As part of the final meeting of the BauNOW project, which took place from 20 to 22 May 2026 in Italy, we visited Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo, a 55-hectare educational centre, farm and ecological project. The estate is developing a “living laboratory of integral ecology” organised around five interconnected pillars: buildings, greenhouses, water, solar energy, and waste management with biodiversity. The host of the visit was Antonino Errigo, general secretary of the Laudato Si’ center, who gave a presentation and took us through some of the center’s facilities.
The buildings on this property are designed according to the principle of nearly zero-energy consumption (nZEB) standard, with passive design, high-performance insulation, heat pumps and automated natural ventilation. Planned solar greenhouses use semi-transparent photovoltaic panels, heat pumps and pyrolytic heating fuelled by pruning waste, enabling year-round cultivation and agrivoltaics – dual-use land producing both food and electricity. The energy backbone is a rooftop solar plant expanded through agrivoltaics and a battery storage system using recyclable sodium-chloride batteries. Plans also include green mobility (a fully electric fleet), green hydrogen production, and sharing surplus energy with a nearby renewable energy community.
A closed-loop water system combines rainwater harvesting, greywater and blackwater treatment, and AI-driven irrigation (cutting use by up to 60%), alongside innovations such as graphcube filters and phytoremediation. The fifth pillar unites circular economy and biodiversity: biochar, a biodynamic garden (“orto bioattivo”), on-site composting, and therapeutic agriculture for children and youth.
That same day, the project partners also held presentations on the progress and realization of their project pilots and results. REA North and the Municipality of Legrad jointly presented progress on the development of a new financial instrument to support citizens in implementing energy renovation measures, as well as progress on the development of an AI chatbot to support citizens in all administrative areas for which the Municipality of Legrad is responsible.
The last day of the meeting was held in the center of Rome at the Europa Experience – David Sassoli center and was dedicated to reviewing the status and opportunities in the Mediterranean area with a special emphasis on Green Living Areas. A special part of the last day of the meeting was a workshop and panel in the area of investing in local and regional green and just transition (GJT) with the collection of opinions and recommendations for future priorities for further development of this area.
The final meeting was organized by the Italian partner in the project – Kyoto Club, and in addition to the hosts, partners from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia and Montenegro also participated. The BauNOW project will end on 31 December 2026.