BUILDING REHABILITATION TECHNICAL OFFICES, INFORMATION AND ADVICE POINTS TO PROMOTE EUROPEAN FUNDS
The Minister for Social Rights, Violant Cervera; the dean of the COAC, Assumpció Puig; the executive chairman of the Technical Architecture Council of Catalonia, Celestí Ventura, and the manager of the Barcelona-Lleida Association of Property Administrators, Lorenzo Viñas, have presented the new Building Rehabilitation Technical Offices (OTR).
These three independent offices will be managed by the three institutions thanks to the agreement signed weeks ago with the Ministry of Social Rights. The new spaces will guide and advise citizens in the management and development of the rehabilitation processes that are part of the programmes under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan funded by the European Union through NextGenerationEU.
In her speech, Minister Cervera explained that these European funds “are an opportunity to energise a key sector of our economy” and that the aid, with a budget of 480 million euros, will benefit some 60,000 homes throughout Catalonia. Cervera called for “a commitment to renovating buildings and homes with a focus on energy efficiency and the fight against climate change”.
Along these lines, the dean of the COAC, Assumpció Puig, stressed that “the response to the new challenges that the pandemic has brought to light must involve rehabilitating, renovating and improving our buildings, neighbourhoods and cities with a comprehensive approach, putting people’s comfort and quality of life at the forefront. The COAC’s Building Rehabilitation Technical Office will inform both members of the COAC and the general public so that the maximum number of people can benefit from the European funds”.
For his part, the executive chairman of the Technical Architecture Council of Catalonia, Celestí Ventura, highlighted the fact that “the Building Rehabilitation Technical Offices are the professional associations’ contribution to taking advantage of a unique opportunity to improve the housing stock in Catalonia and generate new jobs”.
Finally, the manager of the Barcelona-Lleida Association of Property Administrators, Lorenzo Viñas, stated that the OTR “is the result of close collaboration with the Catalan Housing Agency, which highlights the joint work of the public administration and the private sector in a project of great interest to Catalonia’s citizens and environment”.
To promote and guide rehabilitation processes
The offices are up and running as of this April, and the professional associations will be on hand to offer information on subsidies and advice on their management as well as a network of professionals to carry out the rehabilitation processes.
Each office has its own website and a team behind it that will work in coordination with the public administration to manage the subsidies:
COAC Building Rehabilitation Technical Office
https://rehabilitacio.arquitectes.cat/
Technical Architecture Council of Catalonia Building Rehabilitation Technical Office
www.otr.cat
CAF Building Rehabilitation Technical Office
https://otrc.consellcaf.cat/
Activating the rehabilitation culture
The three institutions, through the Building Rehabilitation Technical Offices, will be in charge of promoting the rehabilitation of the maximum number of buildings. To help in reaching this goal, an information campaign will be launched in June to activate the rehabilitation culture, which is not very deeply rooted in Catalonia, and to highlight the benefits of rehabilitation, which is key to urban renewal and the creation of healthier and more comfortable spaces.
Along the same lines, the campaign aims to highlight the figure of rehabilitation professionals and demonstrate that the construction sector is an essential tool in Catalonia’s recovery following the pandemic and in managing the economic and social challenges of the 21st century.
TWENTY-NINE WORKS SELECTED BY THE COAC ENTERED IN THE CSCAE ARCHITECTURE AWARDS
Twenty-nine works selected by the COAC will represent Catalan architecture in the 1st ARQUITECTURA Awards, organised by the Consejo Superior de Colegios de Arquitectos de España (Higher Council of Architects’ Associations of Spain, CSCAE) with the official sponsorship of COMPAC.
The 29 projects are part of the first selection of 184 proposals from all over Spain that will go through to the next phase. A total of 650 projects and proposals from regional associations and councils throughout Spain were submitted.
Consult the list of selected Catalan works
The COAC has made the selection within its sphere of influence, following the criteria and values established in the rules: universal, cultural and artistic, social and ethical, professional, values associated with rehabilitation, renovation and regeneration, basic values of architecture and town planning, as well as permanence, in those works that are 20 years old and have remained valid over time.
In their new format, the ARQUITECTURA Awards, which are officially sponsored by COMPAC, recognise the social and cultural values of architecture and urban planning, focusing on their effects on people’s health, well-being and safety, as well as on the sustainability of the planet.
Selection of awards finalists and winners
The list of selected proposals will now be evaluated by three committees of experts appointed by the Plenary of the CSCAE, who will be responsible for studying and analysing the works and projects in each of their professional fields. Following this analysis, the committees will produce a non-binding report for the Jury, which will be ultimately responsible for choosing the 18 awards finalists and winners.
The awards ceremony will take place in the first half of July. In addition to the prestigious Gold Medal for Architecture, six awards will be given based on values such as sustainability and health, New Bauhaus, social and ethical commitment, the profession, RE (rehabilitation, renovation and regeneration) values and habitat. Three special distinctions will also be awarded: the Spanish Architecture Prize, the Spanish Urbanism Prize and the Permanence Prize.
THE COAC AND THE BANCO SABADELL FOUNDATION SIGN AN AGREEMENT TO RESTORE THE PICASSO FRIEZES AT THE PLAÇA NOVA HEADQUARTERS
The dean of the COAC, Assumpció Puig, and the president of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, Miquel Molins, have signed a collaboration agreement under which the Foundation will participate in the restoration of the Picasso friezes that surround the COAC headquarters in Barcelona’s Plaça Nova. The Foundation will also collaborate on the exhibition that the COAC is organising for 2023 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso.
During the signing ceremony, Assumpció Puig highlighted the “great heritage value of these friezes and the privilege of being able to show them openly to the public”. For this reason, she stressed “the responsibility we have as architects to set an example and take care of our buildings. Picasso’s sgraffiti, together with Xavier Busquets’ architecture, give the COAC headquarters a unique singularity, and we have a duty to ensure their conservation”.
Along these lines, Miquel Molins emphasised that “recovering our heritage is also taking care of our history, and we are very pleased to be able to contribute with the Architects’ Association of Catalonia to rehabilitate such an emblematic and representative work of not only the headquarters of the COAC but also Barcelona city centre”.
Restoration of a heritage item
The passage of time and exposure to the elements have caused damage to the friezes that surround the COAC headquarters in Plaça Nova. Created in 1962 when the building was constructed, the friezes are one of its most emblematic and distinctive elements.
Restoration work to repair the damage began in 2021 within the framework of the COAC’s Heritage Plan to renovate and update its buildings, which are part of the heritage of the cities where they are located.
The signing of the agreement with the Banco Sabadell Foundation gives new impetus to the rehabilitation of a cultural element of great value to the city of Barcelona, and will help to create synergies between the two entities to care for and disseminate the heritage value of our buildings and thus maximise the contribution to society.
Collaboration on an exhibition for the Year of Picasso
As part of the celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), the Banco Sabadell Foundation will collaborate on the exhibition that the COAC is organising to give new value to this work of art, recovering the history and methodology applied in 1962 for its execution and comparing it with its rehabilitation 60 years later using 21st-century technologies.
Omple el teu Sant Jordi de llibres d'arquitectura!
Demà és 23 d'abril i això vol dir que és Sant Jordi. Les ciutats i els carrers s'ompliran de gent, de roses i de llibres. Per això, la biblioteca del COAC i la Cooperativa d’Arquitectes Jordi Capell han preparat una selecció de títols per gaudir de l'arquitectura, l'urbanisme, la història de l'arquitectura i, en definitiva, la vida als carrers.
Són llibres per a arquitectes, però també per a amants de l'arquitectura. Les publicacions d’arquitectura i arquitectes són cada cop més populars i transversals i les editorials generalistes comencen a ocupar-se d’elles. Els llibres es fan cada cop per un púbic més ampli i més divers:
LLIBRES PER RECÓRRER L’ARQUITECTURA DEL TERRITORI
· Dorel-Ferré, Gràcia. La Colònia Sedó d’Esparreguera. [Esparreguera]: Ajuntament d'Esparreguera; [Sant Feliu de Llobregat] : Centre d'Estudis Comarcals del Baix Llobregat, novembre de 2021.
· Jiménez, Eva. Llobet, Xavier. Arquitectes jardiners de Barcelona : 1888-1992. [Barcelona]: Altrim Publishers, ©2022
· Moner, Jeroni. Les pesqueres de l'estany de Banyoles. Banyoles : Ajuntament de Banyoles; Girona : Diputació de Girona, desembre del 2021.
· Solans i Huguet, Joan Antoni. Barcelona 1969-1979 : els anys decisius del planejament de la metrópoli. Barcelona : Ajuntament de Barcelona, Institut de Cultura: Museu d'Història de Barcelona (MUHBA), desembre de 2020.
· Sastre, Narcís. Girona XX-XXI : geografia urbana d’una ciutat en moviment. Girona: Llibres del Segle, juliol de 2021.
LLIBRES IDEALS PER REGALAR
· Buqueras i Bach, Josep M. Casa Navàs i el modernisme del sud de Catalunya. [Sant Lluís, Menorca] : Setier : Triangle Books, març 2022.
· Lahuerta, Juan José. Gaudí. Barcelona : Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, desembre de 2021.
LLIBRES D’ARQUITECTES
· Margarit, Joan. Animal de bosc. Barcelona: Edicions Proa, maig del 2021.
· Moragas i Spà, Antoni de. Un intrús benvingut : memòries. [Barcelona] : Ediciones +Bernat, octubre de 2021.
NOVETATS EDITORIALS
· Rubio, Andrés. España fea. El caos urbano, el mayor fracaso de la democracia. Debate Edicions, 2022.
· Moneo, Rafael. Sobre Ronchamp. Acantilado 2022.
· Llinàs, Josep. Niños y bisabuelos. Puente Editores, 2022.
· Riera, Daniel. The house of Xavier Corberó. Apartamento Publishing, 2022.
· Ferrari, Napoleone. Carlo Mollino: Architect and storyteller. Park Books, 2021.
Els llibres, disponibles a la Biblioteca del COAC i a La Capell
Alguns dels títols els podreu adquirir a la Cooperativa d'Arquitectes Jordi Capell, la nostra llibreria d'arquitectura de referència, o consultar a la biblioteca del COAC, una de les més importants d'Europa.
Estigueu atents a les xarxes socials, perquè alguns deus seus autors signaran al COAC en diversos moments del dia: bon moment per la celebració, la retrobada i la celebració del primer Sant Jordi normal en dos anys!