Application of Nature-Based Solutions for local adaptation of educational and social buildings to Climate Change

The overall objective of the LIFE-myBUILDINGisGREEN project is to contribute to increasing the resilience of social buildings and educational centres by implementing nature-based solutions as prototypes of climate adaptation and improved well-being.

Specifically, the project aims to:

* Improve knowledge on the development, assessment and monitoring of vulnerability to climate change of buildings by developing and testing a common, ready-to-use method in the southern, western, central and northern European regions;

* Analyse and verify the impact of nature-based solutions as measures to adapt to climate change in three pilot buildings;

* Promote sustainable ecosystem-based adaptation measures and increase the capacity to apply such knowledge in practice through dissemination and demonstration workshops;

* Promote the governance of regional authorities, directors and building managers, and the construction sector to integrate natured-based solutions as part of measures to promote sustainable adaptation in buildings; and

* Contribute to the development and implementation of a common EU policy on adaptation to climate change by transferring best practices and knowledge to target groups and stakeholders.

Expected results:

* Nature-based solutions applied to three pilot buildings (two educational centres and one social services centre), including the drawing up of construction projects and the monitoring of the climatic parameters;

* Four reference reports and seven good practice manuals on the application of nature-based solutions in public buildings for the four climatic risk areas of the EU;

15 government agreements and 10 inter-municipal programmes, along with the integration of nature-based solutions into 10 regulations, action plans and environmental programmes;

* 20% reduction of CO2 emissions (27 tonnes per year) and 7% reduction of NOx (144 kg per year) at the project sites;

* Collection of 2 700 m3 of rainfall;

* 50% reduction of the irrigation water consumption for each building (4.5m3 per year);

* 0.5 ha increase in the size of the green areas for each building; and

* 50% reduction of energy costs for cooling and 10% for heating, amounting to ?1 000 per building.