Post-Event Report – Rio Innovation Week

How UGREEN made its mark at RIW 2025

Once again, Rio de Janeiro was the stage for one of the year’s most anticipated events: Rio Innovation Week 2025 — and of course, UGREEN couldn’t miss it. On August 13th, we spent the day at Pier Mauá bringing ideas, sparking reflection, and creating real conversations about how to shape the future of cities with intelligence, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.

Our booth became a meeting point for everyone who believes the construction industry can — and must — be part of the climate solution. And to achieve that, good intentions aren’t enough: we need data, technology, and a healthy dose of courage to rethink the way we do things.

Talking about what needs to be discussed

Throughout the day, we brought urgent industry questions to the table, prompting reflections like:

• What happens when sustainability stops being a cost and becomes a bargaining chip?

• How can data be a driver for transformation — not just control?

• Do technical and environmental content creators truly understand the responsibility they carry in the age of algorithms?

Highlight: Wood, technology, and the cities of the future

One of the most impactful moments was the talk by Marcelo Aflalo from Núcleo da Madeira on the wood supply chain in construction. It felt like revisiting an old ally — but with eyes set firmly on the future.

He reminded us that wood is not a thing of the past; it’s a sophisticated solution to today’s challenges:

• Engineered wood can be the low-carbon structural solution we’ve been looking for.

• Responsible forest management and traceability bring safety, ethics, and sustainability to the supply chain.

• Yes, we still face cultural and regulatory barriers in Brazil — but international examples prove the path forward is possible.

One thing was clear: revisiting the wood value chain is more than a trend — it’s a strategy.

Innovation in every corner of our space

We also hosted inspiring conversations with experts shaping the future of construction:

• Materials of the Future – what’s coming next?

• Decarbonization in practice – the Leroy Merlin case study.

• Efficiency in existing buildings – why retrofit is also sustainability.

• + Sustainable BIM – what algorithms have to say about smart construction.

Why does this matter?

Because sustainability is no longer optional. It’s a competitive edge, a professional responsibility, and the dividing line between leaders and those left behind.

UGREEN’s participation in RIW 2025 is part of our commitment to accelerating this transition. We brought content, technology, and — above all — connections.

The question is: will you be part of this turning point?

UGREEN Projects

Maximize comfort and energy efficiency in your home

How about living in a naturally comfortable house all year round — without spending a fortune on air conditioning? This isn’t a dream — it’s bioclimatic architecture in action!

Through UGREEN’s specialized consulting, your design aligns perfectly with the local climate, creating a sustainable and comfortable environment with minimal energy consumption.

How do we transform your project?

We start by analyzing the local climate (following the ANSI/ASHRAE 209-2018 standard). For example, in the Haras Larissa project, we used data from the Campinas weather station, including temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation.

Using advanced simulations, we map the interaction between climate and building, identifying improvement opportunities for every space in your home.

Haras Larissa project results

• Smart glass: replacing standard glass with “Habitat Neutro Incolor 8mm” increased thermal comfort in the Intimate Living Room from 81% to 93% and cut glare by half.

• Strategic shading: combining roof extension with vertical louvers reduced glare in the Living and Dining areas from 49% to just 7%.

• Natural ventilation: we implemented cross-ventilation to reduce heat and decrease dependence on artificial cooling.

The result:

Spaces that maintain comfort over 90% of the time — without relying on mechanical systems!

And you? Do you dream of a bioclimatic project?

If you envision a home that combines comfort, beauty, and sustainability, UGREEN is the ideal choice to turn your project into reality.

Opinion

The mental virus and toxic innovation

Have you ever stopped to wonder if what we call “progress” might actually be a shortcut to collapse?

We live in an era where every new gadget, every new feature, every “revolutionary update” is sold to us as the solution to everything. But maybe we’ve been celebrating the disease as if it were the cure.

We call it innovation. But is it, really?

A cycle that trains our brain to discard

Capitalism doesn’t just create disposable products — it also creates disposable people. Each new cycle of planned obsolescence teaches our fingers to swap phones — and worse, trains our minds to discard anything that doesn’t bring immediate profit: relationships, communities, the environment.

In this “era” where innovation has become synonymous with speed, doesn’t it make you wonder: so much speed for what, and how far do we really want to go?

It’s hard to believe that the same system capable of creating vaccines that save lives also prices them beyond the reach of the poorest. Technology should serve life — but too often, it serves profit, which is the complete opposite.

The so-called “creative destruction” has become a euphemism for dehumanization.

Sustainability is not the opposite of progress

The greatest myth we feed is this: that we must choose between progress and sustainability.

In reality, we don’t!

We’ve just been programmed to confuse economic growth with human evolution. But true evolution regenerates, cares, and reconnects.

Every “upgrade” makes us more efficient at consuming — but less capable of healing.

There is a way out

No, the solution isn’t in the next iPhone. Or the next app.

The way forward lies in innovations born from real human needs, not from profit opportunities. In technologies that regenerate, that heal, that connect. And it starts by reprogramming our minds away from the addiction to novelty, and reconnecting with what truly matters: life.

The question that remains:

Are you designing to feed this cycle … or to break it?

Remember: not every innovation is progress. Ando not every progress is sustainable.

Have a great week!

Filipe Boni,
UGREEN