Serpa Municipality

Eco-Quarter

This is an innovative pilot-project for the city of Serpa, to be implemented in an abandoned city block located within the city’s historical center, and soon to be classified as a public interest asset.

The project includes the use of new state-of-the-art materials and construction techniques, exploring endogenous materials that assure sustainable construction and energy efficiency, and drawing upon traditional as well as contemporary and innovative construction systems.

One of the major goals of Eco-Quarter is urban regeneration of the site itself and of the city as a whole.

Within this context, upper floors of the site will be for residential use while ground floors will be for commerce and services.

Other goals include: the creation of a showcase area for demonstration, innovation, research and development, testing and experimentation of materials and techniques of sustainable construction, within the framework of energy efficiency and renewable and alternative energy sources; a Case Study with certified and validated scientific and technical results regarding projects and materials; urban regeneration; and the promotion of local raw materials and traditional techniques in addition to new materials and energy efficiency technologies.

Ecovila

The Municipality of Serpa wants to promote, implement, develop and monitor a new experimental model for urban residential planning and zoning, similar to the concept of eco-communities, safeguarding the cultural and rural landscapes.

This Eco-Village residential zoning is developing in a small rural cluster, close to the city, and modeled on territorial sustainability and bio-climate construction. The development of this human occupation model is expected to be an alternative solution to dispersed territorial construction. New technologies will be employed, such as integration of renewable energy production systems, using rainwater, and waste water recycling. The Eco-Village is expected to be self-sufficient.

The concept of this type of land zoning and planning is not completely new. At its core are the ancient structures of the Alentejo residential clusters where other equipments complementary to residential area necessarily exist, such as common service buildings and shared infrastructures.

The goals of the project are to:

-- Promote new urban designs based on holistic concepts;

-- Use the eco-communities model approach;

-- Use of local raw materials and traditional techniques allied with new state-of-the-art technologies relevant to sustainable construction and implicitly energy efficient;

-- Promote the application of environmental sustainable solutions in the domains of construction and infrastructures;

-- Augment the socio-cultural and socio-economic potential of the location and society;

-- Recuperation of traditional building materials and techniques;

-- Building certification regarding energy efficiency;

-- Introduction of new building materials and techniques.

Soil and Sustainable Construction Laboratory

Unit for research, development and generation of innovative materials and technologies applicable to sustainable construction, focusing on local and soil materials.

This project will develop:

-- Educational, experimentation and increasing awareness activities through training sessions, exhibitions and thematic seminars;

-- Certification procedures for building materials and systems;

-- Science and technology in the construction sector.