Life Reusing Posidonia, project summary

Life Reusing Posidonia is a pioneer environmental governance project in the Balearic Islands, born in April 2010, which encourages the use of local and / or ecological materials for efficient construction. Among these materials stand out dry Posidonia oceanica (seagrass) as a thermal insulation, second-hand carpentry, marés stone, artisanal ceramics or lime as an alternative to cement, in order to meet the objectives of the 2020 Climate & Energy package through a Climate Change Adaptation Project.

The Life Reusing Posidonia project promoted by IBAVI1 in collaboration with the Balearic General Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the CAIB has received a European grant of € 754,012 from the LIFE + 12 program in the Environmental Governance category for Climate Change Adaptation Projects. The proposal includes the construction of a prototype building, consisting of 14 social housing units in Formentera, and the monitoring thereof in collaboration with the UIB to verify the proper functioning of the solutions applied with a view to providing verified data to the European Institutions for the drafting of future regulations related to the reduction of the environmental impact of the building sector.

The keys have already been given to the families and they have the honor of living in the first houses of energy class A of the whole Balearic Islands.

The use of Posidonia oceanica (seagrass) as a building material

Posidonia Oceanica (seagrass) is an important endemic species found only in the Mediterranean basin. The largest meadow located between Formentera and Ibiza islands was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

When the posidonia reaches the beaches due to its natural cycle, it dries up because of the sun exposure. Despite this, however, it does not lose its value, for this reason the project of Life Reusing Posidonia works.

Life Reusing Posidonia does not seek to promote houses built with alternative materials, but to encourage the use of such materials for construction, showing that it is possible to build multifamily homes being responsible with the environment. The reduction of 50% of CO2 emissions during the construction of buildings, 75% during its useful life, 60% in water consumption and 50% in waste production, contribute to reduce the ecological footprint left by the urbanization and can be beneficial for all of us.

The European Union's commitment to this ambitious project responds to a global demand from society, which needs, in all its aspects, to reduce the environmental impact to curb climate change. The 14 social dwellings of Life Reusing Posidonia are the first step into a reality that should begin to be generalized in the nearest future; a reality where efficient construction takes the lead.

The families have the keys already

The families have already accessed to the social dwellings in Sant Ferran (Formentera) that are part of Life Reusing Posidonia project, promoted by IBAVI. This project, that was born on April of 2010, initiate a model of construccion with pioneer environmental measures in the Balearic Islands. 

The President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol; the President of Formentera’s Council, Jaume Ferrer and the IBAVI President, Minister of Territory, Energy and Mobility Government of the Balearic Islands, Marc Pons, handed the keys to the families. 

We are talking about the first multifamily property development of A energy class in Balearic Islands. It has been built on a plot of land offered by the Council of Formentera and IBAVI. The Prototype is a model of energy efficient construction that has obtained the Europen help from the Life+ 2012 programme. This project, Environmental Governance considered, is financed by the European Union trought Life Posidonia programme and it handles the data collection of the building process and the consumption tracking. This data will work as a model to develop future standards of efficient building in Europe. 

The main features of this project are the reuse of dry Posidonia as thermal insulation and the use, during the building, of the construction pallets, aggregates from construction work and second hand woods, avoiding reinforced concrete, petroleum products and the PVC. This reuse of materials and the reuse of ecological elements have made possible a reduction of the 50% the pollution during the building process and a 50% the residues of the construction job. This way, with the reusing it has been possible to reduce the CO₂ emissions. 

With this project, it is expected to reduce useful energy by 75% during the useful life of the building and water consumption by 60%. For that reason the contractors have committed in the renting agreement to make a responsible consume, to facilitate data tracking and to make a sustainable use of the house.