standout initiative funded under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)—the FFW project—took on the challenge of greening one of the Mediterranean’s most iconic, yet waste-heavy sectors: the olive oil industry.

By convening experts from eight European countries, the FFW project sought to establish a technically viable and highly profitable method to convert olive industry residues into high-quality, synthetic fuels.

Project Scope: Powering the Mediterranean Olive Sector

The Mediterranean basin produces a massive share of the world’s olive oil, but the extraction process generates staggering volumes of problematic by-products. The scope of the FFW project centered on gathering, characterizing, and utilizing these specific waste materials:

• Olive pits
• Olive pomace (the dense mixture of skins, pulp, and stones)
• Remains from seasonal olive tree pruning

Conventionally, these residues pose tough disposal challenges due to their high moisture levels, acidity, and phytotoxic organic compounds. FFW aimed to decentralize fuel production by creating localized systems where this abundant biomass could be pre-treated, gasified, and chemically synthesized into clean energy on-site.

Key Deliverables and Technical Innovations

The FFW initiative successfully pushed past the traditional limitations of biomass conversion by focusing on advanced thermochemical processing. The primary deliverables of the project included:

1. Feedstock Assessment and Surveys: Quantifying available agricultural remains across partner regions and establishing localized logistics models.
2. Syngas Optimization via Gasification: Developing efficient thermochemical gasification methods to turn solid olive residues into high-quality synthesis gas (syngas).
3. Advanced Membrane Purification: Introducing innovative membrane separation techniques to clean the syngas, ensuring it was free of contaminants that could ruin downstream equipment.
4. Novel Fischer-Tropsch Catalysts: Formulating next-generation catalysts tailored specifically to boost the chemical conversion efficiency of olive-derived syngas into liquid hydrocarbons.
5. Dual Fuel Production Channels: * Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG): Formulated to provide clean, reliable heat directly back to the olive mills.
   • Liquid Biodiesel: Tailored to match fossil-derived diesel specifications, allowing it to power the heavy trucks and tractors used in olive farming.

Reporting: Feasibility and Sector Impacts

Project reporting highlighted that scaling up this thermochemical pipeline is entirely feasible at commercial levels. Researchers evaluated not only the technical thresholds of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis but also how local communities and businesses perceived the change.

Project Finding: Shifting from landfill disposal to localized thermochemical biorefining yields a clear, reliable baseline for reducing both an industrial mill’s operating costs and its overall environmental footprint.

Summary of Project Sustainability Benefits

Ultimately, the deliverables generated by the FFW project established a framework for future upgrades in the agricultural sector, proving that tomorrow’s fuel might just come from yesterday’s harvest waste.

You can see a real-world application of these concepts in action through this coverage of a Tunisian Company Converting Olive Waste into Fuel, which highlights how regional businesses are successfully commercializing olive residues as an eco-friendly energy source.

Source:EU BON CORDIS Fact Sheet|Official Project Website

Biodiversity across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems has faced unprecedented pressure over recent decades. While vast amounts of environmental and biological data are collected across Europe, this monitoring infrastructure has historically been fragmented. Datasets often suffer from taxonomic biases, inconsistent data collection methods, and significant geographic gaps.

The EU BON project was launched to address this systemic challenge by creating a coordinated, standardized infrastructure to harmonize European biodiversity data and bridge the gap between scientific observation and environmental policymaking.

1. Project Profile

2. Project Scope: A “Network of Networks”

The fundamental philosophy behind EU BON was not to reinvent existing data collection efforts, but to integrate them. By adopting a “network of networks” approach, the project aimed to link distinct technological and social networks together.

The scope centered on two primary networks:

• The Social & Policy Network: Connecting communities of practice, citizen scientists, data managers, and policymakers to establish data sharing agreements and understand policy requirements (such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy and international IPBES reporting).
• The Technological Network: Developing interoperating IT infrastructures capable of storing, distributing, and analyzing disparate datasets—moving traditional biodiversity networks toward service-oriented cloud computing.

Key Focus Areas

1. Data Harmonization: Establishing standard protocols to integrate on-ground taxonomic field observations with broad-scale satellite remote sensing data.
2. Taxonomic Data Access: Overcoming barriers to data mobilization by supporting open-access platforms and standardizing documentation workflows.
3. Predictive Modeling: Developing tools to track drivers of environmental change, prioritize conservation zones, and generate predictive ecosystem forecasts.

3. Key Deliverables

EU BON focused heavily on creating tangible web products, data standards, and strategic blueprints to optimize European data management.

• The European Biodiversity Portal: Serving as the central online hub, this platform functions as a library for data integration tools, visualization software, and derived environmental products. It connects data from heavyweights like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and LifeWatch.
• Unified Data Standards & Integration Techniques: The development of technical architectures that allow real-time and near-real-time data to flow from local monitoring groups into international data layers.
• The “BON in a Box” Blueprint: A comprehensive toolkit designed to help individual regions or countries establish their own localized Biodiversity Observation Networks using tested, scalable strategies.
• Policy Assessment Tools: Practical indicators specifically designed for non-technical stakeholders in fields ranging from agriculture to local nature conservation, facilitating evidence-based decision-making.

4. Reporting & Impact Analysis

The final outcomes and data tracking reported by the EU BON consortium demonstrated a massive leap forward in Europe’s ecological data pipeline.

Improved Data Workflows

EU BON successfully optimized the entire biodiversity data lifecycle. By automating parts of the pipeline from initial data collection and standardization to the final open-access delivery, the time required to mobilize field data for policy use was significantly reduced.

Interoperability Breakthroughs

The project proved that distinct data layers—such as records of individual target organisms, habitat maps, and remote sensing imagery—could be cross-calibrated. This allows scientists to upscale local observations to evaluate whole-ecosystem trends, or downscale satellite data to predict species distributions on the ground.

Science-Policy Interface Support

The reporting frameworks built during EU BON directly supported national authorities facing reporting obligations under European environmental directives. By delivering timely, synthesized data, the network provided a solid foundation for upcoming IPBES global assessments and localized scenario developments.

Long-Term Legacy

The structural frameworks, metadata schemas, and workflows pioneered by EU BON laid the direct operational groundwork for modern EU initiatives. Its legacy continues to influence succeeding iterations of European ecological networks, ensuring that biodiversity monitoring shifts from a reactive model to a predictive, adaptive management system.

Litigation and enforcement (LE) refers to the suite of regulatory tools, court actions, and administrative processes that ensure developments in the built environment comply with planning permissions, environmental protections, and sustainability obligations. Local planning authorities issue enforcement notices for unauthorised works or breaches of conditions, while courts handle judicial reviews and civil claims. This framework is vital for protecting ecosystem services such as flood regulation, biodiversity support, and climate resilience, preventing developments from causing net ecological harm.

Ecosystemic research strengthens LE by supplying robust, evidence-based data. Techniques like ecosystem services valuation, biodiversity metrics, trade-off analysis, and long-term monitoring inform enforcement decisions and litigation. In the UK, mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) requires a minimum 10% gain secured through planning conditions; non-compliance triggers enforcement or legal action. Research underpins these assessments, ensuring habitat creation or nature-based solutions (NBS) deliver measurable benefits. Similar approaches appear in EU contexts, where the Nature Restoration Law imposes binding restoration targets with national plans and monitoring requirements, enabling stronger enforcement against ecosystem degradation.

Methods promoted through platforms and research include stakeholder-inclusive monitoring, compensatory measures, and adaptive management. The Oppla.eu platform provides practical guidance via the OPERAS D4.7 Implementation Guidance on embedding ecosystem services into spatial planning and regulation. Case studies, such as the Bizkaia County legal framework for forest ecosystem services, demonstrate how participatory reforms introduce subsidies and incentives to internalise ES externalities, supporting enforceable management practices in mixed urban-rural landscapes. Broader sources highlight nature-related litigation trends, where environmental NGOs use scientific evidence to enforce habitats directives or challenge pollution, driving policy improvements and accountability.

Effective LE delivers substantial benefits: enhanced urban resilience, deterrence of harmful development, and equitable access to nature’s benefits. It transforms reactive permitting into proactive ecological protection. Challenges persist, however, including limited local authority resources for monitoring BNG or NBS maintenance, delays from protracted litigation, and gaps in enforcement capacity for complex projects. Oppla and complementary legal resources address these by offering toolkits, case studies, and training that connect research with practical governance.

In summary, modern litigation and enforcement, informed by ecosystemic research and supported by platforms like Oppla.eu alongside frameworks such as the EU Nature Restoration Law, evolves from punitive measures into a driver of sustainable urban futures. By linking regulatory processes with evidence-based methods for ES and NBS integration, authorities can create built environments that regenerate rather than deplete natural systems. Continued knowledge exchange and capacity building will further strengthen these practices worldwide.

References

• Oppla.eu Home
• OPERAS D4.7 Implementation Guidance – Development Control
• What are Nature-based Solutions?
• Bizkaia Legal Framework for Forest ES
• Nature Restoration Law Overview
• Understanding Biodiversity Net Gain (UK Gov)
• Planning Enforcement Guidance (UK Gov)
• RTPI: Enforcing BNG Obligations
• Nature-Related Litigation Report (NGFS)
• ES Trade-offs and Synergies

The European Union’s climate adaptation strategy is built around making Europe more climate-resilient by 2050, and ecosystem-based adaptation is one of its key priorities. In practical terms, this means using nature-based solutions such as ecosystem restoration, green infrastructure, and better land and water management to reduce climate risks.

What the strategy is

The EU adopted its new adaptation strategy on 24 February 2021 as a more ambitious follow-up to the 2013 version. The strategy sets a long-term vision for Europe to become a climate-resilient society, fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change by 2050.

Its main shift is from planning to action. Instead of focusing mainly on awareness and knowledge-building, the new strategy emphasizes implementing solutions, scaling up adaptation, and making resilience part of everyday policymaking. Ecosystem-based adaptation sits at the center of that shift because it offers practical, cost-effective, and often flexible ways to reduce exposure and vulnerability.

Why ecosystem-based adaptation matters

Featured image credit: Product by the European Commission, source: EU Adaptation Strategy.

Ecosystem-based adaptation uses healthy ecosystems to help people adapt to climate change. Forests, wetlands, soils, rivers, coastal habitats, and urban green spaces can all reduce flood risk, cool cities, stabilize slopes, store water, and protect biodiversity at the same time.

The EU highlights nature-based approaches as one of three cross-cutting priorities for more systemic adaptation. That means adaptation should not be limited to a few sectors; it should be integrated across policy areas, including agriculture, water, urban planning, disaster risk management, and finance.

This approach is important because hard engineering alone cannot solve every climate problem. Ecosystems can provide multiple benefits at once, which makes them especially valuable when governments need solutions that support both climate resilience and environmental recovery.

Main goals

The 2021 strategy is built around three main objectives: smarter adaptation, faster adaptation, and more systemic adaptation. Smarter adaptation means improving data, knowledge, and risk assessment so decisions are based on stronger evidence. Faster adaptation means accelerating implementation across sectors and territories.

More systemic adaptation means embedding climate resilience into policies and investments at every level. Within that objective, the EU explicitly prioritizes nature-based solutions, alongside macro-fiscal policy and local adaptation.

The strategy also encourages international action, recognizing that climate impacts and adaptation challenges do not stop at EU borders. This broader framing is important because ecosystem-based adaptation often depends on cross-border cooperation, especially for rivers, forests, seas, and migratory species.

How the EU supports it

The European Commission says it will support member states through guidance, climate knowledge platforms, funding, and capacity-building. Climate-ADAPT is the EU’s main adaptation knowledge platform and is being expanded to help authorities and practitioners access tools, data, and examples.

The EU also channels support through major funding instruments such as the LIFE programme, the Common Agricultural Policy, structural funds, and recovery tools. These resources can help pay for ecosystem restoration, greener infrastructure, climate-proof planning, and local resilience projects.

Another key part of the strategy is better integration with other policies, such as nature restoration, water management, and land-use planning. That matters because ecosystem-based adaptation is most effective when it is embedded in long-term territorial management rather than treated as a separate environmental project.

Examples of ecosystem actions

Examples of ecosystem-based adaptation include restoring wetlands to absorb floodwaters, planting urban trees to reduce heat, improving soil health to retain moisture, and reconnecting rivers with floodplains to reduce downstream risk. Coastal ecosystems such as dunes and marshes can also buffer storm surges and sea-level rise.

In rural areas, better forest management and landscape restoration can reduce wildfire risk, erosion, and drought stress. In cities, green roofs, parks, rain gardens, and permeable surfaces can make neighborhoods cooler and more resilient.

These measures are attractive because they often provide co-benefits: adaptation, biodiversity, water regulation, recreation, and better public health. That multi-benefit nature is one reason the EU treats them as a strategic priority rather than a niche option.

Why it is important now

Climate impacts are increasing, so adaptation can no longer be limited to emergency response. The EU’s strategy recognizes that Europe needs long-term resilience built into its landscapes, cities, economies, and institutions.

Ecosystem-based adaptation is important now because it can be scaled alongside restoration and land stewardship goals. In other words, the same measure can support climate adaptation and environmental recovery at the same time.

For Europe, that makes the strategy both a climate policy and a nature policy. It points toward a future where healthy ecosystems are treated as essential infrastructure for resilience, not just as protected scenery.

This Ecomodul proposal of 250cm x 250cm x 250cm in the closed version can reach 500 cm in the sliding version only on one side and 750 cm in length in the open version on both sides, comparable to a container, but much more compact for transport.

The telescopic solution is convenient for mobility but also for safety and maintenance when this type of cubicle module is not used. Also, its container-type modularity makes it biddable for a multi-storey multi-modular solution on a frame structure, with orientation / opening on two opposite sides for optimal visibility, lighting and natural ventilation. The proposal as Ecomodul, in terms of materials, is a structural shell on a metal skeleton compactly wrapped in wooden boards (panel or Tego type), the ecosystem envelope to surround the fixed part without windows (brown in the images) like an inverted U. It is a very EXPENSIVE option and does not fit into the budget offered through financing.

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Conductive wallpaper, prints, and inks are transforming interior walls into interactive, functional smart surfaces. Using specialized conductive inks (silver, carbon, or graphene-based), designers print circuits directly onto wallpaper or fabrics, enabling touch control of lighting, thermostats, speakers, and more—without visible wiring.

A pioneering example is “Conduct” by Flavor Paper in collaboration with UM Project. This interactive wallpaper turns entire walls into capacitive touchpads. Tap once to dim lights, swipe to adjust volume, or draw patterns to activate scenes. The technology integrates seamlessly with existing smart-home systems while maintaining beautiful, traditional aesthetics.

Beyond interactivity, conductive inks enable heated wallpaper for localized warmth, EMI shielding, or sensor-embedded surfaces that monitor air quality and occupancy. Printed electronics reduce material use compared to traditional wiring and allow customization for any interior style.

Sustainability benefits include energy savings (precise, on-demand control), reduced copper wiring waste, and potential for recyclable or bio-based inks. Production is low-energy and scalable via standard printing methods.

Applications span residential smart homes, offices, hotels, retail, and healthcare. In commercial spaces, interactive walls enhance wayfinding or branding. Hospitals use them for touch-free controls, improving hygiene.

Challenges involve durability (addressed with protective coatings) and standardization for widespread adoption, but rapid advances in flexible electronics are accelerating progress. Future developments may include self-powered conductive surfaces harvesting ambient energy or integrating with e-ink for dynamic patterns.

These smart materials exemplify the convergence of design, electronics, and sustainability. They turn passive walls into active participants in the built environment, enhancing comfort while minimizing environmental impact.

Conductive wallpapers and inks represent the next frontier in intelligent interiors—beautiful, functional, and aligned with circular economy principles. For architects and interior designers, they offer limitless creative possibilities to create responsive, efficient, and delightful spaces. (Word count: 497)

In 2015, Terrapin Bright Green released the landmark report Tapping into Nature, a comprehensive exploration of bioinspired innovation’s vast economic and environmental potential. Authored by a team including Chris Allen, the report analyzes how pioneering companies abstract strategies from nature to create transformative technologies across nine cross-sector topics—from carbon management to energy generation.

Tapping into Nature showcases over 100 bioinspired technologies, ranging from early concepts to profitable products. Highlights include whale-fin-inspired wind turbines, cephalopod skin for adaptive displays, and electric-eel-inspired batteries. The report’s infographic on “Market Readiness of Bioinspired Technologies” visualizes the pipeline from biology to commercialization, revealing untapped opportunities worth trillions in global markets.

Terrapin Bright Green, a sustainability consultancy, demonstrates through case studies how biomimicry delivers superior performance with lower environmental impact. Examples include photosynthetic foams from frog proteins, leaf-mimicking artificial photosynthesis devices, and tidal power modules inspired by fish tails. The report quantifies benefits: reduced energy use, minimized waste, and enhanced resilience.

Economically, Tapping into Nature positions biomimicry as an engine for growth. It argues that biologically inspired R&D can accelerate innovation while aligning with circular economy principles. By emulating nature’s efficient, non-toxic strategies, companies achieve competitive advantages in sustainability-driven markets.

The report has influenced designers, policymakers, and executives worldwide. It provides a roadmap for organizations to integrate biomimicry into R&D pipelines, from initial biological research to scaled manufacturing.

Sustainability gains are profound: lower carbon footprints, resource efficiency, and ecosystem-positive outcomes. As industries face pressure to decarbonize, the strategies in Tapping into Nature offer proven pathways.

While adoption barriers exist (awareness, interdisciplinary collaboration), the report’s optimism is contagious. Future updates could incorporate AI and advanced manufacturing for even greater impact.

Tapping into Nature remains essential reading for anyone serious about sustainable innovation. It proves that by tapping into nature’s genius, humanity can solve pressing challenges while building thriving, regenerative economies. Terrapin Bright Green continues this mission through consulting and further research. (Word count: 502)

WatchTower Robotics’ 2019 award-winning soft robots (Ray of Hope Prize) tackle one of the world’s biggest hidden crises: leaking urban water pipes. These flexible, nature-inspired bots inspect pipes from the inside, detect leaks, and digitally mark them for rapid repair—potentially slashing global water loss by 20%.

Propelled by water flow (no batteries needed), the octopus/jellyfish-inspired soft bodies compress and maneuver through bends and obstacles. Sensors modeled after blind cave fish detect pressure anomalies indicating leaks. Upon detection, the robot marks the spot (e.g., via buoyant markers or digital mapping) so maintenance teams act precisely at the source.

Benefits: Early detection prevents massive waste (leaks account for huge global losses), reduces repair costs and disruption, and conserves freshwater resources amid climate stress. The system is non-invasive and scalable for cities worldwide.

Applications focus on aging municipal pipe networks. Pilots show high accuracy and minimal downtime.

Challenges include navigation in complex systems and regulatory adoption, but the technology’s simplicity and low cost accelerate rollout.

Future expansions could include autonomous fleets, AI analytics, and integration with smart city infrastructure.

WatchTower Robotics turns science fiction into practical sustainability. By biomimicking nature’s efficiency, it offers cities a powerful tool for water security and resource conservation.

Chitin and shell-derived biomaterials offer nature-inspired strength for modern construction and products. Chitin—the second most abundant natural polysaccharide after cellulose—forms the exoskeletons of crustaceans, insects, and squid beaks, often combined with proteins and minerals into tough composites akin to reinforced concrete.

Scientists extract chitin from seafood waste (shells) and engineer it into films, foams, composites, or nanofibers. When paired with proteins or minerals, it yields materials with exceptional tensile strength, flexibility, and biodegradability. Advanced processing creates scaffolds, coatings, or structural elements rivaling synthetics but with far lower environmental cost.

Benefits include renewability (abundant waste feedstock), biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, and full biodegradability. In building, chitin composites could form lightweight panels, insulation, or even self-healing coatings. Research explores high-performance structures for aerospace, medical implants, and eco-architecture.

Real-world progress includes chitin-protein films with enhanced water resistance and mechanical properties, plus scaffolds for tissue engineering that double as sustainable building prototypes.

Challenges: Consistent sourcing/processing at scale and optimizing for long-term durability in wet environments (addressed via crosslinking). Yet costs are dropping with biotech advances.

The potential is transformative: diverting millions of tons of shell waste annually while replacing petroleum plastics and energy-intensive materials. Future applications may include 3D-printed chitin structures or hybrid bio-concretes.

Chitin-based structures exemplify circular, biomimetic innovation—turning ocean byproducts into high-tech solutions. For sustainable builders and product designers, they provide strong, green alternatives that close the loop on waste.

A. Software Creation: Development of independent software or modular, independent modules integrated into Building Information Modelling (BIM) applications that correlate, measure, index, and rate (assign a rating) based on the qualitative/quantitative level of ecosystem service provision, the level of materials, subassemblies, and component constructions.

B. Database Support: These applications should be supported by databases of ecosystem services correlated with primary and derivative or composite construction materials, as well as subassembly components included in BIM applications and/or integrated modules – standard or customized indicators, or updatable/self-updating information (potentially through artificial intelligence).

C. Local Adaptation Factors: The application should be correlated with local adaptation factors – atmospheric conditions like temperatures (annual, monthly, variations, averages, etc.), humidity (multiple factors, see temperature), intensity, type, direction, and origin of winds, zonal sunshine and local ambient shading, atmospheric quality data, composition, pollution – urban and local levels of CO2, NO2, NO3, SO3, SO4, ozone levels, data on local vegetation, etc.

D. Biodiversity Databases: As an extension, databases on local biodiversity are needed, per locality and/or habitat – involving faculties of geography, biology, USAMV (Universities of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine), etc.

E. Accessible Databases: These local, updatable databases (continuously updated, potentially through doctoral students from accredited universities) should be downloadable in module form, potentially free of charge, from the websites of city halls, local, county, regional councils, the Ministry of Environment, environmental agencies, universities, and research institutes.

F. Evaluation Application: An application for evaluators of the “energy audit” type, but for indexing ecological products and materials, ecosystem services, and natural capital.

G. Legislative Regulations: Need for legislative regulations of the European Union and Member States, on the model of the NZEB Directive (with reference to what Janine Benyus said about new criteria for evaluating buildings based on ecological, ecosystem, and biomimetic considerations).

In 2008, the European Commission launched EIT, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, now part of Horizon 2020 (and will be included in Horizon Europe 2021-2027), created to promote, facilitate, and strengthen innovation within the Union. Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the EIT are partnerships among universities, business hubs (clusters), local authorities, private companies, and research centres, constituting one of the largest networks in the world of specialists and activities aimed at solving societal challenges across all domains. By 2019, 8 such communities had been launched: EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT RawMaterials, and the newest – EIT Manufacturing and EIT Urban Mobility. They aim to prepare new generations of entrepreneurs for innovation in their fields, to support, reward, and launch new and innovative products, services, and companies.

For a significant portion of environmental aspects, actions are grouped within the Climate-KIC community, with the declared purpose of supporting the transition to a zero-carbon economy, in four directions with the following objectives (climate-kic.org/who-we-are/making-an-impact):

• Urban Transitions
  1. Promote decentralised energy and retrofitting.
  2. Creation of green, resilient cities.
  3. Accelerate clean urban mobility.
• Sustainable Land Use 4. Towards climate-smart agriculture. 5. Transforming food systems. 6. Protecting forests in integrated landscapes.
• Sustainable Production Systems 7. Reforming materials production. 8. Reducing industrial emissions. 9. Revitalising regional economies.
• Decision Making and Finance 10. Climate businesses on financial markets. 11. Democratizing information about climate risks. 12. Encouraging bankable ecological assets in cities.

Climate-KIC utilises tools such as the launch and implementation of strategies, educational programs (Journey, Catapult, Spark, etc., for students, postgraduates, and specialists, including master’s and doctoral students), online courses, the provision of grants to support objectives with the greatest potential for systemic change and commercial scalability, and the organization of thematic events, among others. Notable among these are:

• The international 24-hour Climathon, held in major cities worldwide and dedicated to innovative solutions to combat climate change, is inspired by IT hackathons.
• The Climate Launchpad competition for eco-business ideas.
• The Greenhouse and Climate Accelerator business-scaling incubators, which, as of 2019, had supported over 2,000 startups in environmental fields, with 20 entrepreneurs featured in Forbes Under 30. Some of the architectural interfaces with ecosystem potential documented for the current research have their origins within the Climate-KIC family.

Make: Innovative Office Furniture from Cardboard Tubes

The “Make” project, featured in the 2012 Bucharest Architecture Annual Expo under the Object Design section (DO06), showcases sustainable office furniture crafted from cardboard tubes.anuala+1

Project Creators

Architect Florin Cristache led the design, with co-authors Adrian Ibric and Mircea Mihai from DUO STUDIO SRL. This Bucharest-based team contributed to the annual showcase of Romanian architectural innovations.

Design Concept

The furniture utilizes recycled cardboard tubes for modular office pieces like desks and storage, emphasizing lightweight, eco-friendly construction. It aligns with early 2010s trends in sustainable design, promoting recyclability in everyday workspaces.galateeagallery+1

Context in Bucharest Architecture Annual 2012

Bucharest Architecture Annual highlighted emerging talents across categories, including Object Design like “Make,” amid competitions for built projects and interiors. The event celebrated local creativity, with entries evaluated for functionality and innovation.anuala+2

BIX Light and Media Facade” by realities:united, image/information source: ArchDaily

The BIX facade of Kunsthaus Graz, often called the “Friendly Alien,” stands as a pioneering example of architectural-media symbiosis on the building’s eastern side in Graz, Austria. Spanning 900 square meters, this digital communicative envelope was designed by Berlin-based studio realities:united in close collaboration with architects Sir Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. Completed in 2003 as part of the European Capital of Culture initiative, BIX comprises 1,300 custom-cast translucent Plexiglas panels, each illuminated by fluorescent tubes functioning as low-resolution pixels. With 930 lights arranged in a rhizomatic pattern—evoking underground root systems—the facade displays images, animations, and dynamic content at 18 frames per second, creating a shimmering, interactive surface that blurs the boundaries between interior exhibitions and the public urban realm.

BIX revives Cook’s original 1960s vision of a “blob” architecture with embedded media, transforming the biomorphic steel-and-glass structure into a living canvas. The system’s software allows remote content management, enabling synchronized displays for events, art projections, or advertisements. Technically, each pixel’s brightness is modulated via dimmable ballasts, achieving a resolution of about 40×30 pixels—coarse yet hypnotic at night. Sustainability was prioritized by using long-lasting T5 fluorescent tubes (up to 20,000 hours lifespan), avoiding power-hungry LEDs of the era, and integrating the media layer seamlessly into the building’s envelope without additional structural load.

This “old tech” approach underscores BIX’s ethos: low-cost, durable integration over flashy novelty. Energy consumption hovers at 10-15 kW during full operation, far less than modern video walls, while the rhizomatic layout diffuses light organically, reducing glare. Culturally, BIX has hosted over 1,000 content pieces since inception, from abstract visuals to political statements, fostering Graz’s creative scene. Challenges included panel weathering (replaced in 2018) and maintenance in Austria’s climate, yet it remains operational.

In urban planning contexts—like Romania’s regenerative projects—BIX inspires media facades for public engagement, proving how parametric design and simple tech can yield dynamic, sustainable interfaces. Its legacy influences contemporary works, emphasizing architecture as a communicative medium that adapts to cultural narratives.

The Lily PAX Water Rotor, also known as the Lily Impeller, is a patented biomimetic mixer impeller developed by PAX Scientific (now PAX Water Technologies) for efficient water circulation in storage tanks. Invented by Jay Harman, it mimics natural spiral flow patterns like whirlpools and ocean currents to create powerful vortex mixing with minimal energy use.cleanwater1+3

Design Inspiration

The impeller draws from nature’s “Streamlining Principle,” using computational fluid dynamics to replicate low-drag, centripetal flows observed in seaweed, tornadoes, and water bodies. At just 8 inches (21 cm) tall and shaped like a calla lily with Golden Ratio proportions, it generates ring vortices for persistent, friction-minimal circulation.steemit+3

Key Applications

PAX mixers with the Lily impeller prevent thermal stratification, disinfectant loss, nitrification, and ice damage in potable water tanks. They suit mid-to-large tanks, operate on low power (equivalent to three 100W bulbs for millions of gallons), and install easily via hatch or diver without tank modifications.

Performance Specs

• Circulates entire tank volumes top-to-bottom rapidly.
• Horizontal eductor variants (e.g., Tank Shark) handle shallow tanks or tough conditions with 75-500 GPM flow at 50 PSI motive water.[cleanwater1]​
• Minimum 6 feet water depth recommended for optimal vortex setup.[cleanwater1]​

Overview

Located in Suceava, the house centers around an open inner courtyard with an indoor lawn and suspended net lounge for relaxation, creating indoor-outdoor flow via large glazed openings. Built from 2009-2015 at roughly 400,000 € (about 2,105 €/m²), it targets under 14 kWh/m²/year for heating and hot water, with primary energy at 89 kWhpe/m²/year.

Main Features

• Two levels: Ground floor for public spaces (kitchen, living, dining, laundry, toilet, patios, pool); upper floor for private bedrooms, including a master with balcony.
• Expansive glazing boosts natural light (daylight factor 4x standard) and passive solar gain; iconic sloped green roof maximizes winter sun.
• Indoor net over lawn for play; mechanical ventilation ensures fresh air while recovering 85% heat.

Sustainability Materials and Methods

High-performance cellulose and pressed wood fiberboard insulation (non-toxic, mold-resistant); vapor-proof Proclima membranes prevent condensation.

Wooden structures, natural cedar exterior slats for durability, triple-glazed high-performance windows. Systems include earth-to-air heat exchanger for passive cooling/heating, ground/water heat pump, biomass chimney (wood chips to buffer tank), double-flow ventilation with heat recovery, and planned PV panels/solar thermal for hot water.

Ecological Impact

Minimal site disruption preserves forest; green roof restores displaced vegetation and insulates. Rainwater harvesting irrigates gardens/crops; low energy cuts emissions (no cooling system, natural ventilation prioritized). Passive design reduces fossil fuel reliance, with underfloor/in-wall low-temp heating from efficient sources, promoting biodiversity in urban setting.

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

Funded by the EU’s FP7 program with €3.2 million, it extracted silica, lignin, and cellulose from wheat straw via integrated biorefinery processes, plus microfibrillated cellulose from paper pulp. These became biodegradable matrices and reinforcements mimicking wood’s properties without compromising strength.

Key Achievements

Innovations included novel silica extraction at industrial scale and low-energy biocomposites exceeding 95% bio-based content for panels and building elements. Coordinated by Tecnalia (Spain) with partners like VTT (Finland) and EMPA (Switzerland), it targeted green construction markets while cutting resource use and emissions.

Project Overview

I-PAN, or Innovative Poplar Low Density Structural Panel, was an EU-funded FP7 initiative (completed around 2016) aimed at creating sustainable, low-density wood panels (450-500 kg/m³) for applications like construction and furniture. It combined 50% recycled wood (from poplar tops) with 50% fast-growing poplar from 7-8 year cycles, reducing forest pressure and waste.

Key Innovations

A novel process, derived from OSB technology, produced “light strand board” (LSB) with modified low-energy resins that cut VOC emissions, drying/pressing costs, and energy use. Panels matched lightweight structural needs while boosting EU competitiveness in eco-friendly materials.

Applications and Impact

LSB panels suit doors, furniture, kitchens, and even yachting/shipbuilding for their strength-to-weight ratio. The project emphasized a “virtuous circle” of sustainability through material efficiency and minimal pollutants.

The Vision of Paul Stamets: According to world-renowned expert Paul Stamets (Fungi Perfecti), mushroom cultivation is a “significant tool for restoring, replenishing, and remedying Earth’s overburdened ecosphere.” Mycelium—the fibrous root structure of fungi—is viewed not just as a material, but as a healing agent for ecosystems, addressing resource depletion and toxic environmental release.

Key Case Studies in Mycelium Architecture

• The Circular Garden (Milan Design Week 2019): Designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, this installation featured arches grown from mycelium bars totaling 1km in length. As a temporary, compostable structure, it returned to the soil at the end of the event, drastically reducing the typical waste generated by architectural exhibitions.
• Hy-Fi Tower (MoMA PS1, 2014): Architect David Benjamin (The Living) created a grand tower made of bio-bricks produced by Ecovative.
  • Composition: A mix of mycelium, corn stalks, and hemp.
  • Process: Cast in rectangular molds and grown for 5 days until the filaments bound the organic waste into a solid brick.
  • Lifecycle: The structure was 100% biodegradable, with carbon emissions and energy consumption during production tending toward zero.

The GREEN SURGE project aimed to identify, develop, and test ways of linking urban green spaces, biodiversity, people, and the green economy to tackle major urban challenges like land-use conflicts, climate change adaptation, demographic changes, and public health.

It provided an evidence base for Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) planning and implementation, focusing on better linking environmental, social, and economic ecosystem services (ESS) with local communities.

🎯 Main Project Objectives & Achievements

The project addressed three interlinked objectives through an innovative, three-tiered, transdisciplinary approach.

1. Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) Planning and ESS

• Multifunctional UGI: Identified key elements of multifunctional UGI (e.g., parks, woodlands, green roofs, “blue” elements, community gardens) and provided evidence on the diverse ESS and benefits they generate.
• Supply and Demand: Assessed the balances and imbalances between supply and demand of ESS in different cities and urban areas across Europe.
• Good Practice: Assessed the implementation of UGI planning in practice to identify and transfer strategic approaches.

2. Biocultural Diversity (BCD) and Governance

• Conceptual Framework: Developed a conceptual framework of BCD for the urban context, which is an innovative approach to UGI planning and governance.
• Socio-Ecological Integration: Examined how residents with different cultural backgrounds and socio-economic situations value, use, and help maintain urban green spaces, supported by a field survey of ~3,800 people in the Urban Learning Labs.
• Innovative Governance: Focused on developing governance arrangements that integrate participatory (bottom-up) approaches with planning (top-down) approaches to facilitate local engagement.

3. Valuation and Green Economy Integration

• Integrated Valuation: Developed a multi-criteria evaluation framework—a “do-it-yourself” guideline—to assess and integrate monetary and non-monetary values of ESS and biodiversity.
• Market Integration: Identified mechanisms for unlocking cash flows from urban green spaces and evaluated existing instruments, with a focus on integrating ESS into real economies.
• Innovative Methods: Applied innovative methods like hedonic pricing models to analyze relationships between property prices and different qualitative aspects of green spaces.

🛠️ Methodology (Three-Tiered Approach)

The project utilized a comprehensive three-tiered approach and Learning Alliances (LAs) for shared learning and stakeholder involvement in situations of high complexity.

📚 Dissemination and Legacy

• Handbook: Produced the “Urban green infrastructure: connecting people and nature for sustainable cities” Handbook (D1.3), a collection of policy briefs, factsheets, and guidelines for planners, policy-makers, and practitioners.
• Dissemination: The project provided recommendations for policy makers, UGI planners, citizens, NGOs, and business actors to promote the creation and management of high-quality green spaces.

Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In proGIreg, four front-runner cities (FRC) (Dortmund DE; Turin IT; Zagreb HR; Ningbo CN) have created Living Labs (LLs). These areas suffer from social and economic disadvantages, inequality and other problems related to the decline of industries. They lack quality greenspaces, have a negative impact on human health and wellbeing and are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The LLs have implemented Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) which are citizen-owned and co-developed by state, market and civil society stakeholders. Innovation took place on the technical level through the NBS deployments, on the social level through co-designing, co-creating and co-implementing NBS and on the economic level through developing new NBS business models (BMs). Four follower cities (Cascais PT, Cluj-Napoca RO, Piraeus GR, Zenica BA) have tested the replicability of the NBS in new contexts. Each Follower City (FC) has organised a co-design process which has led to urban plans for NBS. The NBS that are tested i.a. include: regenerating soils with biotic compounds, creating community-based urban agriculture and aquaponics and making green corridors accessible. Scientific benefit assessment and monitoring results have been made available via numerous channels, including the EU NBS platform OPPLA, and contribute to the European reference framework for NBS, e.g. through the NBS monitoring guidelines and an interactive Business Model Catalogue (iBMC). Global impact has been achieved by the MOOC “Nature-based urban regeneration” distributed via edX and attended by learners from more than 100 countries. Internal and external replication events have been organized in all FRC to create and extend a community of practice in NBS.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The first RP has laid the foundation for a successful project implementation. All work packages (WPs) have established the methodologies for fulfilling their tasks and objectives throughout the project duration.
Co-design processes in FRCs: Based on the quad helix model, local partnerships including government, universities, citizen organisations and SMEs have been established and developed LL vision maps representing the planned transformation.
Assessment methodology for NBS benefits: Ten assessment tools have been defined to measure the impact within the four assessment domains: socio-cultural inclusiveness, human health and wellbeing, ecological and environmental restoration and economic and labour market benefits. Data for a baseline assessment on the level of the FRC, the LL and the NBS intervention sites have been collected.
The second RP has been fully under the impact of the CoViD-19 pandemic. It was mainly devoted to starting the implementation of NBS in the LLs leading to the identification of technical and non-technical barriers which were collected and assessed. Several NBS have been adapted to the local conditions and unforeseen risks. This co-creative process has also led to improvements, e.g. through the introduction of a therapeutic garden. The elaboration of urban plans for NBS replication in FCs started by establishing a roadmap for the co-design processes.
The third RP has included the possibility to come back from CoVid-related restrictions to a normal working situation. The period allowed to overcome the barriers and delays in NBS implementation: all NBS have been implemented by project end are documented on fact sheets, in short brochures and on the OPPLA platform.
The results of NBS benefit assessment have been published in extensive reports on the LL level and on the NBS level and also been wrapped-up in a short report with success stories and take-home messages.
NBS implementation and management also allowed to collect data on the business and governance models of the co-created NBS. A new NBS business model canvas has been created to better depict the societal and environmental benefits provided. Results of the analysis of BMs found in proGIreg with the help of the Pestoff-triangle show that different options for creating and managing NBS between the state, the market and the civil society exist and that the third sector, bringing together different types of stakeholders from the three domains, can play a decisive role in creating more NBS in cities.
The learnings from NBS implementation in FRCs and their BMs allowed the replication of NBS in FCs in local co-design processes. The most suitable among the eight proGIreg NBS have been selected and adapted to the FC’s local urban context and stakeholder settings.
A number of supporting tasks guaranteed project impact on research and practise. All FRCs hosted replication events for the NBS community of practise and the final conference in Zagreb was the occasion to present the project results to a wide audience. The proGIreg MOOC is available on edX and reaches a global learner community.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The co-design experience in the proGIreg FRCs has been translated into co-design guidelines and a roadmap for NBS co-creation. These allow to anchor investments of European funds into NBS within local communities. ProGIreg has led to a large number of mainstreaming and spin-off projects for NBS, as well on the local as on the international level (EU funding schemes INTERREG, DUT, NetZeroCities, NEB). Project knowledge is also shared in national NBS hubs and in an international RIA with Africa.
ProGIreg has provided major contributions to the guidelines “Evaluating the impact of Nature-based Solutions: a handbook for practitioners” and created own guidelines for upscaling NBS monitoring.
Impact has been created in the following fields:
1) A community of practice in NBS has been forged between the proGIreg cities and beyond the consortium through replication events. The community can rely on scientific evidence from proGIreg concerning NBS benefits and the iBMC.
2) citizen ownership: A new understanding of Green Infrastructure (GI) as an urban common resource has been at the core of proGIreg. The transdisciplinary LLs and the new participatory processes give guidance how actors from state, market and civil society can join forces for NBS. BMs for citizen governance of NBS have been developed and disseminated through the iBMC.
3) global market opportunities: the project has created and disseminated open source knowledge which enables cities, NGOs, local SMEs and citizens to find and use their opportunities in NBS. The roadmap to NBS co-creation, the guidelines for NBS monitoring and the iBMC are provided by the project partners for free replication.
4) EU policies: The results of proGIreg have proven that NBS can help to implement EU programmes and strategies:
– greening buildings and the improved greening of urban areas in other NBS contribute to the EU Climate Change Adaptation Strategy by reducing the heat island effect and reducing indoor and outdoor heat stress.
– proGIreg has demonstrated that NBS can function as carbon sinks in urban areas and thus contribute to the EU’s achievement of the COP Agreements on climate change mitigation.
– with NBS that foster productive outputs of Gi like the creation of new soil, urban community gardens and urban aquaponics proGIreg has created techniques and BMs that are new opportunities for the farm to fork strategy to increase urban food production.
– proGIreg has shown how the EU Biodiversity Strategy can be implemented in cooperation with local communities by involving citizens in the creation of new habitats for pollinators.NBS 8 Turin: Butterfly monitoring activities involving youngsters and fragile peopleNBS5 Turin: indoor green wall in via Torrazza schoolNBS3 Zagreb: Therapeutic gardenNBS7 Ningbo: Long-term observation of water quality provides data for environmental compensationNBS6&8 Dortmund: new green corridor to Deusenberg landfill with pollinator friendly vegetationNBS3 Ningbo: Green lake shore. Planting of aquatic plants in Moon Lake completed and in maintenanceNBS3 Dortmund: raised urban gardening beds at St. UrbanusNBS3 Zagreb: Using the therapeutic gardenNBS 3 Turin: Educational garden within the Orti Generali community gardens siteNBS5 Turin: outdoor green wall at homeless shelter in June 2022NBS4 Dortmund: Openening of the aquaponics at Hansa coking plant in June 2023NBS 3 Zagreb: Therapeutic garden in May 2022The proGIreg NBS 1-8NBS3 Zagreb: modernization of urban gardensNBS4&8 Dortmund: The selected aquaponics site is also pollinator friendly