COOL HAVEN - HABITACOES MODULARES E ECO-SUSTENTAVEIS SA

Their core work

Cool Haven is a Portuguese SME that designs and manufactures modular, prefabricated building systems with a strong emphasis on energy performance and sustainable materials. Their core business sits at the intersection of construction and energy — specifically integrating photovoltaic systems directly into building envelopes, enabling buildings that generate electricity while being assembled from lightweight, recyclable components. In EU research projects, they contribute real-world manufacturing and product development expertise to consortia testing next-generation building solutions: from green structural elements for retrofitting existing buildings to smart BIPV facade panels that feed power into the grid. They are a technology implementer and industrial demonstrator, bringing commercial construction knowledge to research partnerships.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Cool Haven entered H2020 research through GREEN INSTRUCT (2016), focused on structural retrofitting solutions for existing buildings — a broad entry point with no detailed keyword footprint, suggesting they contributed as a manufacturing or demonstration partner. By 2018, with PVadapt, their profile sharpened considerably: the project is tightly defined around prefabricated, recyclable, modular BIPV panels — combining their construction manufacturing core with solar energy integration and smart grid connectivity. The trajectory is clear: from general green construction toward a specialized niche of factory-made, energy-generating building skins.

Cool Haven is moving toward industrializing BIPV — turning solar building envelopes into a manufacturable, modular product — which positions them well for the post-2020 wave of near-zero energy building regulation in Europe.

How they like to work

Cool Haven has participated in two projects without ever taking on a coordinator role, suggesting they prefer contributing as a specialist industrial partner rather than driving consortia. With 30 unique partners across just 2 projects, they work in medium-to-large, multi-national research consortia — averaging roughly 15 partners per project. This is consistent with an SME that brings prototype manufacturing or demonstration capacity to academic and engineering-led research teams rather than managing project administration.

Cool Haven has collaborated with 30 distinct partners across 13 countries through just two projects, indicating well-distributed European exposure despite their small size and short H2020 track record. Their network spans both research institutions and industry partners, typical of the IA and RIA funding schemes they have participated in.

What sets them apart

Cool Haven occupies an unusual position in Portuguese construction: a small manufacturer that actively participates in EU research to develop and validate next-generation modular building products, rather than simply licensing existing technologies. Their combination of prefabricated housing manufacturing with BIPV integration and circular design principles is a narrow but commercially relevant niche — as EU building renovation wave policies push demand for off-site, energy-positive construction solutions. For a consortium building a BIPV or sustainable construction project, they offer a real industrial partner with prototyping and demonstration capability, not just consultancy.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PVadapt
  Combines silicon photovoltaics, modular prefabrication, recyclability, and grid connectivity in a single BIPV system — Cool Haven's most technically specific and commercially aligned project, with nearly €475K in EC funding.
• GREEN INSTRUCT
  Their first H2020 project and largest single grant (€481K), targeting green structural elements for both new-build and retrofitting — establishing their EU research credentials in sustainable construction.