From thatched roofing in cold regions to reflective walls in hotter climates, for centuries buildings have been constructed with materials that maximize comfort within a given environment.

San Pietro is a peripheral neighbourhood overlooking the city of Genoa, North-West of Italy. It is also known as Lavatrici (washing machines), because of the concrete slabs with empty circles that characterise the façades of its buildings.

“The building sector is responsible for more than 30% of global energy demand and round about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions”, says Peter Graham from the Global Buildings Performance Network in Paris.

In Europe, households are responsible for 32% of greenhouse gas emissions and 42% of energy. Cement production alone contributes to 5% of manmade CO 2 emissions .

The European grid already faces transmission challenges, as the alternative current (AC) infrastructure has almost reached its transport capacity.

The worldwide energy consumption of buildings is expected to grow by 45% from 2002 to 2025, according to the SMART 2020 study carried out by the international NGO The Climate Group.

It may sound strange to anyone who lives in the vicinity of one or more wind turbines, but wind currently represents just  4.5-5% of the renewable energy supply in the world.

Noise pollution is one of the main public concerns associated with operating wind turbines. To tackle this problem, technicians at a Spanish windfarm near Burgos are assembling a new device on the blades.

Nottingham is famous for the legend of Robin Hood and lace-making. But it’s also helping to revolutionise how we get around.

Torrelago is one of the largest residential districts in Europe. Located in the Spanish city Laguna de Duero , near Valladolid , it consists of  31 blocks of flats with more than 4,000 residents. ...

Good news for those planning to build a new home: novel insulation materials based on plant waste , such as straw, clay and grasses could offer 20% better insulation than traditional materials.

On 22 April , it is world Earth Day . The idea is to raise awareness of the need to rely on renewable energy. The EU requires its member states to provide a a 27% share of renewable energies by 2030—up from a 23.

Experts believe that by 2030 more than 6 billion people will live in urban areas , which means 7 0% of global population . It is about time that cities make their buildings smarter : more efficient, green and livable.

Making a city or district energy smart is, first and foremost, an exercise in good planning . However, such green planning tools are still in their infancy. The trouble is that every city is different, every district unique.

Innovative technologies can be used to retrofit old buildings as a means to save energy. This is precisely what the Bricker project is aiming to achieve.

Retrofitting existing buildings with adequate cutting-edge technologies is thought to guarantees spectacular energy savings, by about 50%. The objective of the EU funded project BRICKER is precisely to demonstrate such possibility.

Nordic countries have achieved a great independence from fossils because of their widespread district heating systems. District heating is a smart way to avoid using fossil fuels to heat buildings .

Cities have started to join forces to become more energy efficient . This trends stems from the findings of the first climate assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 1990, which was quite alarming.

One of the  biggest challenges of retrofitting projects  is to make them attractive to residents. Now, one of them, the EU-funded project R2CITIES,  is analysing the initial first feedback received from residents  of the  Cuatro de Marzo  district.

These weather conditions are a challenge to construct a smart building that can save energy throughout the year.