The work carried out by KREAN in the renovation of the Bilbao School of Engineering building, located in Portugalete, has been framed within the Itsasgunea project of the UPV/EHU, which will strengthen research and transfer in Marine Sciences and Technologies, and which has been conceived as an open innovation project, aimed at sustainable transition in the marine sectors, and the promotion and coordination of scientific and technical research in this field.

The project has been financed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities with a financial aid of 1,250,000 through a concession in RD-923/2022.

The University of the Basque Country-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea has entrusted KREAN with the intervention on the ground floor of the Bilbao School of Engineering in Portugalete (Bizkaia) for the transformation of the current university centre and to encourage the development of activities that promote sustainable transition in the marine sectors and scientific and technical research.

A series of interventions were proposed and developed by KREAN, from the architecture of the building to the design and commissioning of the facilities.

As a first step, a renewable and sustainable energy generation system has been implemented through hydrothermal energy using water from the Bilbao estuary. This is a technology that, although already developed, is innovative and not very widespread. It provides energy efficiency equivalent to a geothermal system, which consists of using the temperature of the water from the estuary, as occurs with the temperature of the ground in a geothermal system. Water taken directly from the estuary via a collection well located next to the building is passed through a heat exchanger that will cool or heat the water in a closed circuit, which is used by a heat pump, to produce water at 45/7 ºC.

The thermal energy produced by this system will be used to air-condition the new spaces on the ground floor of the Engineering School, thus reducing the current energy consumption and making the building more sustainable. In addition, a classroom has been set up for students and teachers to visit, learn about and research the technology and its possible improvements or applications in marine technologies..

New facilities for research into sustainability in the marine sector.

New work spaces have been set up, such as the INNOBOAT Classroom, a workshop/laboratory for research and innovation in technological systems based on the use of renewable resources applicable to the field of navigation.

The centre also houses a new research laboratory to analyse the degradation of plastic materials in the sea. The sustainability of the marine sectors depends on reducing the number of plastics deposited in the sea. In order to promote research, teaching and awareness of the marine ecosystem, a research laboratory has been set up for this purpose.

On the other hand, a renewable and sustainable electrical energy generation system has been installed, using horizontal axis wind generators. The equipment installed are prototypes developed by a start-up from the UPV/EHU's business incubator. Through this collaboration, the aim is to promote synergies to develop renewable wind power generation systems in marine sectors.

Improvements in transfer, projection and interaction with the environment.

This building of the Bilbao School of Engineering is located in Portugalete, on the border with Santurtzi, in front of the estuary, a privileged environment in relation to its training activity. KREAN's work has included the incorporation of improvements in the transfer, projection and interaction with the environment in such a way that an exhibition route is generated that connects the intervened spaces and acts on the building envelope on the ground floor by replacing the opaque façade with a glass enclosure that allows interaction between the building and its surroundings.