Energy-efficient renovation plays a crucial role in achieving the EU’s long-term climate and energy goals, which require an upgrade of the EU’s housing stock. However, many European countries are strongly prone to earthquakes. In these earthquake-prone areas it is therefore necessary to apply renovation solutions that combine energy efficiency and anti-seismic retrofitting measures.

The e-SAFE project aims to develop an innovative system to combine the earthquake-proof, energy-efficient and architectural renovation of existing buildings. This system will ensure both compliance with energy saving and earthquake-proof safety objectives, as well as greater aesthetic and functional attractiveness, internal comfort, reduced construction time and costs, less inconvenience for occupants, accessible financing solutions and innovative business models. All these factors make the proposed system competitive in the European construction market, with the aim of meeting long-term climate and energy objectives.

The project will verify the effectiveness and replicability of the proposed methodology in 3 selected pilot projects in European seismic regions. The aim is to identify and modify potential drawbacks that could arise during co-design, installation and operation, but also to evaluate the energy, seismic and comfort performance guaranteed on site.

With a funding of 4 million euros, the project will last 48 months and will involve 12 partners from 8 European countries: University of Catania (coordinator), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Moverim, Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari Catania, Norwegian University of Life Science Engineering, Deloitte Limited, Buildings Performance Institute Europe, Pink GmbH, SAMPAŞ, Salfo and Associates SA, Timmerfabriek WEBO BV.