News

Newsletter

The Padua Botanical Garden has inaugurated the Biodiversity Garden, air-conditioned by Sabiana

After over 450 years, the oldest scientific garden in the world has been renovated, with a project seeking to enhance the existing part and a 15 thousand square metre extension, with five glass and steel greenhouses located within a 100 metre-long glass and steel gallery. Each glasshouse is the perfect reproduction of a climatic region of the plant, from the warmest and most fertile to the most extreme. Thanks to technology, the glasshouses have their own life, as a matter of fact “the building with the glasshouses also behaves like a plant. In other words, it purifies air, generates energy and holds water,” says architect Giorgio Strapazzon of the firm VS Associati, which developed the project for the new Botanical Garden. For air conditioning of the whole glasshouse building, the firm VS Associati has opted for the prestige and quality of products made by Sabiana, which supplied its Helios and Comfort air heaters, constructed according to criteria of sturdiness and safety and with a keen eye for design as always. The new garden will be one of the peak achievements showcased at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2015. After over 450 years, the oldest scientific garden in the world has been renovated, with a project seeking to enhance the existing part and a 15 thousand square metre extension, with five glass and steel greenhouses located within a 100 metre-long glass and steel gallery. Each glasshouse is the perfect reproduction of a climatic region of the plant, from the warmest and most fertile to the most extreme. Thanks to technology, the glasshouses have their own life, as a matter of fact “the building with the glasshouses also behaves like a plant. In other words, it purifies air, generates energy and holds water,” says architect Giorgio Strapazzon of the firm VS Associati, which developed the project for the new Botanical Garden.  For air conditioning of the whole glasshouse building, the firm VS Associati has opted for the prestige and quality of products made by Sabiana, which supplied its Helios and Comfort air heaters, constructed according to criteria of sturdiness and safety and with a keen eye for design as always.  The new garden will be one of the peak achievements showcased at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2015.

Newsletter

Environmental Annex Bill: all investments are for the green economy.

A few days ago the Environment Commission of the Lower House approved the objectives set out in the Environmental Annex to the Stability Law: energy efficiency, fight against illegal building and green contracts. The objectives of the newly established “Italian Fund for Green Communities SGR Investments” – funded for one billion Euro by the Cassa depositi e prestiti (Deposit and Loan Bank) and by the Ministry for Economy and Finance – include protection of the quality of life, environment and territory by supporting redevelopment of the building stock for residential, services or hospitality purposes, to enhance the value of buildings and hamlets having a historical and heritage value. The approved text calls for prioritising and incentivising projects that certify energy efficiency, water management sustainability, internal respiratory, thermal, acoustic and visual wellbeing, harmony between buildings and setting, use of sustainable materials, respect for the building’s historical and heritage value. Draft Decree A few days ago the Environment Commission of the Lower House approved the objectives set out in the Environmental Annex to the Stability Law: energy efficiency, fight against illegal building and green contracts.  The objectives of the newly established “Italian Fund for Green Communities SGR Investments” – funded for one billion Euro by the Cassa depositi e prestiti (Deposit and Loan Bank) and by the Ministry for Economy and Finance – include protection of the quality of life, environment and territory by supporting redevelopment of the building stock for residential, services or hospitality purposes, to enhance the value of buildings and hamlets having a historical and heritage value.  The approved text calls for prioritising and incentivising projects that certify energy efficiency, water management sustainability, internal respiratory, thermal, acoustic and visual wellbeing, harmony between buildings and setting, use of sustainable materials, respect for the building’s historical and heritage value.  Draft Decree

Newsletter

Unlock Italy Decree: construction work at one’s home no longer need to be authorised by the Municipality.

The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Maurizio Lupi, has summarised one of the building simplification regulations contained in the Unlock Italy decree: “renovation work at one’s home no longer need to be authorised by the Municipality; the resident will only need to send a notice, after which they may start the works.” An important regulations for families, which will apply to works that do not change the volumes of the building. “The citizen – Maurizio Lupi explains – becomes the master of their home and may freely carry out works (knock down partitions, create new rooms...) that do not change the volumes, all it takes is a simple notice to the Municipality.” According to the Decree, the variants to building permits that do not entail an essential change – provided they comply with the town planning-construction requirements and are implemented after acquiring any authorisations required by the regulations on landscape, hydro-geological and environmental constraints, protection of the historical, artistic and archaeological heritage and other sector regulations – can be implemented by means of a report of works started and notified at the end of the works with the firm’s certificate. The final text of the decree will establish the “liberalised” works with certainty. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Maurizio Lupi, has summarised one of the building simplification regulations contained in the Unlock Italy decree: “renovation work at one’s home no longer need to be authorised by the Municipality; the resident will only need to send a notice, after which they may start the works.” An important regulations for families, which will apply to works that do not change the volumes of the building. “The citizen – Maurizio Lupi explains – becomes the master of their home and may freely carry out works (knock down partitions, create new rooms...) that do not change the volumes, all it takes is a simple notice to the Municipality.” According to the Decree, the variants to building permits that do not entail an essential change – provided they comply with the town planning-construction requirements and are implemented after acquiring any authorisations required by the regulations on landscape, hydro-geological and environmental constraints, protection of the historical, artistic and archaeological heritage and other sector regulations – can be implemented by means of a report of works started and notified at the end of the works with the firm’s certificate. The final text of the decree will establish the “liberalised” works with certainty. 

Newsletter

The Competitiveness Decree comes into force

Law 116/2014 – which transposed the Competitiveness Decree (LD 91/2014) – has been published in the Official Journal. The regulation redefines the incentives granted for renewable energies, allocates 350 million Euro for improving the energy efficiency of schools and universities and establishes a 15% tax credit for investments in new machinery. The law introduces subsidised loans to increase the energy efficiency of public school and university buildings. For analysis, monitoring, audit and diagnosis, the maximum duration of the loan is ten years and the maximum amount cannot exceed 30 thousand Euro per individual building. The amount of each operation, including design and certification, cannot exceed one million Euro if the works only concern installations and 2 million Euro if, in addition to installations, the whole building is upgraded, including the building’s envelope. The regulation establishes redefinition of incentives, which will lead to cutting bills for SMEs. However, in order to be able to implement this provision, it is required to cover the costs by redefinition, even retroactive, of the incentives granted to systems for the production of energy from renewable sources. Assorinnovabili (Italian association of renewable energy producers, industry and services) has written to the European Commission requesting opening of an infringement procedure against the Italian State and has stated it will coordinate the appeals of the thousands of operators, both national and foreign “unfairly penalised by a measure unilaterally and retroactively changing the contracts signed with the ESO” To cover the charges of the electrical system, the law provides for an increase in the fixed rates of fees for energy consumption. According to Cogena (association representing firms operating in the fields of construction and distribution of cogeneration systems and energy services) the regulation represents “a new tax on energy efficiency, in other words, an incentive to inefficiency.” For investments in new capital goods intended for production facilities located in Italy and exceeding 10 thousand Euro, the law introduces a 15% tax credit broken into three annual instalments. Text of the LD - Measures for economic growth Law 116 LD91 LD91 - Annexes Law 116/2014 – which transposed the Competitiveness Decree (LD 91/2014) – has been published in the Official Journal.  The regulation redefines the incentives granted for renewable energies, allocates 350 million Euro for improving the energy efficiency of schools and universities and establishes a 15% tax credit for investments in new machinery. The law introduces subsidised loans to increase the energy efficiency of public school and university buildings.  For analysis, monitoring, audit and diagnosis, the maximum duration of the loan is ten years and the maximum amount cannot exceed 30 thousand Euro per individual building. The amount of each operation, including design and certification, cannot exceed one million Euro if the works only concern installations and 2 million Euro if, in addition to installations, the whole building is upgraded, including the building’s envelope. The regulation establishes redefinition of incentives, which will lead to cutting bills for SMEs. However, in order to be able to implement this provision, it is required to cover the costs by redefinition, even retroactive, of the incentives granted to systems for the production of energy from renewable sources.  Assorinnovabili (Italian association of renewable energy producers, industry and services) has written to the European Commission requesting opening of an infringement procedure against the Italian State and has stated it will coordinate the appeals of the thousands of operators, both national and foreign “unfairly penalised by a measure unilaterally and retroactively changing the contracts signed with the ESO” To cover the charges of the electrical system, the law provides for an increase in the fixed rates of fees for energy consumption. According to Cogena (association representing firms operating in the fields of construction and distribution of cogeneration systems and energy services) the regulation represents “a new tax on energy efficiency, in other words, an incentive to inefficiency.”  For investments in new capital goods intended for production facilities located in Italy and exceeding 10 thousand Euro, the law introduces a 15% tax credit broken into three annual instalments. Text of the LD - Measures for economic growth Law 116 LD91 LD91 - Annexes