Partners – BIG4life

Project / Partners

University of Lleida (UdL)

The University of Lleida (UdL) is a public university dating from 1297, being one of the oldest universities in Europe. UdL combines a long and fruitful university tradition with a young and dynamic human capital, firmly committed to quality training and research as well as to internationalization. Its strong point is the study of agrifood and forests and it is a world reference in food technology. IT4S research group is devoted on innovative technologies that contribute to sustainability in the fields of architecture and engineering with a focus on building-integrated greenery systems to improve the urban environment.

Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC)

The Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), founded in 1996, is a public consortium of local and regional institutions as well as Catalan universities. Its mission is to contribute to the modernization and competitiveness of the forest sector, to promote rural development, and to foster the sustainable management of the environment through excellence in research and knowledge and technology transfer to society. It employs over 100 professionals, half of which, high-level researchers. The research group on Bioeconomy, Human Health, and Governance, includes a research line on biocities, urban green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions. Specifically, it deals with the naturalization of urban spaces (including BIG systems) and the ecosystem services they provide. The group has expertise in assessing the interactions between urban green spaces and the health and well-being of citizens.

University of Genoa (UNIGE)

The University of Genoa (UNIGE) is one of the most valuable cultural and scientific heritage of the Mediterranean. It is deeply interconnected with the city of Genoa and it is strongly engaged in promoting the progress and the values of our society. The University of Genoa plays a leading role in the fields of research, innovation, and technology transfer in an increasingly competitive environment at national and international level. The Dipartimento Architettura e Design (DAD) focuses its interests on the research of new and existing architecture, including processes of eco-design.

Hellenic Open University (HOU)

Hellenic Open University (HOU) was established in 1996 and it is the only distance-learning university in Greece. HOU has four Schools (Applied Arts and Sustainable Development, Humanities, Science and Technology and Social Sciences), 7 undergraduate programs and more than 50 MSc programs. HOU has more than 20,000 undergraduate students, more than 20,000 in MSc programs and about 100 PhD students, occupying the second place among Greek Universities in number of students. Research is very strong in HOU, as there are more than 15 research laboratories working in theoretical and applied research. Sustainability and energy are important areas of research at HOU. An “Environmental Unit” was recently created to include sustainability in all courses and educational procedures. HOU has a MSc program called “Environmental Design”. Its scope is to decrease the environmental impact of human activities and mitigate climate change. One of the main fields of this MSc is the environmental design of buildings, applying new and alternative systems to diminish the energy, water and material consumption along their entire lifespan. Moreover, HOU has a specific research laboratory called “Laboratory of Technology and Policy of Energy and Environment” (LATPEE).

TEB VERD

TEB VERD is part of a Cooperative Group of social initiative. We work from the principles and cooperative values to achieve an inclusive life for people with intellectual disabilities. Since a group of families started the TEB in 1968, we have been building a gear of special non-profit work centres, occupational centres, specialized housing services, job placement services, tutelary foundations, sports clubs, etc. In the field of employment, we have set up five special work centres that offer quality products and services so that today they employ 650 people, of which 500 are people with intellectual disabilities. We currently also have 150 people cared for in occupational centres and 90 places in the home-residence and Home Support Service. The actions to be carried out by TEB VERD SCCL are aimed to reach some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the United Nations proposed to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of people around the world by 2030:

Guarantee a healthy life and promote the welfare of everyone
Guarantee inclusive and equitable quality education and promote permanent learning

opportunities for everyone.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and children.
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full productive employment and decent work for everyone.

VERDTICAL ECOSISTEMA

Verdtical, a Spanish start-up founded in 2011 by Daniel Guzmán, has the objective to help cities worldwide to improve their air quality. Verdtical deals since its origin with manufacturing and development of advanced technology in plant walls for Bioconstruction projects. Verdtical is an eco-technology research company dedicated to the development and manufacture of advanced technology in organic coatings. Verdtical systems are not only a system, but also an efficient, useful, practical, reliable and intelligent construction method. We are manufacturers of integral solutions using communication electronics and artificial intelligence. The goal is the implementation of green technology minimizing water consumption and technical maintenance costs. Thanks to our own developed IoT – technology, Verdtical is the only nature-based green wall solution (NBS) that allows real-time city and plants monitoring. The environmental sensors will allow us to obtain real-time data on the pollution status of a city, while optimizing the consumption of resources in all the buildings where installed. Verdtical also has a learning program developed by engineering and technology professionals focused on architecture, construction and gardening technicians.

SEMPERGREEN

Sempergreen is an organisation that wants to improve the quality of life through innovations in sustainable construction and greenery in the city. Worldwide, we supply quality products for green roofs, living walls and ready-to-lay ground covering. Together with our clients, our ambition as market leader is to make the world a little greener. Sempergreen has over 25 years of experience and is established in several countries all over the world. We know the market, we know the plants, we know what’s necessary for a healthy and sustainable green roof.

SOLUCIONS EIXVERD

Eixverd is a local small enterprise in the Barcelona ecosystem totally dedicated to green urban infrastructure, especially green roofs. We analyse and design. We are also contractors and do the construction of the green infrastructure. Finally, we are gardeners and can maintain such constructions. We have successfully installed more than 40 green roofs gaining more than 12.000 m2 of additional urban green area in Barcelona. Eixverd is well connected with research entities and other non-governmental organizations to spread the benefits of the green roofs from the adaptation to climate change perspective.