Cement is the most-used construction material worldwide. Research for sustainable cement production has focused on including nanomaterials as additives to enhance cement performance (strength and durability) in recent decades. In this concern, graphene is considered one of the most promising additives for cement composites. Here, we propose a novel technique for producing few-layer graphene (FLG) that can fulfil the material demand for the construction industry. We produced specimens with different FLG loadings (from 0.05% to 1% by weight of cement) and curing processes (water and saturated air). The addition of FLG at 0.10% by weight of cement improved the flexural strength by 24% compared to the reference (bare) sample. Similarly, a 0.15% FLG loading by weight of cement led to an improvement in compressive strength of 29% compared to the reference specimen. The FLG flakes produced by our proposed methodology can open the door to their full exploitation in several cement mortar applications, such as cementitious composites with high durability, mechanical performance and high electrical conductivity for electrothermal applications.

Small municipalities, if taken individually, have difficulty in implementing energy policy and sustainable projects (economic, environmental and social), because they do not have sufficient financial and human resources. The idea is to regenerate a territorial area following the principles of innovation and sustainable development, that is the applicability of the concept of Smart Villages on an entire “small” territory with homogenous characteristics (similar morphology, coastal village or bordering the coast, tourism as the main business, ect.) and with several villages with less of 3000 habitants; this is the “Golfo dell’Isola” in Liguria.

Retrofitting existing buildings can contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation, yet their interaction has received limited attention across several climatic contexts. This state-of-the-art review investigates retrofit strategies for the existing building stock in European climate zones. The screening process followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and used Scopus as the database, with three researchers independently assessing the retrieved studies. After screening, 118 publications were analysed to identify research trends, while 48 were selected for detailed assessment of adaptation and mitigation retrofit strategies. The findings show that retrofit performance varies with climate and local conditions. For climate-responsive design, passive measures are still central, although their abiding effectiveness often depends on integration with active systems. Therefore, combinations of envelope improvements, solar control, passive cooling, and selected active technologies appear more effective than isolated measures. These strategies may also involve compromises between energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and environmental impact under present and future climates. The review identifies climate-specific relationships between retrofit measures and adaptation–mitigation outcomes. Current research is affected by climate zone coverage imbalance, insufficient attention to climate-induced hazards, and reliance on simulations. Further investigations should strengthen experimental assessment and adopt multi-hazard approaches considering durability, economic feasibility, and vulnerability.