Journalist Alessia Bardi interviews Stefano Corbella
“The energy transition is no longer an option for Real Estate, but a necessity: buildings consume energy, emit CO₂ and determine a significant part of the environmental impact of our cities.”
With these words Stefano Corbella, Sustainability Officer at COIMA, highlights the crucial role that the construction and real estate sector plays in the ongoing energy transition.
Interviewed by Alessia Bardi of Rinnovabili for Prysmian Club-the training and updating platform created by Prysmian Italia for installers, electricians and industry professionals-Corbella highlights the decisive impact that Real Estate will have in the coming years: “The way we design, renovate and manage buildings and built spaces in the coming years will be decisive in achieving our and many other sectors' climate goals.”
Sustainability is a pillar for COIMA, integrated into the activities of its business units and embodied in numerous low-impact urban regeneration projects designed to improve the well-being of communities. But the energy transition in real estate is complex: buildings generate 39 percent of global CO₂ emissions, and despite growing demand for sustainable real estate, many European cities - Milan included - are at risk of having more than 75 percent of their building stock obsolete by 2030.
“When we talk about the market we are certainly referring to investors, but more importantly to the people who will live or work in these buildings. Both require high-performance buildings from the point of view of containing energy consumption, with lower and lower operating costs. In addition, there is a clear regulatory push at this time to speed up this transformation process”.
COIMA is addressing this challenge through an approach based on three main directions: “The first is the decarbonization of our processes and the buildings we build, to reduce consumption and focus on renewable sources. The second is circularity, through the use of recyclable and reusable materials throughout their life cycle, such as wood and steel, to minimize the impact of our activities. Finally, the third concerns innovation and technological research, which allow us to optimize property management and improve environmental performance”.
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According to Corbella, the transition in real estate must start with reducing consumption. Redevelopment means not only improving energy efficiency with sustainable materials and techniques, but also ensuring the use of renewable sources. To make a real impact, we need the involvement of the entire supply chain, including urban planning, manufacturing and energy.
Stefano Corbella, COIMA Sustainability Officer
One of the central aspects of the energy transition is therefore the abatement of operational emissions, that is, those generated by the daily use of buildings: those of the future will have to be designed to consume less energy and, where possible, to self-produce it.
This is an approach we have adopted in projects such as “Gioia 22”, in Milan, Italy's first carbon-neutral skyscraper in the operational phase, with an integrated photovoltaic façade that covers about 35 percent of the building's energy needs. “The building is able to produce a portion of the electricity needed for its operations on its own. We buy the rest from certified renewable energy suppliers.”
In the existing, often inefficient building stock, the priority is energy savings: through insulation, new installations, and more careful management of consumption. “In this case, the first thing is savings: both in the renovation phase, safeguarding the existing property as much as possible, and in the operational phase because if we reduce the heating temperature by one degree, energy consumption immediately drops. Efficiency starts with behaviors even before technologies.”
Measuring emissions is central to the sustainability pathway: European initiatives have defined carbon budgets for states and sectors, setting clear targets. Among the key tools are decarbonization curves that chart a path to emissions reductions for each asset class through 2050.
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“We have been using decarbonization curves for years to monitor the energy performance of real estate. They give us measurable and clear data that is useful for setting targets and guiding designers and engineers in upgrades and new construction,” Corbella explains.
If building management is crucial to reducing emissions, the construction process plays an equally important role.
“On the emissions generated during the construction phase,” Corbella continues, “the industry still lags behind established benchmarks for operational phases. However, the debate is evolving and new targets are being set to reduce the environmental impact of building construction in the coming years.”
The Green Home Directive will introduce a requirement to calculate construction emissions in addition to operational emissions. A step forward that will improve transparency and analysis, facilitating more effective emission reduction strategies.
As pointed out, the construction sector is a major contributor to the use of raw materials and pollution related to the production of major building materials. “I think it is very important to emphasize this aspect. When we construct a building we emit CO₂ not only from its operation, but also from the production of the raw materials we work with: concrete, iron, and glass used in facades are among the materials with the greatest environmental impact.”
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Historical building Squadra Rialzo, Olympic Village construction site, Scalo Porta Romana
COIMA focuses on the circular economy, reducing waste and using recycled or natural materials. One example is the Olympic Village in Porta Romana, Milan where encapsulated wood was chosen for the interior facades instead of brick.
“Wood is an extraordinary and perfectly circular material: it absorbs CO₂ as it grows and is the best example of carbon storage. Reducing the use of concrete and adopting natural materials is one of the most effective strategies for lowering the environmental footprint of construction,” Corbella explains. “I must add that on this aspect, on the full circularity of the sector, the road ahead is very long, because we have fewer levers to be able to study the supply chain and act on its processes and operational choices. Certainly we can influence it by making decisions at the design stage, by dialoguing with our architects and engineers. But on this aspect we are aware that we have to give the supply chain the time it needs to complete this evolution.”
A pillar of sustainability in real estate is the use of digital technology to optimize building management, reducing consumption and improving services. “It sounds like a trivial consideration, but if you don't know how much a building consumes, you can't optimize it. Today we have digital tools that allow us to monitor energy in real time and identify where to take action to reduce waste. Until now, in fact, the only tangible data that building owners and managers know for sure is how much they pay in utility bills. However, this information, while critical, does not provide true quantitative data from an engineering perspective, nor does it allow them to accurately identify areas for energy optimization.”
From this perspective, thanks to technological advances, COIMA is now able to scientifically measure building consumption. Artificial intelligence, for example, is also becoming a key tool in the real estate sector: “We are actively working on this front, because it could represent a significant competitive advantage. AI is already present in buildings, but it is not yet exploited to its full potential. However, we have a clear vision of how it can become a central element of real estate management in the future.”
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He adds, “We have initiated tests on several buildings to verify the effectiveness of artificial intelligence applied to property management. Our goal is to ensure that each building performs to its maximum capacity, both in terms of energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.”
Corbella's analysis shows how Real Estate is a key sector for the energy transition, standing at the intersection of: energy production and consumption; digitization, smart city evolution and urban integration; development of new materials and support for a circular supply chain; community inclusion policies; development of new energy communities; and adaptation to new lifestyles of citizens and workers.
“Buildings are not isolated entities, but part of an urban ecosystem where technological innovation, energy transition and people's well-being converge. COIMA, through innovative projects and a rigorous methodological approach, is demonstrating that a new generation of sustainable buildings is possible.”
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Against this backdrop, the market is adapting rapidly, demonstrating that those who invest today in energy efficiency, technological innovation and sustainable materials will be key players in the cities of the future.
With a basic understanding: “Change must happen on a large scale, involving institutions, businesses and citizens. Sustainable buildings are not only an environmental benefit, but also an economic and social one. The transition has begun: now we need to accelerate.”
