A project in the Val di Non of north-eastern Italy has provided the villagers of Dambel with an environmentally-friendly meeting place for political, cultural and social activities.
- 31 October 2013
Thanks to financing from the EU, the old building could be totally renovated and became the most relevant meeting point for citizens in the village. The new building offers multiple services for citizenship on one site; it is extraordinary for a village of this size.
The EUR 2.9 million project, funded via the European Regional Development Fund, involved converting a former office building into a high-tech multi-function village hall which can be used for a wide variety of activities.
The energy-saving building is now used as Dambel’s town hall and its sizeable main hall is used for municipal meetings as well as other community events and public meetings. In addition, the renovated building houses the town’s health clinic, a kindergarten for around 20 children and various storage facilities. Although the village of Dambel has a population of just 453 inhabitants, it is expected that up to 7 000 people from the village itself and surrounding areas will use the building each year.
The main frames of the renovated building, which opened to the public in July 2012, were made using local wood and the rooftop collects rainwater which is used to provide the building’s water needs as well as to water the surrounding gardens.
Energy efficient
The building has been kitted out with an advanced domotics system, whereby services such as lighting, heating and ventilation are connected to renewable energy sources and centrally controlled to maximise the building’s energy efficiency. The building’s heating system is based around a biomass-boiler.
Dambel’s mayor, Flavio Pedrotti, said that the new building had helped to revitalise community life in the village, adding that he was especially pleased that ARCA, Italy’s quality certification body for buildings made with wood, had recognised the environmentally-friendly qualities of the project through the award of a green certificate.
The building has also received a coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold award, in recognition of its energy efficiency, the high quality of building materials used, water conservation, project management, innovation and environmental protection. Also in 2012, the building received an ABB Energy Efficiency Award and a KNX award for public buildings in Italy.
It is estimated that construction work on the renovation project created 340 days of work for construction workers.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “High-tech and green building as meeting point for the village community of Dambel” was EUR 2 983 009, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributed EUR 624 725 from the operational programme “Competitiveness and Employment 2007-2013” through the priority “Energy/Environment and Technology Cluster”. The national contribution was EUR 2 082 418.