Klimahouse 2019 closes at Fiera Bolzano with hundreds of companies and startups in the spotlight. Awards go to the products and systems revolutionising sustainable construction, which is becoming ever more renewable and circular.
The most innovative players in the fields of energy efficiency and building renovation took centre stage at Klimahouse 2019, the international trade fair dedicated to sustainable design, held at Fiera Bolzano from 23 to 26 January. 450 companies and 25 startups – the latter gathered in the Startup village, a true citadel of innovation – came together to present innovative materials, cutting-edge construction techniques, and projects in construction, architecture, sustainable mobility and smart cities. Some stood out for their products and systems, winning awards presented during Klimahouse with a total prize pool of 30,000 euros in services.
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Starting from acoustic panels made by recycling the wool of Tyrolean sheep. The Whisperwool product by Austrian startup Tante Lotte Design, based in Innsbruck, is an ingenious new application that uses waste materials in keeping with a circular economy approach. For this reason, it was chosen as the winner of the Klimahouse Startup Award, promoted by Fiera Bolzano, the Noi Techpark science park and Blum, a company specialising in innovation communication. The final was held on 25 January at Noi Techpark itself, the new South Tyrolean innovation district that brings together research centres, laboratories and innovative businesses. "Green technologies represent one of the key sectors in which Noi Techpark invests, in the belief that they are central both to the future of South Tyrol and to that of the planet," commented services director Hubert Hofer.
"Bringing 25 startups from across Europe to the heart of the trade fair for Klimahouse was no small challenge," commented Thomas Mur, director of Fiera Bolzano. "Our goal of placing people, their comfort and their needs at the centre will accompany these new businesses, together with Fiera Bolzano, throughout their journey." Looking ahead and anticipating what the themes of Klimahouse 2020 might be is also Luca Barbieri, coordinator of the startup award and co-founder of Blum: "With the arrival of 5G in the world of telecommunications, technology will increasingly move inside our homes, making the objects that fill them smart." What is certain is that Tante Lotte Design, with its unique technology, will be present at the fair with its own stand, as the winner of this prestigious competition.
Alongside a strong startup presence, hundreds of other companies working to make the construction sector ever more efficient and sustainable brought Klimahouse to life. Of these, 53 entered the Klimahouse Trend awards, promoted by Fiera Bolzano and the Politecnico di Milano and judged by a panel of experts chaired by Niccolò Aste, full professor at the Politecnico. The overall prize and the award in the Innovation category, dedicated to industrial and technological research, went to Ecosism for its Geniale cappotto sismico, a product that combines seismic safety and thermal insulation while optimising costs. To highlight systems capable of responding promptly to particularly current needs, the Timely category was won by Wood Beton with Be three, a new construction system that uses wood in combination with concrete and allows structures to be dismantled. Finally, Powerwall 2 by Tesla, the home battery that enables the storage of renewable energy and has become a benchmark in the sector, took first place in the Widespread category, dedicated to highly competitive products and systems.
To give even greater space and visibility to excellence in the fields of green design and construction, three special awards were also presented. The one promoted by the Agenzia Casa Clima, the Bolzano provincial body for energy efficiency and construction quality, went to My Warm, an Austrian company that has created a system to balance heating costs and CO2 emissions. An emerging player was once again in the spotlight with the special award from Bim Object, a leading company in the development of construction software, which was presented to Mas Roof, a startup from Oderzo, in the province of Treviso, incubated at Noi Techpark and the creator of the first modular roof with integrated solar panels.
Finally, the voice of visitors was placed at the centre with the public award. From more than 500 votes cast, the winner was Cool Roof Company, a Modena-based company specialising in paints that, by reflecting sunlight, reduce the overheating of buildings. A clear signal that the core philosophy of sustainable construction and of this fair – building well to live well – is a concrete need to which an ever-growing number of citizens choose to respond when making decisions about their most intimate environment: the home.
