Energies Matériaux Sans Frontières

Extraction, manipulation, transformation and conversion are words that can characterize materials and energy. Indeed their history is a version of the history of humanity that is expressed by their use in times of peace and war.

Civilizations evolve in a manner intimately linked to the mastery of materials and energy.
These two–coupled concepts have faith evolved in a complementary way between the artisan and the engineer.

Between tests and concept, this coupling has progressed rapidly in a short time to explore new sources of energy and to communicate to the world an unsuspected dimension of comfort, mobility, communication influencing up to social codes and the relationship to nature. With each mutation sociology, habits and behaviors are deeply modified.

The industrial revolution through the binomial coal / steam boosts the use of materials and encourages technical innovations that accompanied by intense research into energy resources have achieved the development of electricity and nuclear energy. Until now, the use of fossil fuels represents more than 80% of their availability, which requires an urgent energy transition that will be possible thanks to citizen participation in political orientations.

The search for an efficient and rational use of energy is transferred to the fields of knowledge and research, being a subject of concern for the citizen throughout the world.
Thus by different ways of exploration in different cultures, abstraction is reached at different schools of thought and cultures that at first sight seem diametrically opposed. The Mediterranean basin is not far behind and has played an important role in this evolution.

Common sense is closely tied to the history of materials and energy, a simple observation of a knitter can inspire innovation in an aircraft fuselage or a simple observation of a flame can inspire the innovation in a rocket booster.

The association of the materials and energy was originally only to provide facilities for daily use, to allow life on earth.

The exploration and mastery of the infinitely small has led to a mastery of new products with unsuspected properties and wide potential in the field of energy. The last decades are more geared towards functionalities and environmental control, where leisure and recreation are the second most important necessities of life such as food and housing.

From the genius of Archimedes to the deception of the philosopher’s stone or the last unlimited perpetual movement have been achieved by the use of materials and energy. From the imaginary projects of Jules Verne to the mathematical mastery of aeronautics by Von Karman, materials and energy have evolved between science, imagination and fiction.

The human being has always instinctively proceeded in the use of matter and energy to understand, use, store and control the use of materials and energy in their daily lives and perpetuate their species, The scientist will observe, understand, quantify and predict while the engineer will find, transform, create and use.

This gear has allowed molding the development of modern science creating a close link between disciplines such as Mathematics, Mechanics, Chemistry and Physics.

All this justifies the dedication of an international periodical edition to the topic of Materials and Energy (ICOME series).

The International Conference of Materials and Energy (ICOME) continues to travel around coastal cities and major basins of civilization: Tetouan–Martil (Moroccan coast), La Rochelle (French coast), Tianjin (Chinese side), San Sebastian (Spanish Basque coast).

The combination of wood and combustion played a vital role in meeting the needs of the societies up to the domination of the coal / steam and then the nuclear / electricity pair. Wood is experiencing a growing interest in the environment and Ecosustainable approaches.
The wood material is an important theme of the ICOME series. This goes from the field of construction and sustainable building until the design of eco–materials with low environmental impact to the recovery of waste and by– products to the synthesis of biomaterials and bioenergy. The edition also includes life cycle analysis and environmental cost estimates.

The biggest challenge regarding the constructability of buildings is the demand for energy, innovative systems for conditioning the atmosphere or the integration of renewable energy production in housing.

The speakers include international specialists in the areas of renewable and alternative energy, energy in construction and structural sustainability, as well as physical–chemical processes for the transformation of wood, energy and biorefineries.
The series of Conferences on Materials and Energy is a promoter of the initiatives of young researchers, in the first place for the recognition and realization of the importance of the event and then for the training that takes place in it;

In short, a thematic school that will benefit from the presence of international speakers as in previous editions. All these initiatives have allowed settling the foundations of the pyramid of knowledge allowing man to accelerate his progress towards progress. Innovation, the socio–economic cost, the difference of points of view, the ethics … so much quality that accompany the scientist in his quest for truth.

In this sense, the wink to the universal scientist Averroes1 through the award reinforces this vision of a man who puts the truth beyond the beliefs and allegiances of his time, the intelligence beyond the interest of use:

“There are vulgar conceptions quite sufficient for practical life; they must even be the food of men. They are not enough, however, for intelligence  »

 » The knowledge acquired in a foreign country can be a fatherland and ignorance can be an exile lived in one’s own country.  » Averroes.

The conference chairs thanks the international scientific committee, the operational technical committee and the high quality reviewing and helping on having high quality current technical content and also to explore new knowledge horizons on a variety of topics interconnected with fields of application in Materials and Energy.

Also the organizing committee and staff of the Universities for the preparation of this event are greatly acknowledged.

We hopes that everyone will found in this meeting an important topical interest, a great pleasure on exchanging with the both community of materials and energy and to enlarge the discussion towards architects, industrial and decisions makers in societies dreaming with the city of the future.