When we think of where innovation typically takes place, we often envision major capitals. However, the Impulso Verde building, located within the multiecological neighborhood of LIFE Lugo + Biodinámico, demonstrates that it is possible to innovate and create a model that can be exported worldwide, even from a city with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.
We are going to share more details about this building, the project it is a part of, and how it is serving as a laboratory to develop a catalog of solutions validated for their social, economic, and environmental efficiency.
Spain’s first FSC certified building
This structure, which will serve as municipal public services and co-working spaces for companies related to the environment and climate change, has recently received FSC project certification. This recognition makes it the first building in Spain and one of the few in the world to carry this certification, ensuring that all the wood used is sustainable, locally sourced, and environmentally friendly.
In addition to using environmentally friendly raw materials, the building boasts an almost zero-energy balance, emitting 90% less CO2 into the atmosphere than a structure built with concrete or steel, and offering a 74% energy savings compared to older structures (and 54% compared to new construction). All these data have been measured and provided by research groups from the Universities of Santiago de Compostela and the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Impulso Verde was designed with a system of laminar reticular eucalyptus structures on its roofs and a cross-laminated pine wood panel for use in a multi-story building (4 floors). The development of this structural roof system was awarded at the 2018 World Conference of Timber Engineering held in Seoul.
Currently, this building is open to the public. If you want to learn more firsthand, you can request a guided tour through the Lugo City Hall.
A scalable multiecological neighborhood
The uniqueness of Impulso Verde doesn’t end there; it is part of a wooden multiecological neighborhood that will also be unique as the first resilient urban development in Spain. This design ensures an integrated territorial strategy based on the circular economy, promoting sustainable production and consumption through actions such as rainwater collection for reuse in irrigation, a dedicated system for organic waste disposal, and urban heat networks that will reuse biomass to supply a biogas plant.
The neighborhood begins with a low population density (1,200 homes) and implements a strategy of urban vegetation, including roofs and balconies designed for hydroponic cultivation, solar panels, and glazed greenhouses. Over 15,000 trees of various native species will be planted in an area of about 16 hectares, demonstrating the potential of wood as a renewable, recyclable, carbon-neutral, high-efficiency, and high-quality product.
Sustainable mobility is also a key component of this exemplary program, with bike lanes throughout the neighborhood and green paths that enhance the landscape integration.
This model is based on a Biodynamic Plan in which the Lugo population can actively participate by proposing ideas via email at lifealcaldia@lugo.gal.
Catalogue of Sustainable Solutions
The 51 proposals for sustainable urban design that make up LIFE Lugo+Biodinámico are stored in a Catalogue of Sustainable Solutions. This page offers a free tool for calculating environmental impacts and provides a thematic guide that covers key areas of development: water, green spaces, accessibility, bioclimatic urban planning, circular economy, and public participation.
The purpose of this catalogue is to share the monitoring of results in social, economic, and environmental terms, and to establish an experimental model that can be exported and implemented in other cities.
We will keep an eye on the progress of this project. If you want to stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media with the hashtag #ConnectionsByFinsa.
