INTERREG NWE, Straw project, 06/09/2015, p. 1
Public building in straw INTERREG project – application for 30 November 2015
Preliminary concept note 6 September 2015 The Interreg North-West Europe Programme – presentation and advantages The INTERREG North West Europe (NWE) Programme is a transnational European Territorial Cooperation Programme funded by the European Commission. The NWE Programme involves Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and parts of France, Germany and the Netherlands. The Programme area has a population of about 180 million people living in the eligible area of 845 000 km². On one hand, it can be considered as one of the most dynamic and prosperous areas of Europe. On the other hand the area faces a number of environmental, social and economic needs and challenges. The particular interest of the programme is that it mixes public bodies and NGOs and provides support to large projects including investments, with a funding rate of 60%. The use of straw bales in the construction sector meets 3 thematic objectives of the programme: 1. strengthening research, technological development and innovation; 2. supporting the shift towards a low carbon economy in all sectors; 3. protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency. Specifically, it would easily enter into one specific objective of the low carbon thematic objective: SO3 - To facilitate the uptake of low carbon technologies, products, processes and services in sectors with high energy saving potential, to reduce GHG emissions in NWE. This specific objective is granted of more than 51 M€ during the concerned period, which represents a support to 8 to 12 projects. Concept The whole project will be about the construction of public buildings in straw bales, in different situations (5 different countries, various context, urban and rural, school, nursery, administrative building, health centre, social housing, …) The public partners must have a project to achieve during the project time schedule and the desire to build in straw. These buildings will become examples for the construction sector and serve as demonstrators for the public sector. The project will also deal with: • Standard specifications for public tendering • Professional rules and recommendation • European technical agreement for different straw buildings and fire resistance tests. The project will have to deal with innovation and peer reviews and exchanges. Transnational added value and dissemination are also important criteria for being selected. Duration: 4 years, 09/2016-08/2020. September 2016 is the earliest date for beginning a project under the next INTERREG NWE call, which works in two steps and is expected to produce decisions in July 2016. 4 years is a good duration for being able to study and realise buildings of a certain size, and disseminate the findings of the exchange process. Partners The idea is to join 2 partners per country, in 5 countries: one public partner (region, city, municipality) and one association, the first dealing with the main construction project and the
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