Newsletter n.3 – October 2017

SanMarco-Terreal, a reference company in the production of roofing and floor tiles, facing bricks and clay accessories, constantly invests in economic and human resources for the research and development of innovative products and services. We believe in research and innovation as opportunities to advance in the aesthetic aspects, but, above of all, in buildings performance and, particularly, in the sustainability of pitched discontinuous roofs. Therefore, for years, we have been involved in the optimization of the shapes of our tiles for a better ventilation and, more in general, for a better performance in energy consumption of the underlying covering. Thus, we became promoters, in cooperation with other partners, of a research focused on this goal and recognized by the European Union.

• Can you describe what are the concrete activities of Terreal in the project and the methods employed in their implementation?

As I said, Life HEROTile has the goal of reducing the energetic needs of buildings through the development of new and innovative shapes of tiles, able to increase the above sheathing ventilation. The project has, indeed, the aim of developing and propose new solutions for energy saving, particularly in the Mediterranean Region, with the view to reduce and mitigate the impact of climate change.

For instance, it is proved that, during summer in the Mediterranean Regions, solar radiation causes the overheating of the covering part of buildings, and as a consequence, of their indoor spaces. This implies the need of using air conditioning, at high energy consumption, to reduce the indoor temperature. Moreover, for very known reasons, the overheating of buildings cannot but increase in the future.

The solutions foreseen by Life HEROTile project will have the aim of improving the energy performance of the roof, both for new constructions and for the renovation of the existing ones, to reach the energy efficiency goals, r reducing CO₂ emissions and facilitate the adoption by the market of a eco-innovative product.

• What are the features of the Marseilles tile developed for Life HEROTile?

We have designed a new shape of Marseilles tile, characterized by a high air permeability, by a perfect overlapping and by a better energy performance of the underlying covering, through the reduction of the passive influence of solar light, which determines the improvement of the above sheathing ventilation. The new tiles, produced in our production lines, have been placed in the real-scale pilot building of Cadelbosco (RE). In the meanwhile, comparative analysis are being undertaken on the mock-ups in Ferrara and Yerucham (Israel), by the team of Prof. Zannoni from the University of Ferrara. These data are the basis for the creation of a software called SENSAPIRO (Software ENergy SAving PItched Roofs), which will be owned by ANDIL. The software will be open-source and free for everyone at the European level who will make a request. Thanks to SENSAPIRO, roof performance will be calculated in relation to the geographical site, the layer slope and the used covering.

• What is the state of the art of the project? What are the next actions?

The new Marseilles tile developed for Life HEROTile, even if maintains the formal features which traditionally characterized it, has been modified in the details of the profile, above all in the overlapping, in order to increase the air permeability and the underlying ventilation, with a view to generate a better energy efficiency of the covering. Last but not least, even the design has been taken into account and the new tile is characterized by a modern and innovative line.

• Can you tell us the long-term benefits that Life HEROTile will produce?

First of all, the project has the objective of reducing the energy needs of buildings, in particular in the Mediterranean Region or in Southern Europe. It has been estimated the reduction by about 5% of electric consumption, related to the cooling of buildings in urban areas, a reduction by 25% of the temperature under the roof, by 50% of carbon emissions related to the building and by 50% of the power required to the cooling systems. The project is compliant with the European energy policies, which have the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions by ensuring energy saving for building cooling (40% of total demand).

As far as the first empirical results are concerned, the analysis on the new tiles and the measures on the related energy savings show an almost doubled permeability of the prototype tiles (Portuguese and Marseilles).

For these reasons, we are very optimistic regarding the attainment of the expected results, taking into consideration the important presence of these two types of tiles in the Mediterranean countries.

The challenges in the construction sectors consist in the creation of sustainable and highly-performing buildings and cities. Besides the habitat wellbeing, the pitched breathable roof made with discontinuous elements, as opposed to the roof with hermetic and sealed closures, becomes, therefore, key and strategic to reach the goal of the reduction in energy consumption of buildings.