The European project BIG4LIFE held its annual meeting on November 13 and 14 in Barcelona, bringing together all the consortium partners to showcase the benefits of Building Integrated Greenery (BIG) systems, such as green roofs and facades. Through eight representative pilot cases, BIG4LIFE will enhance the lifespan of BIG systems by improving their long-term sustainability and providing ecosystem services in Mediterranean cities.
During the meeting, the project coordinators presented the results of the different work packages. In these twelve months, the partners have carried out the necessary preparatory tasks for the project to progress efficiently, such as the characterization of the eight BIG buildings that participate in the project, and the installation of autonomous monitoring systems for air quality, energy saving or biodiversity. However, most of the effort during this year has been focused on the co-design and execution of the rehabilitation works of the BIG1 Parc Agrobiotech and BIG2 Ronda Mercè buildings in Lleida and BIG7 Auditori L’Artesà in El Prat de Llobregat to ensure the proper functioning of these systems.
The afternoon session was open to the public. About twenty people not involved in the project were interested in its progress and participated in the round table, where the importance of communicating the social and environmental benefits of BIG systems was highlighted, as well as the need for economic incentives to promote their adoption. “This has only begun, BIG4LIFE is a key project for the transition to more resilient and sustainable cities,” said Gabriel Pérez, project coordinator.
On the second day, two of the pilot cases of the project were visited: BIG8, the green wall located in the Tibidabo amusement park and BIG6, the semi-extensive green roof of the Pérez-Iborra school located in the Barcelona Eixample. This way, the meeting allowed participants to visit some of the pilot cases that participate in the project, exchange ideas, and prepare the project’s next steps, such as finalizing the installation of autonomous monitoring systems, preparing the cost-benefit analysis, or the questionnaires to quantify the benefits of BIG systems for the health and well-being of people.