Manni Group is a leading technical and strategic partner in today’s steel industry in terms of competence, quality, innovation and service capability: a company committed to promoting sustainable, safe and efficient construction practices through constant research and development endeavours relating to products, services and solutions for steel constructions, building renovation, consumption and emission reduction and the promotion of renewable energy sources.

Dry construction systems feature a reliable method for constructing safe, high-performing buildings based on definite deadlines andcosts. Over the last 10 years, Italy has witnessed a growing interest in this kind of construction, hallmarked by fast turnaround times, lower environmental impact, earthquake and fire safety, energy efficiency, acoustic comfort. Manni Group plays a leading role in this sector as it relies on steel, the ideal material for this type of buildings, which the Group still considers to be a key area for its operations. Dry construction techniques are well suited to being industrialised. Indeed, building components are not made on construction sites but using industrial techniques and technologies rather, and are then hauled and assembled on site. This method is known as “off site”. Since significantly less operations are required to be carried out on construction sites compared to traditional construction methods, operators’ safety will also benefit from a dry construction approach. More details about aspects related to modern construction methods can be viewed at www.rebuilditalia.it.

In 2018, the Manni Group Research and Development (R&D) Division was established, with the aim of addressing some of the main sustainability issues in terms of statics, earthquake-proofing, fire protection, environment, while paying attention to the aesthetic functional and architectural impact of group products. The R&D Division has so far enabled all Group companies to innovate products and processes. An example of this is to be found in the Leaf technology, developed for the Isopan panels, ensuring a significant improvement in the thermal performance of buildings and using halogen-free flame retardants (www.isopan.it/ leaf). Another example is provided by the Green Roof solution intended for green roofs, designed in partnership with Daku.*

Manni Group believes in open innovation. This is why synergy with strategic partners, aimed at combining expertise and know-how in products and solutions, is considered to be a fundamental aspect. With this in mind, the company has started cooperating with some of the most important Italian universities, including Padua University, Milan Polytechnic, Federico II University in Naples, Trieste University and Verona University, as well as the Technological Research Centre in Rovereto. In addition, the company participates in specific innovative construction projects funded by the European Union, such as Step-Up and Rezbuild**. The aim of the StepUP innovation project is to develop a “Plug & Play” system capable of combining the “passive” component (envelope) with the “active” component, related to the plants and to the production and storage of energy, to be used to renovate existing buildings. The Rezbuild project, on the other hand, is essentially aimed at creating a collaborative renovation ecosystem focused on the stock of existing residential buildings, using the Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) renovation methodologies.