EcoBuilding 2008: a space for sustainability in construction

EcoBuilding, 2008, the new trade fair specializing in sustainable construction, held last September, has laid the groundwork so that the sector, until now relegated to be part of the generalist fairs, find their own space only and specifically on sustainable constructionbioclimatic architecture and other constructive and techniques of saving energy and environmentally friendly facilities with the environment. In its first edition, EcoBuilding occupied Hall 1 fair of Zaragoza, where settled more than thirty firms to present their proposals and developments.

Among the exhibitors were major energy supply and energy management companies, companies of domotic equipment, suppliers of materials and facilities for energy efficiency, air conditioning or own studies of architecture, the natural prescribers of the new building techniques. Energy efficiency in buildings centered much of the interest of the Festival, since in addition to the specific proposals put forward by the major suppliers of energy (Endesa and Gas Natural), some of the busiest conferences tried on the same subject. In that regard, the Hall was born with the devoted to also become a forum specializing in sustainability in the construction, and thus demonstrated the high level achieved with its programme of parallel activities.

EcoBuilding has shown striking and interesting novelties, whose appeal lies in the possibility of carrying out a significant energy savings at home in its first edition.

Include home automation, promoted by Cedom, the Spanish domotics Association and Inmomática, a group of companies and experts from the world of home automation. The proposed House integrates different technologies through the simultaneous use of electricity, electronics, computer science and telecommunications, creating homes and buildings controlled and managed entirely in all its functions. Through home automation, security, comfort, flexibility, communications and energy savings are substantially improved.

Another of the highlights was the solar house of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, representative of Spain in the 2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington and whose presence at the fair was made possible through the sponsorship of the Ministry of public worksUrban planning and transport of the Government of Aragon. Through a prototype of single-family housing, it is intended to be completely self-sufficient from the energy point of view throughout the year. This is made possible by systems of electricity generation through photovoltaic panels and systems of production, accumulation and management of solar heat and solar cooling. On this occasion, the technology that incorporates the House isn't ready to be transferred directly to any conventional household, although the objective is to apply these same functions to any housing.

Completing the sample during the three days that EcoBuilding 2008 remained in fair of Zaragoza, were held various technical workshops, which were met with strong interest and a good share of them.

The official College of architects of Aragon (COAA) organized, in collaboration with the magazine InfoDomus, the day 'Architecture and energy'. Different papers analysed energy and architectural characteristics, and their interrelationships, of some of the most recent examples of sustainable construction in Aragon, the Valdespartera Ecocity, the CIRCE building, Zaragoza airport and some emblematic buildings of the last Expo Zaragoza, such as the Spain Pavilion.

As closure of the parallel activities of the pageant, Cedom and the Institute for energy saving and diversification devoted a session to the 'contribution of domotics to savings and energy efficiency', which presented the guide 'How to save energy installing home automation in your home', informative publication developed collaboratively between the two agencies. This guide is intended for the end user to know the contribution of the automation to energy saving and encourage the responsible consumption of it among the citizens. Other topics that were discussed on the same day focused on domestic energy consumption and home automation and security in housing of new development systems.

EcoBuilding 2008 has started under the auspices of the main actors involved with sustainability in construction, from professional associations to public institutions, companies and research centres. With this first edition, an area of high value case, has been formed where professionals related to sustainability in the construction, such as architects, developers, engineers and energy managers have been found and they will find appropriate the showcase and the platform to present their proposals for sustainability.

The future can only be promising for a sector which has been pushing strong. A sector next to revolutionize, and in some measure to rescue the crisis in the construction, as it has been known so far. EcoBuilding is there to support, promote growth and bind all practitioners of this new constructive current.