The project involves the rehabilitation of the Ca Ses Llúcies building in terms of its structure and energy efficiency. The building is located on the University of the Balearic Islands’ (UIB) campus. Both, the building (with an approximate surface area of 250m² split over two floors) and its surroundings (of roughly 1,000m²) have to serve as an example of a sustainable, intelligent and healthy space in the context of the UIB’s innovation programme called SmartUIB.

The centre, in addition to becoming the headquarters of SmartUIB, will itself be an international reference for innovation laboratories focusing on similar projects, and thus will be in a constant state of evolution. The project is co-financed with FEDER funds from the Operative Programme 2014/2020.

The Ca Ses Llúcies project must meet the five criteria detailed below:

• Innovation. The trend-setting findings and techniques must be transferable and applicable to other construction projects of any scale, especially in the field of environmental tourism.
• Quality and efficiency in the use of resources. The project must be sensitive to the use and management of natural resources throughout its lifecycle, including in maintenance. Long-term environmental aspects related to the flows of materials or energy must be an integral part of the building. Some fundamental aspects that must be considered include having a low environmental impact throughout the lifecycle of the project; maintaining energy efficiency in the use of the natural resources and materials in construction, operation and maintenance; high use of renewable energy instead of fossil-fuelled energy; efficiency in the use of the soil; incorporation of robust products and technologies.
• Ethical norms and social equity. The project must respect the highest ethical standards and maintain social justice in all stages of construction.
• Feasibility and compatibility. The project must be focused on enhancing elements and performances, while maintaining a suitable level of quality, without implying excessive costs.
• Contextual and aesthetic impact. The project must transmit a high degree of architectural quality in the way cultural and physical factors are addressed. Some aspects to take into account include the improvement of existing conditions, answering to the surrounding natural and architectural contexts, careful restoration and alteration of the architectural environment, programming strategies (use and flexibility), and architectural quality and aesthetic impact (space, shape, light, environment).

The five previous criteria, defined by the Holcim Foundation, are based on the ideas of progress and prosperity, the protection of the people, the protection of the environment, the creation of value and the creation of a functional aesthetically-pleasing building that is adapted to the environment. Furthermore, in order to fulfil the aims over time, the structure of the building has to be very versatile and flexible with respect to the changes made to the installations.

Since its initial phase, the project has focused on collaboration and integration between multidisciplinary innovation teams coordinated by SmartUIB.