Not a new fair, but a new container, a “grand alliance” that integrates with the new strategy pursued by Fiera Milano, to create synergies between its events, with a view to favoring exhibitors and visitors by offering more complete schedules, with greater value added. Thus was born MIBA (Milan International Building Alliance), the event that from 15 to 18 November will bring together in the Rho exhibition center four exhibitions with different specializations in the construction sector: Gee, Global Elevator Exhibition (lifts), Made Expo (materials) , Smart Building Expo (plants) and Security, International Security & Fire Exhibition.
Trade fairs as an instrument of industrial policy
«Fairs are an instrument of industrial policy – recalls the managing director of Fiera Milano, Luca Palermo – and MIBA confirms our commitment in this direction, proposing itself as a great one in which we will talk about current events, what is happening in the sector and prospects for the future of Italian construction». About a thousand exhibitors expected, from all over the world. “Our goal is for these four events, together, to become a point of reference also in Europe, in dictating the lines and trends for the future, as well as for countries that have different needs”, adds Palermo.
The themes of quality construction that respects the environment and are safe are intertwined and are held together, as unfortunately demonstrated by the dramatic events of recent days, with the disastrous earthquake in Turkey and Syria. In Italy, out of over 14 million homes, 50% are over 50 years old. “We are a seismic country and safety is of fundamental importance,” Palermo reiterated.
The EU directive on «green» houses
However, it is not with a provision such as the directive under discussion in the European Parliament «that we will solve the Italian problem – observes Regina De Albertis, president of Assimpredil Ance Milano, Lodi; Monza and Brianza –. Achieving the objective set by the draft directive presupposes an epochal effort in terms of investments and production chains employed: 1.8 million residential buildings in 7 years, around 182,000 interventions a year to which all the other buildings would have to be added. Enea estimates almost 60 billion a year of investments for five years. A difficult goal to achieve without adequate economic support and times consistent with the commitment that the entire construction chain will have to activate: never again a two-year period like 2021 and 2022″.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, also took sides against the European directive – as it is set up today: «I hope an agreement can be found to lengthen the application times, both for the issue of green building as far as cars are concerned”.