UNICOS Project
The UNICOS project, an acronym for the National and International Union of Organically Sustainable Cities, aims to promote the creation and renewal of ecologically sustainable cities through the Synergy of the Seven Points for Sustainability and the WhatsNau app. This platform seeks to integrate sustainable information and techniques into an open and free-access platform, available to anyone on the planet (click here e conheça mais sobre o aplicativo).
FROM CONSUMPTION TO RE-CONSUMPTION
Currently, waste disposal has become a major problem for cities worldwide. Tons of garbage are produced daily, directed to landfills, polluting and temporary dumpsites, or improperly discarded in urban areas and nature. The UNICOS project aims to establish a new cycle of rebirth for these discarded materials. The proposal is to transform waste into raw materials for the production of construction materials (bricks, pavements, roofing), fostering a sustainable eco-architecture. This vital resource becomes a solution for generating a new Pragmatic BioEconomy, creating jobs and income, alleviating the housing deficit, and preserving/restoring the environment.
THE SYNERGY OF THE SEVEN POINTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
The seven points reintegrate art and architecture into sustainable environments, using waste and eco-friendly materials such as rammed earth, green roofs, reforestation wood, and plant-based polyurethanes from castor beans or soy as their foundation. This synergy creates a comprehensive system for the collection, transformation, and application of sustainable architecture products and techniques, moving toward societal awareness and empowerment.
1. ECOPOINT
2. ECOFACTORIES
3. GREEN HOUSES
APP
WHATS NAU
4. GREEN ROOFS
5. GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS ECODOMAINS
6. ORGANIFYING
PARKS
7. SUSTAINABILITY PORTALS
1 - ECOPOINT
The community takes its waste to EcoPoints for selective collection – Plastics, Organics, and Minerals – which will be sent to EcoFactories to be properly repurposed.
2 - ECOFACTORIES
The EcoFactories transform all types of waste, returning them to communities as:
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New Clean and Durable Building Elements
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Gas
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Energy/Electricity
The materials produced (bricks, blocks, flooring, roofing) by the EcoFactories can be sold, ensuring profitable work for the communities. Local economic growth can be achieved through PPPPP partnerships (Public-Private Productive Patrimonial Partnerships), where the materials are allocated to urban facilities such as daycare centers, schools, housing, and parks—ultimately benefiting the communities themselves.
This entire bio-cycle operates through the virtual currency E-Coin—communities bring their waste and receive materials in exchange! The E-Coin card establishes a pragmatic, continuous, and systemic BioEconomy!
3 - GREEN HOUSES
The gREEN Houses are practical results of the proper use of these new elements, completing an innovative continuous cycle: Zero Waste + Sustainable Architecture = Renewable Energy.
Through the dematerialization and rematerialization of municipal waste, new socio-environmentally responsible productivity is created, economically equalizing all residents.
4 - GREEN ROOFS AND ORGANIC SKINS
Green roofs, combined with organic skins (structures surrounding homes for various types of cultivation), provide food, thermal comfort, and serve as CO2-capturing surfaces. Together with processes for reusing secondary water and hydroponics, they ensure productive continuity by creating a high-quality indoor microclimate. This approach contributes to increasing green areas, cooling the atmosphere, and absorbing CO2.
5 - GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS / ECODOMAINS
The integration of housing units and urban facilities creates environmentally friendly neighborhoods, ensuring:
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Proper sanitation, eco-friendly pavements, and parks;
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Healthy nutrition, improved healthcare, and a better quality of life.
These are fundamental prerequisites for the correct implementation of the current National Solid Waste Policy / Extended Producer Responsibility - Law 12.305 (10/10/2010). Additionally, this proposal aligns with the principles established by the Paris COP 21, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2020, promote reforestation, and foster the development of sustainable cities.
6 - ORGANIFYING PARKS
Spaces that enable safety, contemplation, and stability, while simultaneously fostering organic productivity (such as seed exchanges and plant nurseries). The creation of these environments strengthens harmonious connections and promotes the sustainability of humans within their biomes.
7 - SUSTENTABILITY PORTALS
Multi-social and educational spaces located at the entrances of cities and neighborhoods aim to guide and train residents and tourists for meaningful activities throughout the municipality, promoting innovations in sustainability.