GreenVests
Green vertical steel wall design.
The Project
The new trend opened worldwide with the Green Deal politics is enhancing topics such as sustainability and Natural Based Solutions to be adopted in cities for climate control and inhabitants’ wellbeing. Green walls technology fits to this purpose and is widely spreading all-over.
As in the case of curtain walls, steel allows reduced sizes for mullions and transoms, enhancing the architectural aspects and represents the ideal material to be used for the structural parts of the green walls. The aim of GREENVESTS is to provide information ready to be applied by the Steel Industry. The lack of design standards is presently a problem for the design of the structural parts of green-walls.
Research is needed to produce experimental evidence leading to the formulation of design guidelines in terms of Seismic design, Wind design and Corrosion design. These guidelines might lead in the future to the formulation of a harmonized product standard.
The sooner Steel will be recognised as the optimal material for green wall applications (supported by research results and design guidelines) the better will be in terms of establishing a dominant position in the market, hence in terms of economic benefits for the Steel Industry.
Such objective can be achieved only through a cooperation among Steel Industry, Green Walls Producers, Professional Architects/Landscape Architects/Botanists and Structural Engineers, as well as Research Laboratories and Institutions.
A team work
The proposal aims to promote the use of steel green façade application to buildings to improve the energy performance according to EPB Directive and green infrastructure EU policies. Therefore, partners of GREENVESTS Consortium offer all the different expertise, skills and facilities required for such a multistep project and extensive experience in the steel sector:
R&D Centers and Institutes having the most advanced instruments, equipment and developed methodologies for the materials analyses, testing and modelling (CSM SPA, RWTH Aachen, NTUA).
A Steel Manufacturer, AM Legutio, belonging to ArcelorMittal Tubular Products – AMTP – Europe Division within ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel and mining company. In particular, AM Legutio is engaged with the manufacturing of welded steel tubes for diverse applications.
One Steelworker experienced in the manufacturing and installation of steel green systems: ItalMesh srl.
Three Engineering Companies, respectively experienced in Structural Design, Design of Green Walls and NBS, Fire Engineering (FINCONIT, J&G, FSC). One Engineering Company experienced in sustainable growth and third party certification services (RINA-C). One Industry producing dowels and connections systems for curtain walls (HITLI). An Industrial Association (ECCS). The Partners of the Consortium belong to six different EU Member Countries: Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.
Thanks to the operational capacity of the partners the project results will be achieved and steel green façade systems prototyped will be qualified in terms of benefits in terms of energy savings and air quality improvement. Guidelines and recommendations for the application will be produced able to provide parameters, data and methods for design the steel green façade and quantify environmental benefits related to the application.
Our team behind the project
ArcelorMittal Tubular Products – AMTP
ArcelorMittal Tubular Products – AMTP – Europe Division within ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel and mining company, is one of the most diversified producers of pipes and tubes, servicing diverse markets including energy, construction, engineering, and automotive.
ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Legutio, a factory established in 1972 in Legutio, Álava, Spain, boasts a sprawling total area of 375,000 square meters, of which 90,000 square meters are under cover. This facility became part of the ArcelorMittal group in 2022 and is primarily dedicated to the production of welded steel tubes used in a wide range of applications. Its primary product categories encompass:
a) Hollow sections for structural purposes.
b) Pipes for fluid conveyance.
c) Tubes for mechanical applications.
RWTH Aachen, Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering
The Institute of Steel Construction at RWTH Aachen University is one of the largest European academic and research institutions working on steel, composite and lightweight structures embedded in a university, and it is also the founding member of Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering (CWE). The Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering combines and guides the interdisciplinary teaching and research activities at the RWTH Aachen University in the fields of Wind and Earthquake Engineering. Through the involved institutes, the Center for Wind and Earthquake Engineering offers an excellent and longstanding expertise in structural dynamics and runs comprehensive, efficient and highly specialised testing facilities.
European Convention for Constructional Steelwork – ECCS
The European Convention for Constructional Steelwork – ECCS, is a federation of national associations of steelwork contractors. It was founded in 1955 to promote constructional steelwork and develop harmonized codes and standards for the steel construction sector. It is the sole platform gathering the steel industry, the academic world and the steel fabrication actors. ECCS is a network of more than 400 experts sitting in Technical Committees and contributing to European research from a technical and promotional point of view. ECCS is the owner of Eurosteel Conference, International Steel Bridge Symposium and European Steel Design Awards : www.steelconstruct.com
FINCON Consulting Italia srl – FINCONIT
FINCON Consulting Italia srl (FINCONIT) is an Engineering & Architecture Company, specialized in structural design, Landscape Architecture, and Consulting activities. FINCON has experience in RFCS Projects as Coordinator LASTEICON and FASTCOLD, and Partner in STEELWAR. Principal Investigator in GREENVESTS will be prof. Carlo A. Castiglioni Full Professor of Structural Design at the School of Building Engineering of Politecnico di Milano and partner in FINCON. He participated/is participating as Partner or Coordinator to various EU Research Projects (among which STEELQUAKE, SEISRACKS1, SEISRACKS2, INERD, FUSEIS, MEAKADO, ADBLAST, PROINDUSTRY, INNOSEIS, LASTEICON, FASTCOLD, STEELWAR, DISSIPABLE, LASTTS, CONSTRUCTADD).
FSC Engineering
FSC Engineering is an engineering company that has professional and academic experience gained in more than a decade on fire safety-related issues in civil and industrial contexts.
FSC Engineering is leader on fire safety in building façades and is consultant of the main international manufacturers of façade systems. FSC Engineering supports design and construction companies to determine the best technical-constructive solutions to guarantee safety in case of fire. FSC Engineering leads, with the collaboration of specialized laboratory, research centres and Universities experimental tests in accordance to international standards.
Hilti
Hilti stands for quality, innovation and direct customer relationships, resulting in about 250,000 individual customer contacts each day. Based in Schaan, Liechtenstein, we have approx. 33,000 employees around the world who contribute to making construction work simpler, faster and safer – while inspiring customers with technologically leading products, systems, software and services.
ItalMesh
Proudly Ambassador of the Made in Italy design, ItalMesh offers more than 300 models of expanded metal mesh, highly customisable. The innovative anchoring systems designed and patented by the ItalMesh team allow easy and quick assembly. The powder coated or anodized finish allows the material to self-clean and maintain its physical and aesthetic characteristics over time. Furthermore, the company is a widely recognized designer and seller of a patented living modular wall namely Zero Gravity Eden.
ItalMesh is present on the Middle Eastern market, in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, but also India, Seychelles, Nigeria and Australia.
J&G Engineering&Architecture Ltd
J&G Engineering&Architecture Ltd (J&G) is a Company established in 2016 in Pafos (CY).
The company is organized in four different Departments, each one dealing with a specific field: Architecture & Landscape Design, Civil&Structural Engineering, Social Sciences and Research&Development. J&G will contribute to GREENVESTS with the department of Architecture & Landscape Design, helping in the optimal choice of greeneries to be used for the Green Walls, as well as contributing, thanks to their expertise to the Assessments of Design Criteria as well as to the Drafting of the Design Guidelines. Among its staff and Consultants, the Research&Development Department of J&G Engineering&Architecture includes individuals having a long experience in participating to EU Projects, both FP7, H2020, HORIZON as well as RFCS. Presently, J&G Engineering&Architecture is involved, in addition to GREENVESTS, also in the HORIZION-MSCA-SE-2022-01-01 Project TOPIO (G.A. 101131109).
Kydon SA – Overview of Activities
Kydon SA was founded in 1985 as the municipality’s company that owns the city’s central fruit market and the central seven-story car parking. The Chania slaughterhouse belongs also to Kydon SA. The head offices are located in Peridou & Ypsilanton st, in Chania, 73100.
Apart from the abovementioned activities, Kydon S.A. is being involved actively in all municipalities’ activities and programs concerning sustainable mobility, energy management, and road safety across Chania.
Kydon S.A. is an official partner in Chania’s Energy Community and develops actions related to Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency.
Last but not least, Kydon SA has participated in several European programs and nowadays is an official partner in Horizon 2020 active projects (Just Nature, https://justnatureproject.eu/, Greenvests)
NTUA-LEE
The Objective of the Laboratory for Earthquake Engineering (LEE) of National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) is the study of the effects of earthquakes and vibrations on structures. Its equipment includes:1) Shake Table with six degrees of freedom. 2) Reaction Wall for pseudo static monotonic or cyclic testing. 3) Apparatus for shear loading of masonry. 4) Apparatus for the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of masonry. 5) Monitoring systems for in situ testing.
RINA
With a global network of over 5,300 talented professionals, we are committed to simplifying complexities with a focus on energy transition, ESG and digitalisation. In 2000, we inherited the know-how of one of the Italian Naval Registry, and we turned it into a “business-to-society” company. We specialise in testing, inspection, certification, and engineering solutions across a wide range of markets, including Marine, Energy and Mobility, Real Estate and Infrastructure, Space and Defense, and Industry 4.0.
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Zero Gravity Eden: the living modular wall – courtesy of ItalMesh
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The GREENVESTS project received funding from the European Union's RFCS-2022 Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101112158.