Everything set to go for SAIE 2022 – The Building Fair

SAIE begins today. With an overhauled format intended to better showcase products and solutions for the construction and building services industries, this key event will run through Saturday, October 22, at the BolognaFiere exhibition center. Innovation and sustainability will be the focus of many of the events being staged as part of SAIE 2022, which this year has attracted 430 exhibitors. Besides the exhibition itself, the event offers training sessions and demonstration areas – all opportunities for discussion and exchange that will offer construction and building services professionals a chance to catch up on the latest product innovations, network, grow business, and get to know the ins and outs of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which has earmarked over 127 billion euros for the construction industry through energy efficiency, school building, and high-speed rail schemes.

Taking shape over the 55 editions of the event, nowadays the SAIE community includes over 260 thousand industry professionals. Organized by Senaf, an exhibition organizer specializing in events for a range of industries in Italy and around the world, SAIE was staged on alternate years at the Nuova Fiera del Levante complex in Bari since fall 2019. This year, though, the exhibition is returning to Bologna with four themed sections: Design and Digitization, Construction, Building Services, and Media.

 

SAIE Innovation, SAIE Sustainability, and more

SAIE 2022 has 22 parallel events, including demonstration areas and educational sessions focused on technology, as well as a program of 127 conferences. Among the new features this year is SAIE Innovation, an area dedicated to digitization and technology from BIM to smart buildings, intelligent construction sites, and additive manufacturing. SAIE Sustainability is another new section that will provide an exhaustive overview of strategies to contain energy losses, guaranty high efficiency standards, and ensure wellbeing in indoor environments. Then, SAIE People-Centric comprises demonstrations, training, and awards to recognize excellence in the Italian construction and building services engineering industries. Also held under the umbrella of the exhibition is The Beauty of Concrete, a photography competition held on Instagram intended to showcase the vital role of concrete both aesthetically and structurally. Finally, SAIE Infrastructure is dedicated to the best Italian infrastructure projects and the most important issues affecting the industry today.

 

>>> In late September, sustainability was also the focus of Cersaie 2022, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tiles and Bathroom Furnishings, and Fiera di Bologna’s flagship event

 

Reducing costs and protecting the environment

Now encouraged by a number of Italian government schemes, the importance of modernizing and improving the energy efficiency of heritage buildings is immediately obvious if you take a look at the numbers. According to the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks, and Environment (ARERA), in the space of a year, the cost of electricity and gas has increased by 160% and, in the final quarter of 2022, there could be a further increase of 100%. Then, according to the latest data from SIAPE, Italy’s national energy certification information system, more than half of the buildings and properties issued with certificates since 2015 have had energy ratings of F and G (the least efficient). To improve energy efficiency, and therefore reduce costs, schemes are in place to encourage families and businesses to not only insulate but also replace windows, and install more efficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems. SAIE Doors and Windows and SAIE Building Services are dedicated to these two areas, both of them exploring the latest the market has to offer in air conditioning, sanitaryware, electrical engineering, building automation, and lighting technology.

 

Visiting SAIE

SAIE 2022 – The Building Fair, a trade event dedicated to design, construction, and building services, will take place at the BolognaFiere exhibition complex from Wednesday, October 19, through Saturday, October 22. Opening hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., with the exhibition closing at 5:00 p.m. on the final day. Admission is free for industry professionals. Tickets, available online through the event website (subject to registration), give access to the exhibition area, conferences, demonstration areas, and parallel events.

 

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