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Prof. Serghides Participates in the Prestigious Mediterranean Green Forum 2022 in Italy

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The Cyprus Institute’s Adjunct Prof. Despina Serghides, participated as member of the international committee and invited plenary speaker in the prestigious Mediterranean Green Forum (MGF) - 6th edition, held at the DIDA Department of Architecture of the University of Florence (Italy), between 20-22 July 2022.

In her presentation entitled “Energy and Sustainability in the Mediterranean Architecture” Prof. Serghides, underlined the significance of energy sustainability in buildings towards the climate change mitigation.

“To mitigate the catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis, decarbonization, transition to renewable energy sources and comprehensive energy measures at all levels are imperative. Buildings absorb about one-sixth of the world’s resources and in Europe the building sector is responsible for an estimated 40% of the total energy consumption and 10% of the total CO2 emissions. The European Union has framed ambitious CO2 reductions and energy efficiency goals for the decades aiming towards net zero energy buildings”, Prof. Serghides noted.

Prof. Serghides stressed that nowadays, more than ever, people demand high standards of living concerning quality in buildings, aesthetics, comfort and especially thermal support, adding that these can be achieved with the use of modern air conditioning systems.

“However, these are expensive in initial cost and very demanding in energy in the long-term, also causing emissions of atmospheric pollutants. It is well established that it is possible to create the required comfort standards with the careful use of bioclimatic strategies and techniques for thermal comfort thus minimising the mechanical means for cooling and heating and at the same time reducing the environmental pollution. New technologies have also been developed with adapted strategies and tools aiming at reducing energy consumption, utilising renewable energy sources and are friendly to the environment”, she added.

Additionally, Prof. Serghides presented the bioclimatic design and progressive problem-solving methods for indoor comfort in buildings (cooling, heating, daylight) and outlined the prospects of their adoption for energy efficiency in the Mediterranean buildings, which are exemplified and illustrated though international and evolving appropriate paradigms.

Mediterranean Green Forum is an open roundtable for an international community of researchers, experts and enthusiasts discussing the most innovative and promising sustainable building technologies. Since the first edition in 2010, the World Renewable Energy Congress and Network Forum have organized the bi-annual Med Green Forum to highlight the role of Renewable Energy applications in the sustainable building sector as foundation of a truly positive energy future, with a focus on the Mediterranean region, where an effective re-implementation should act as a beacon of light to the rest of the world to follow.

In the unique socio-climatic and cultural context of the Mediterranean basin, the recognized challenge is to regenerate cities by renovating the existing built environment, in order to reduce its huge environmental impact and meet the global goals of clean energy in sustainable cities and communities, but also responsible production and health and well-being for all. In the era of climate change and in the years of the pandemic experience and pervading digitalization, MGF6 opened a debate on how the need to re-think healthier living spaces is stimulating the building sector to innovate across the ongoing Green and Digital transitions.

The mission of MGF6 was to explore the virtuous intersections between twin transitions in actual policies, programs, projects and experimentations, with the Digital domain innovating the Green building sector towards more reliable and inclusive planning and design practices, where to collectively envision future buildings and cities.