The Plaza de Barcelos in Pontevedra hosted a public exhibition presenting advances of the European project AMBIANCE, an initiative by the AIMEN Technology Center, in collaboration with the company SETGA, aimed at transforming the production of urban products toward more sustainable models.
The showroom, organized in collaboration with the Pontevedra City Council, allowed attendees to see up close a number of prototypes developed as part of the project, including urban furniture manufactured through 3D printing with biomaterials, solutions for sports facilities, and new construction materials made from agricultural byproducts.
AMBIANCE combines the use of biologically derived materials —such as plant derivatives or agricultural waste— with advanced manufacturing technologies and digital tools, with the goal of developing more efficient, high-performance products. Among its aims is a reduction of up to 70% of the environmental footprint of these elements, as well as improvements to production processes. To achieve this, the project integrates circular economy strategies such as recycling, composting, remanufacturing, and energy recovery, alongside technologies to monitor production, reduce waste, and optimize materials through digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence.
“The AMBIANCE project demonstrates that it is possible to advance toward more sustainable cities through innovation. We are committed to developing solutions that integrate biomaterials, advanced manufacturing, and digitalization to improve their performance and reduce their environmental impact, and to bringing this innovation closer to the public by taking it out of industrial environments so people can see and understand it,” said Elena Rodríguez, head of the Advanced Technologies department of Composite at AIMEN, during the event’s opening.
Innovation on the street: real solutions for the public
The developments showcased at this exhibition are framed around three main areas. In the sports facilities arena, work is underway on developing artificial turf fields with recyclable, compostable materials and recycling options. In urban furniture, AIMEN and SETGA are driving the fabrication of large-format elements through 3D printing with bio-based materials and real-time process monitoring systems to ensure product quality and prevent manufacturing defects. Finally, in construction materials, bricks and panels are being developed from agricultural byproducts, optimized with fiber-optic sensors and reduced waste generation.
AMBIANCE has a budget of 4.57 million euros, a duration of 48 months, and the participation of 10 partners from 6 European countries: ITAINNOVA, AIMEN Technology Centre, CRIT, CORE Innovation Centre, Mondo, SETGA, Podcomp, The Research Center for Non Destructive Testing GmbH (RECENDT), RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and SUPSI.
