“#HIDROCER, building envelope that cools”, kick-off of the next phase of the project.

#HIDROCER project starts its next stage in the Climate KIC , funded by the EIT (European Institute of Technology). On May 20^ththe Kick-off meeting of the partner accelerator phase took place at the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid. After the good results obtained during the previous phase, pathfinder, the target now is the validation of the business model by the sector.

The consortium between the research group ABIO-UPM (Bioclimatic Architecture in a Sustainable Environment) and the ITC-AICE (Institute for Ceramic Technology) have the main aim of bringing this technology to the market of zero-energy buildings.

97% of EU’s building stock is not efficient and it is responsible for 36% of CO₂emissions. The recent Directive (EU 2018/844) fosters buildings decarbonisation, aiming to reach a building renewal rate of 3% in the next years.

Air conditioning sales in Spain has increased by 17% in the residential sector alone in the last three years. With #HIDROCER installed on the building façade, the current cooling demand can be reduced by up to 90%, which means a significant saving in the electricity bill and a drastic reduction in building emissions. In this sense, not only buildings energy efficiency is improved but also the air quality in the cities.

In the market study carried out, 80% of people agreed that thermal-comfort at home is more important than other parameters such as aesthetics, which means that society is looking for buildings that are increasingly more comfortable and efficient.

Today’s buildings must be near-zero energy, which implies a big change in the way we design and build our buildings, adapting them to the local climate. #HIDROCER is a solution with low environmental impact and zero emissions that cools buildings through evaporative cooling. It is a façade solution suitable for buildings in warm climates, where a residential building with this façade can keep indoor-comfort without the need of air conditioning.