Solving global challenges locally. Collective housing as a catalyst for ecological transition

Authors

  • Andrés Cánovas Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)
  • Javier De Andrés Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19229/2464-9309/1352023

Keywords:

climate, energy, local materials, reuse, collective housing

Abstract

Confronted with the evidence of climate change, architecture can – and must – play an important role in minimising the harmful consequences of this phenomenon; in this sense, collective housing (especially public housing) is beginning to take its first steps in redefining a new energy paradigm and strategies aimed at responding to the challenge posed by the ecological transition. Three indispensable requirements are thus identified: energy passivity, the use of local materials, and reuse and regeneration, conceived as complementary tools to activate a thorough transformation of the built environment. This goal also requires the complicity of three key factors (or actors) related to the housing sector: the real estate sector, the legislation, and the users.

 

Article info

Received: 18/04/2023; Revised: 23/05/2023; Accepted: 28/05/2023

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Author Biographies

Andrés Cánovas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)

Architect and PhD, he is a Professor at the Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura of which he is currently The Head. He has taught as Visiting Professor at more than sixty Universities around the world. In 1987 he started a Design Studio with Atxu Amann and Nicolás Maruri, winning numerous prizes in international and national competitions and awards; the Studio’s designs have been published in more than three hundred magazines and books worldwide.
Email: andres.canovas@upm.es

Javier De Andrés, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)

He is an Associate Professor at the Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura and a member of the Research Group in Collective Housing (GIVCO). As a partner of Ayllón Paradela De Andrés Arquitectos, his research and professional work have received several awards, in public and private competitions.
E-mail: jav@upm.es

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Published

30-06-2023

How to Cite

Cánovas, A. and De Andrés, J. (2023) “Solving global challenges locally. Collective housing as a catalyst for ecological transition”, AGATHÓN | International Journal of Architecture, Art and Design, 13, pp. 67–74. doi: 10.19229/2464-9309/1352023.

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