Category Archives: NEWS
“El Roure” Community Centre and “La Ginesta” Library at AV Spain Yearbook
Participation in the ¨Conversaciones de Arquitectura¨Lecture Series
We will participate in the “Hiper-Text” round table with Elii and Bach Arquitectes.
On the 3rd of December starts the lecture series “Architecture Talks” hold by Architects for Architecture Association and Trespa, curated by Enric Llorach. A total of 12 talks will take place every Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Barcelona Design Centre.
The topics will be various, seemingly unrelated to each other but within an architectural scope, like the connection between the Catalan and Balearic historical architecture, design and production of objects, the wisdom of tradition, the low cost constructive solutions, small-format architecture, autonomy of a building to its environment or the intrusion of new elements in existing spaces.
In all, 36 teams and 12 moderators will participate. They will be grouped in 12 panels (3 teams and one moderator in each). Each panel will consist of two young local officies, third will be an opposition and finally, in the remaining fourth team there will be guests from abroad with different architectural background.
Pilar Calderon participates in the “Nordic Masters” Lecture Series
Under the title “Place, raw material”, the lecture introduces some ideas about context and transformation through two projects
Nordic Masters is an activity of the Architectural Projects Department of the Etsab-School of Architecture of Barcelona (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya),organised by Dr. Arch. Jaime J. Ferrer.
Marc Folch in the conference “Great Architectural Projects”
On the 11th of November Via Group held a meeting in Barcelona with selected local architectural officies to discuss their current projects and futher perspectives for the sector.
The conference brought together more than 120 professionals. The main architectural offices of the city presented their projects which are currently in progress. Besides prelegents have been discussing problems and opportunities which exist on Barcelona´s architectural market.
Marc Folch presented objectives and strategies of The Center of Comparative Medicine and Bioimaging project in Can Ruti (Badalona). Targets in the Center were to provide the energy efficiency, attain both acustic and thermal comfort, optimalize a construction by using prefabrication, achieve a dual typology and use a biospheric façade. Marc Folch outlined also how important is the Center not only for Spain but also for the international science.
Pol Sarsanedas – Jury member of the III Iberoamerican Passivhaus Contest
The III Iberoamerican Passivhaus Contest was organized on the occasion of the 7th Spanish Passivhaus Conference by Passivhaus Building Platform (PEP).
To the contest may submit projects which were realized according to the Passivhaus standard and positively valued in other criteria of sustainability and environmental certification. Projects of new construction or rehabilitation, built or being drafted have to be located in Spain or Latin America.
Pol Sarsanedas as an expert in building Passivhaus was a members of the III Contest Iberoamerican Passivhaus jury. Along with Aurelio Monterde, Julián Molinero, Nuria Widman, John Kregel, Xavier Rodríguez and Antoni Solanas, they have choosen 15 finalists and then the winner, who will have a presentation about his project in the Conference on the 26th and 27th of November in Barcelona.
The jury wanted to emphasize the high level of presented projects in both the study of proper parameters of the Passivhaus standard, as well as architectural and environmental considerations and attention to details.
Pilar Calderon – jury member in Design Contest AxA – PiMEC | GLS Consorcio del Hormigón S.L.U.
The contest creates a positive synergy and a mutual rapprochement between architecture and industry.
The object of the competition AXA-PIMEC was to design at least three parts of GRC able to resolve the outer sheet of a ventilated façade or forming a coating which include specifications arising from GLS Consorcio Hormigón SLU. Projects should achieve socially useful results and be sustainable. While the contest itself promotes design among businesses.
In the contest were involved three sectors: Architects for Architecture – an association that oversees professional work of architects, as well as supports and promotes architecture as a cultural and social good, then GLS Consorcio del Hormigón S.L.U.- a company, which produce prefabricated parts and PiMEC – an organization representing the micro, small and medium enterprises of Catalonia.
The jury consists of Pilar Calderon, Ramon Sanabria, Sander Laudy and Aurelius Mora appointed by AXA, Santiago Llusera and Manel Castellnou from GLS Consorcio del Hormigón S.L.U. and a representative of PIMEC Eva Prats.
Our Low energy MZ House in the Expansión Magazine
The Spanish economic daily newspaper “Expansión” has published an article about houses that consume almost no energy.
The five of the most significant projects in Spain, including our MZ House, had been selected to show ideas and solutions of Passive houses. It was also explained that there is no need to use a specific material, but only the maximum optimization of existing resources and insulation in the construction process is required. Additionally German Passive House Institute was mentioned as an agency which is certifying such type of houses.
A challenge of our Low energy MZ House was described as a refurbishment of a house built in 1918 with preserving the original facades together with improving its thermal and acoustic comfort. Moreover it was highlighted that the construction and materials used in rehabilitation systems have achieved the objective in just 120 days.
Low Energy House in the 48 Open House Barcelona
433 people visited the multi-awarded Low Energy MZ House in the 48 Open House Barcelona architectural festival
