Your EU – Your projects in Italy: making buildings more sustainable

By The European Times | Created at 2026-10-16 10:36:31 | Updated at 2026-10-18 18:44:16 2 days ago

How buildings are constructed, renovated, and heated or cooled affects energy bills, emissions and the resources needed throughout their lifetime.

The challenge is particularly complex because different regions face different needs: while heating remains important, cooling demand is becoming an increasing concern for the citizens of many European countries.

In Italy there wereover2.4 million families in energy poverty in 2024, roughly 9.1% of the total. Making buildings more efficient can help address the wider challenges linked to energy consumption and costs.

EU programmes are supporting practical solutions to solve these problems: from developing new zero-emission building design, to helping municipalities create local heating and cooling plans and advising on the sustainable renovation of existing buildings.

Several EU-funded projects in Italy show how different forms of European support can contribute to this transition.

GreeNest: rethinking how buildings are designed and constructed

The EU-funded GreeNest project is testing different solutions to combine bio-based and circular construction materials, energy performance and renewable energies for zero-emission buildings. The project has received an EU contribution of almost €5 million from Horizon Europe Energy.

One of the demonstration cases is theDelta Info Centre inPorto Viro (Rovigo Province). This is a small municipal building located in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Po Delta,providing a particularly sensitive real world setting for demonstrating sustainable construction. The building combinesprefabricated and adaptable construction with renewable energy, smart consumption monitoring and an integrated high-performance envelope (the structural parts that separate a building’s interior and exterior environments).

GreeNest has already created prototypes of several innovative material and building-system packages. These include solutions using coffee-ground insulation, waste wood, lightweight clay and other materials designed to support circular construction and reduce embodied emissions – the emissions associated with the materials and construction of a building.

Together with demonstration activities in Germany and Greece, Porto Viro will provide evidence for the wider replication of GreeNest solutions across different European climates and construction contexts.

Plan4COLD: helping Italian cities plan for efficient heating and cooling

The LIFE Programme is supporting Plan4COLD, which works with municipalities in southern Europe to develop sustainable local heating and cooling plans. The project received an EU contribution of €1.63 million.

The project is working with the Italian cities of Udine, Pordenone, Ragusa, Modica and Vittoria, alongside municipalities in Greece and Portugal. It is offering step-by-step support in the creation of ten sustainable heating and cooling plans in lead cities across the three countries.

In Ragusa for example, the project used microclimate simulations to test a redesign of the Nodo Zama bus terminal, one of the city’s hottest public spaces. The test found out that unsealing the paving and adding trees and green areas would lower the perceived temperature by 8.6 °C and let around 83% of rainwater soak into the site rather than run off.

The heating and cooling plans are intended to help municipalities assess their existing heating and cooling systems and identify how energy efficiency and renewable energy can be promoted according to local climatic, infrastructure and economic conditions.

The cross-border dimension is important: the participating cities will provide case studies that can be used by other municipalities facing similar challenges.

Giving new life to an industrial site thanks to Green Assist

EU support can also take the form of expert advice rather than a conventional project grant. In northern Italy,Green Assist (the environmental advisory programme funded under LIFE) provided specialised advisory services to support the redevelopment of the former Linificio Canapificio Nazionale, a historic textile factory in Fara Gera d’Adda, near Milan.

The former industrial complex covers around 63,000 square metres and ceased industrial activities in 2008. The redevelopment aims to refurbish and reuse existing buildings, combining the preservation of industrial heritage with new community and environmental functions. The plans include a social and healthcare complex for elderly users, accommodation, recreational and catering facilities, as well as improved connections with the surrounding urban area.

Between July and November 2025, Green Assist experts provided tailored advice on the project’s business model and financing strategy, as well as other services embedding environmental objectives at the core of this renovation project. Following this support, the sponsors of the project are moving towards implementing strategic partnerships and testing its commercial offer on the “ground”, with an estimated investment of around €80 million.

Different approaches, a shared direction

These are some of the ways in which EU support can contribute to more sustainable buildings and communities in Italy. Together, they are the evidence that improving buildings is not limited to installing new technologies.

It can also mean changing how buildings are designed, making better use of existing resources, planning energy systems at local level and creating stronger links between public authorities, businesses and experts.

These examples show how the EU programmes managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) translate European ambition into concrete results and impact. By combining funding with expert advice and cross-border cooperation, the EU helps innovative projects scale up, deliver benefits for citizens and businesses, and support a more sustainable, resilient Europe.

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