Environmental research

The building process devotes 40% of carbon emissions and 40% gas which harms the ozone layer; it consumes 40% of the global energy and 40% of the raw materials. In response to this challenge, The European Commission adopted Regulation 305/2011 on the 9-th of March, 2011, it added and the seventh essential requirement for sustainable use of natural resources in the constructions. The new regulation allows the usage of products, produced on site and requires the usage in the buildings of innovative products. Bulgaria ranks last in Europe in innovations in its economy and the building with natural materials is still on "taboo" for most teachers and experts in construction. This project aims to realize the first tangible steps to introduce the topic in the most prestigious Bulgarian building university (University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, UACEG) by creating a unit for sustainable building, development and implementation of the graduate program, a thorough examination of international practices and the development of two basic building products, made from natural materials. Along with this, this project will built capacity of the applicant organization and followers of this idea of the informal group "Association for building with natural materials," by creating a sustainable model for practical training and development of low carbon buildings. During the project will be established biodynamic house and the building process will be used for training and analysis of different construction techniques with natural materials. The building will be built along (adjoined) with a new suburban house, built with conventional materials and technologies. This will show the comparative advantages of low carbon and biodynamic construction, the establishment of good internal comfort and microclimate, low energy consumption, inputs and technologies with low to zero carbon and energy assessment. In collaboration with our other major partner - agency for marketing and social research and consultation "Media Links", will be made a series of sociological surveys to determine market potential and attitudes in the target groups to the topic. This in turn will serve to create a marketing strategy to occupy the newly created niche market that would ensure long-term interest of the specialists involved in all project activities.

Bulgaria