Second MULTICARE Living Lab in Acerra: From Research to Real-World Solutions

The second MULTICARE Living Lab, held in Acerra (Italy), demonstrated how innovative research can be translated into practical, scalable solutions for safer and more sustainable buildings. The event gathered a diverse group of stakeholders and confirmed the strong interest in resilient and low-carbon renovation strategies.

Strong participation and multidisciplinary exchange

The Living Lab brought together around 70 participants, with active engagement throughout the entire day. A particularly strong presence of engineers and architects contributed to a highly technical and insightful discussion environment. This was further supported by the recognition of Continuing Professional Development credits, which encouraged participation and ensured a high level of professional exchange.

One of the key strengths of the event was the diversity of stakeholders involved. Participants represented public authorities such as the Municipality of Naples and the Campania Region, public housing agencies including ACER, as well as leading universities and research institutions such as TU Delft, Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Naples Federico II. The event also gathered professional associations, technical bodies and companies from across the construction value chain, including the timber sector.

This wide representation created a truly multidisciplinary dialogue, fully aligned with the MULTICARE vision of integrating research, industry and public institutions. The event once again confirmed the importance of Living Labs as a key tool for stakeholder engagement, co-creation and validation of project solutions in real-life conditions.

From innovation to real implementation

The discussions focused strongly on the transition from research results to real-world application. A central topic was the use of innovative retrofit solutions, particularly low-damage exoskeleton systems. These solutions are designed to improve building resilience while reducing disruption for residents during renovation works.

The Acerra pilot site played a key role as a concrete demonstration case, showing how these technologies can be applied in practice. Participants explored how such solutions can be scaled across existing building stock, how to ensure their economic feasibility, and how public policies and funding mechanisms can support wider implementation.

A key takeaway from the Living Lab was the importance of integrated solutions that address multiple challenges at once. MULTICARE technologies aim to combine structural safety, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and improved living comfort. This includes not only safer and more efficient buildings, but also better quality of life for residents, for example through the addition of external spaces such as balconies and loggias.

Participants actively engaged in discussions and raised important questions about scalability, return on investment and the impact on residents, particularly whether relocation can be minimized or avoided. These insights are essential for refining the solutions and ensuring they meet real needs.

Turning innovation into real impact

The Living Lab combined an international technical session, a visit to the CeSMA laboratory and an institutional roundtable. This format proved highly effective in connecting scientific research with practical implementation and policy discussion.

In particular, the Acerra pilot site played a key role as a real-life demonstration of how MULTICARE solutions can move beyond theory and be applied in practice. The visit to the CeSMA laboratory allowed participants to directly observe full-scale experimental testing, providing a unique insight into the scientific quality and maturity of the proposed solutions.

The roundtable discussions further reinforced the relevance of the MULTICARE approach, highlighting the importance of strong cooperation between local authorities, industry and research organisations, as well as the need for effective governance models and territorial alliances to support large-scale building renovation.

Overall feedback from participants was very positive. The event clearly demonstrated how the MULTICARE approach enables real integration between research, implementation and public policies, creating strong foundations for impactful and replicable solutions across Europe.