The Autonomous Region begins the transition process towards friendlier architecture which creates cities that look after people
25/09/2020
It is the result of an important participation process involving the most representative groups in this area.
The Autonomous Community began the transition process towards friendlier architecture which creates cities that look after people, by kicking off the Sustainable Construction and Architecture Strategy of the Region of Murcia. It is a roadmap towards applied ecoefficiency which promotes concrete measures to improve the health of people in their homes and reduce the energy consumption of houses.
The strategy is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Urban Agenda, and is the result of an important participatory process involving the most representative groups from the field of architecture and construction, having held 23 meetings and 4 working sessions.
In front of an audience of the highest economic and social representatives, the regional minister for Development and Infrastructures, José Ramón Díez de Revenga, presented this "practical and executive tool for designing the cities and homes of the future", which contains concrete actions that can be applied now to "naturalise urban environments".
"This new dimension of architecture has a direct impact on people's wellbeing - because it stimulates the habits of a healthy life - and on the sustainability of the planet - since it consumes in ten years what a conventional building uses in just one," stated the minister, to which he added two more benefits: "it has an effect on the economy because it gives waste a second life, and on safety because it minimises the impact of floods".
The regional government has already implemented some actions from this Strategy, such as regulatory changes in the law on the Mar Menor and Land, to incentivise the implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS); the research project commissioned from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) to improve the behaviour of urban centres against flooding; and obtaining European funding to carry out the European project 'Go Green Routes', among others.
Green procurement
"Public administrations must play a leading role in this transition towards circularity in the building process, and must serve as a reference for the private sector", declared the minister, who said that one of the Strategy's lines of action refers to "green procurement in which price is not the main decision-making criterion when planning or constructing public buildings."
Within the field of construction, the Strategy aims to encourage maximum-efficiency energy installations, and the use of living roofs and vertical gardens, as well as all of the nature-based solutions which, as well as improving the air quality, minimise the impact of floods. "It's a matter of acting in favour of nature rather than trying to dominate it", explained Díez de Revenga.
Furthermore, it also promotes a culture of prolonging the useful life of buildings, encouraging their maintenance or renovation, as well as the recovery of construction and demolition waste, which will foster an industrial symbiosis with other production sectors.
Within the building process, this initiative encourages the use of materials and components that minimise the carbon and water footprint, and modular construction processes that that allow the building to be dismantled in such a way that the products can be reused and recycled. It proposes the design of flexible spaces that can be adapted to other uses simply, without having to make costly investments that furthermore generate substantial amounts of waste.
Statements: Regional Minister for Development and Infrastructures, José Ramón Díez de Revenga, on the new Sustainable Construction and Architecture Strategy for the Region of Murcia, which is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Photography: Presentation of the Sustainable Construction and Architecture Strategy of the Region of Murcia
