On November 22, the SUSTAIN Eurocluster project consortium hosted the final event of its first Open Call at the CERTH facilities in Thessaloniki. This event provided an opportunity for twelve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to present their innovative solutions in sustainable construction and share their progress. Over twenty representatives from organizations across seven European Union countries participated in the event.
The program began with a welcome address by the SUSTAIN’s project manager and CERTH Research Associate, Nikos Laloumis, who continued with a presentation on the future of smart buildings, advanced construction technologies, and sustainability. A particular emphasis was placed on the role of Smart Readiness Indicators (SRIs), alongside a review of recent regulatory advancements and developments in the field.
Three panel discussions, conducted by Afroditi Zamanidou, European Research Project Manager at IsZEB, tackled critical topics within the sustainable construction sector: emerging trends in smart building and construction, challenges in fostering innovation for intelligent buildings, and the future of SRIs and sustainable construction. Representatives from the awarded projects shared insights aligned with the themes of each panel, contributing their expertise to the discussions.
Following a midday break, project representatives delivered 15-minute presentations introducing their innovative solutions in demonstration or prototyping phase. These projects leveraged disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Building Information Modelling (BIM), all designed to align with SRIs. The showcased solutions included AIBEM, EDIFICE, IEM, INSPIRE, ATMOS, EcoSynergy, INCISIONS, PEDMaker, BRAINED, PREMISES, SmartBear, and srAI-BEMS.
Midway through the event, during the lunch break, participants had the opportunity to engage directly with the showcased demos and prototypes, gaining first-hand insights into the technologies while addressing questions to the developers and project leaders.
To conclude the event, the consortium presented awards to acknowledge both the quality of the presentations and the social and environmental impacts of the projects. SmartBear received the Best Pitch Award, while Brained was honored with the Impact Award.
For more details about the event and the projects presented, please contact us at [email protected].