Sustainable and safe construction: two Politecnico projects awarded
Dymond and Proxima, two research projects developed at the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering (ABC) of the Politecnico di Milano, are among the winners of the first edition of the “Sustainable and Safe Construction” competition, promoted by Regione Lombardia and MUSA scarl.
The competition aims to promote the most innovative solutions for the construction sector, with a strong focus on structural safety, process efficiency and environmental sustainability, while supporting the creation of new enterprises and startups through a co-innovation approach aligned with the needs of corporate stakeholders.
Open to university students, PhD candidates, researchers and faculty members, the initiative fosters dialogue between research and industry, encouraging the transformation of scientific knowledge into scalable and market-ready solutions. The total prize fund of €150,000 provides concrete support for the development and growth of the selected projects.
Dymond is an advanced structural monitoring software that automatically detects and localises anomalies in infrastructures in real time. The system distinguishes between structural damage and sensor malfunctions, contributing to long-term safety and reliability of built assets. The project is developed by Marco Pirrò (post-doc), Ana Avramova (PhD), Eleonora Bruschi (RTDa), Paolo Borlenghi (RTDa) and Carmelo Gentile (full professor), all from the ABC Department.
Proxima is a modular ecosystem of plug-in techno-modules designed to evolve over time and adapt to different functions and needs. Scientifically coordinated by ABC professor Giovanni Castaldo, with Joseph Di Pasquale, Elena Mussinelli, Andrea Tartaglia, Gianpaolo Cugola and Roberto Mandurino, the project supports the industrialisation of construction processes, reducing costs, time and carbon footprint while enabling flexible and efficient buildings. Since March 2025, Proxima has also been accredited as a spin-off of the Politecnico di Milano.
Winning the competition will enable further development of both projects, including new complementary patents, strengthening technology transfer and reinforcing the contribution of research at the Politecnico di Milano to innovation in the construction sector.
The Sustainable and Safe Construction competition was held alongside StartCup Lombardia and Green Chemistry Lombardy for a Sustainable Future, within a regional ecosystem dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial innovation.