The GELCLAD project aims at creating a novel cost-effective, durable, industrialised and easy to install composite insulation cladding system, based on a single multi-meso-structured panel with excellent insulation properties, made from functional bio-polymer composite (ecoWPC) as skin coupling with unique advanced foamable extrudable aerogel (FEA) as insulation core/layer. The GELCLAD is produced using a single co-extrusion procedure in which both ecoWPC framing skin and FEA core are simultaneously formed such that no discontinuity is formed between them. Using a multilayer effective continuous extrusion allows the benefits of high quality multi-meso-structured systems and productive production to be obtained without the traditional drawbacks of existing bonding lamination of extremely high embodied energy insulation materials, and high labouring and skilled installation of multi material layers. By combining also this biopolymer based ecoWPC/aerogel with passive pre-programed materials responding dynamically to ambient stimuli and control the air flow, GELCLAD wants to target the market as a novel environmentally friendly multi-functional smart cladding solution, to be used as an ecological alternative to the current cladding and ventilated façade systems. The foreseen impacts of the novel GELCLAD will be 20% lower embodied energy and carbon than traditional oil based panels, attain more than 40% reduction of energy savings due to GELCLAD refurbishment, reduce costs of 40% over traditional façade thanks to single panel systems, less installation and maintenance expenses, while providing functional building envelope solutions for a life span over 50 years. Full scale demonstration of the application of the novel cladding generation will be performed in demo and public building in Spain and Slovenia for ready uptake and spreading of new technologies, and many other building systems will follow after the success of GELCLAD.

POWERSKIN+ will develop and scale-up eco-innovative, cost-effective and smart material solutions to renovate existing facade systems of both double skin and advanced integrated curtain walls. It will smart integrate unprecedented highly innovative insulations and renewable energy technologies, with breakthrough features based on nano-formulated VIP, PCM, flexible thin glass perovskite solar cells and multi-functional nano-enabled coatings. Comprehensive POWERSKIN+ portfolio comprising off-site prefabricated modular “ready-to-buy” and ‘easy-to-install’ glazing and opaque elements, sustainable eco-designed connecting framings and a dedicated large capacity electric building storage system will be processed up to the final commercializable end products. Powerskin+ system will be validated in non-residential buildings in three different environmental, economic, logistic and social scenarios, namely Portugal, Slovenia and Czech Republic, with environmental sustainability and benefits proving through LCA and LCCA approaches. The market uptake of POWERSKIN+ will be facilitated by optimal compatibility without additional structural modification. It will benefit from: lightweight transparent (TM) and opaque modules (OM) (12% and >8% for OM and TM respectively; 15% improvement in energy storage capacity), aiming to be recognized as an affordable high standard retrofit solution (installation cost and time reduce 50% and 74% respectively).