The university of Patras (Greece), project partner of GreenBuilding project, organized an open event, entitled "Innovative solutions for energy targeting smart and sustainable living areas", in Patras, Greece. The event took place in Agora Argiri on June 8, 2023.

The department of Civil Engineering of the university of Patras participates as partner in the projects "Minimising Energy Consumption for Green Buildings respecting present uses and public needs (GreenBuilding)" and "Med SE(A)CAP integration through uniform adapted assessment and financing methods, mainly targeting buildings in education and health sectors, for sustainable development goals in a smart society (SEACAP 4 SDG)" , both projects funded by the ENI CBC Med Programme.

In the context of disseminating the actions and results of the projects and informing citizens and all interested parties, an open day event was organized by the GreenBuilding project with the active participation of the SEACAP 4 SDG which organized a Living Lab meeting with the participation of young researchers. Emeritus Prof. Yorgos Stephanedes, scientific coordinator of the two projects for the university of Patras, welcomed the participants and presented the event agenda, emphasising the importance of introducing innovative ideas to the energy market.  

Given the fact youth´s participation needs to be encouraged, Ms. Kouta Marina, project manager and representative of the GreenBuilding project and Ms. Panagiota Saranti, project manager and representative of the SEACAP 4 SDG project, asked from the two Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) volunteers to support the event with their participation, thus involving them in project activities.

Dissemination materials were given to the participants, allowing them to further explore the two projects and the representatives presented the scope of the projects in detail.

More specifically, Ms. Kouta informed the attendees about the GreenBuilding three public buildings’ energy renovation actions, the electronic tool for monitoring the energy consumption of the three buildings, the actions related to the engagement of the building users in all renovation phases and the best practices in energy renovation projects. Ms. Saranti presented the SEACAP4SDG project and its toolkit with the existing tools from past and ongoing projects. Moreover, she informed the participants about the support in the Municipality of Aigialeia for the improvement of their Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SE(A)CAP). 

• Prof. Chassiakos Athanassios, associate professor, department of Civil Engineering of the university of Patras, specializing in construction project and infrastructure management, congratulated Prof. Stephanedes initiative for this event that gave a comprehensive aspect of a smart and sustainable living area and the participation of young researchers. 
• Prof. Nikos Karacapilidis, professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics of the university of Patras, thanked the organizer for the invitation and referred to the future plans of developing a joint course between the two departments to better handle these challenging issues. 
• Prof. Politi Tanya, assistant professor at the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, university of Peloponnese, presented the “Metacities Excellence Hub in South-Eastern Europe” which builds upon Digital Twins & Metaverse technologies and engages the four types of actors of the Quadruple Helix: Academia (ACA), Industry (IND), Governmental (GOV) and Civic society (CIV). The project will elaborate and propose green business models as well as detailed action, investment and sustainability plans for the METACITIES Excellence Hub as a Network of cross-border, interconnected, place-based innovation ecosystems.
• Dr. Chrysoula Christia, representative of the Municipality of Aigialeia, presented the FAME-ROAD project which approach is holistic and participatory: cultural, naturalistic, economic and social aspects are all comprised in the planning and development of the activities of the model and in each phase of the project; moreover, local stakeholders are invited to participate and join to the processes, including individual citizens and tourists. The F.A.M.E model is based on four pillars, on which the actions of project are based on: Food, Art, Movement and Energy. Moreover, Ms. Christia referred also to the participation of the Municipality in the activities of SEACAP4SDG project. 
• Dr. Papamanolis Antonis, project manager and researcher at the university of Patras, presented the TwinERGY - TwinAIR – HeritACT European projects which are dealing with: Digital Twins for Consumers, Buildings and Society (TwinERGY), Digital Twins Enabled Indoor Air Quality Management for Healthy Living with 17 pilot applications in 68 different places (TwinAIR) and Heritage activation through engaging experiences towards sustainable development (HeritACT).

The event concluded with the presentations of the innovative ideas of the students of the "Smart Cities, Infrastructure and Transport" course, thus allowing young people to communicate their ideas with experienced professionals and mentors. Approximately 50 attendees participated in this open event and all expressed their willingness to participate in the future actions of these projects!

Stay tuned to our latest news!