Sustainability • CEIM

Another compulsory subject in our architecture programmes, in line with the philosophy of the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, is Sustainability. This subject blends environmental commitment and links between universities and companies, bringing together students and companies from different sustainability sectors supported by the CEIM (Chair in Industrial Construction and the Environment).

With support from the CEIM, the School helps to provide a cross-disciplinary approach and knowledge transfer to its studies. The cross-disciplinary approach seeks to involve representatives from stakeholders in the construction sector. Knowledge transfer is achieved through interaction between the university and manufacturing, engineering and architectural companies, as well as between the different companies themselves. The subjects Sustainability I and II cover the concepts of energy efficiency, user comfort and the environmental impact of construction.

Architecture students research new uses for concrete at the CEMEX Global R&D Centre in Switzerland

Ten architecture students travelled to the city of Bel/Bienne (Switzerland) to take part in the workshop Climate Concrete 4.0, organised by the Chair for Industrialised Construction and the Environment (CEIM) at UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, which took place at the CEMEX Global R&D offices and laboratories.

Throughout the week the students were able to discover for themselves the potential technology offered not only by cement, but also by the latest generation of additives, and learn about the real applications being used in current research and development projects. The students were joined by the lecturers Oriol París and Andrea Masip, as well as CEMEX Global R&D experts Davide Zampini and Enrique Terrado. The students took part in a creative workshop where they developed cement-based prototypes to see the material’s different properties such as its porosity, floatability or thermal insulation potential, as well as developing new skills sought after by industrial and research companies around the world. Climate Concrete is a pioneering initiative that seeks to bridge the gap between universities and industry, fostering multidimensional professional profiles that in turn, generating synergies across the construction sector.