Life Reusing Posidonia in Madrid

From February 8th to 18th Life Reusing Posidonia exhibition is located at Casa del Reloj, near Matadero, in Arganzuela District, Madrid.

We inaugurated the Exhibition at Auditorio de la Sala Primavera last February 8th in the presence of Councilor Rommy Arce, from Arganzuela and Usera districts of Madrid Town Hall; Energy and Climate Change General Director Joan Groizard on behalf of Balearic Islands’ Government; IBAVI (Balearic Islands’ Institute for Housing and Land) Managing Director Maria Antònia Garcías, public company responsible for Life Reusing Posidonia project. 

One week after Madrid presentation, General Director and Conseller de Territori of Balearic Inslands’ Government Marc Pons, introduced the preliminary project of Climate Change of Balearic Islands with high international impact.  

Arantxa Pascual, Managing Director of EMVS (Housing and Land Madrid company) assisted to this presentation among many other people who we shared experiences with and talked about current public housing policies; Punto de Contacto Nacional technicians of LIFE program, including Alicia González, who we would like to thank the most for her assistance on the phone in 2012, while drafting the project and the one that helped one to obtain funding. We also talke to Antonio Merino, on behalf of Budget Office of Agriculture and Fishing, Food and Environment Ministry and also with Josefina Rubio, director of Centro Cultural de la Casa del Reloj, who we would like to thanks the most for providing such a nice space on behalf of Madrid Town-Hall. 

During the round table organized as per the inauguration, Verónica Sánchez from n’UNDO, Alberto Nanclares from Colectivo Basurama and Iñaki Alonso from Asociación Ecómentro took part.

Verónica Sánchez exposed n’UNDO work lines, an architect group fully dedicated to “not-to-build, reusing and dismantle”. Recycling is the last option for n’UNDO and “nothing is more”.

Generally speaking, there is a consensus about the need of rehabilitating, ‘though Spain do not invest yet in necessary resources to make this sector growing to become the main subject for the agents involved in building sector, from architects to builders. There is still a lack of institutional speech about the need of demolishing urbanistic disasters executed in the last 50 years.

This is the main goal of n’UNDO, with some examples like hotel Algarrobico or project Life Pletera, an un-urbanization and restauration project funded under LIFE+ program. 

Requested about Madrid resources, Verónica answered: “Demolishing all urbanistic disasters of the city. With them we could obtain all aggregates for rehabilitation of the works we could develop the incoming years, demonstrated by Bruselas Rotor company, dedicated to selective building tackling” who Estudio Cotidana from Sevilla talked about previously. 

[To know more about “Deconstruction” project, link HERE]

Conscious of the tremendous effort of changing production models, from Life Reusing Posidonia we support n’UNDO thesis thus substituting the question “Which if the best way of doing?” for “What’s necessary to be done?”.

In this “zero new building” scenario, new construction should cover collective needs because there is no place enough for another “Malaparte” house. The XXI challenge is using our ability to change residual condition of those places where we should not place, a priori, a new project. 

Alberto Nanclares, from Basurama, a multidisciplinary collective who remember that “You are what you throw away” sin 17 years ago, thus organizing workshops, concerts, installations…etc. He explained some of the public space self-built and self-managed projects from Campo de Cebada in Barrio de la Latina in Madrid, closed last December 16th 2017, after 7 years of self-management. Almendro 3 is also from Basurama. Click on PICTURES and VIDEO here. 

As explained by Iñaki Alonso, the ecological value of the projects, this is to say, its compatibility with the ecosystem we inhabit, cannot be faced from “common sense” or “logic” because each of us got our own and it must be calculated and measured to establish comparative values. 

In fact, the construction of 60.000 houses in Madrid last 2006 is an example for Life Reusing Posidonia to explain the magnitude of the tragedy in contamination due to buildings’ construction; it is like 900.000 Olympic swimming pools of smothering carbon dioxide, capable to cover from Mostoles city to Alcala de Henares. So, it reaffirms us in changing production models thus limiting progressively building volume. 

Finally, we cannot leave Madrid without buying some cupcakes done by coal nuns, the unique coal we admit in this project #Carbonoceroya

Life Reusing Posidonia in Seville

The exhibition and documentary Life Reusing Posidonia can be visited in Seville from 25 January to 6 February in the former convent of Santa María de los Reyes.

It was officially inaugurated on the 25th by the general director of Housing, Rehabilitation and Architecture of the Department of Development and Housing of the Junta de Andalucía, José Manuel Colmenero, and the director general of Architecture and Housing of the Department of Territory, Energy and Mobility of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Eduardo Vila.

There followed a roundtable discussion attended by Eva Morales, architect from the Cotidiana studio; Rosa Mendoza, head of Life Posidonia Andalucía; and Isidoro Gordillo, lime master craftsman from Gordillos Cal de Morón. Over the course of the session, speakers and attendees alike helped to outline a Map on Resources in the South.

Eva Morales stressed the importance of rehabilitation in the face of the amount of empty buildings in the region, as can be seen in the following photograph.

Thus, the first item we must consider is rehabilitation, with new construction as the last option. But rehabilitation in its truest sense! Touching as little as possible and safeguarding the characteristic features of Andalusian homes. 

Rosa Mendoza, head of  Life Posidonia Andalucía, explained that the posidonia meadows in Andalusia are in relatively good condition but do not produce enough dead leaves to be washed up on the beaches for use in building, unlike the Balearics. Hence having considered the use of cork, of which over 36,000 tons per year are produced in Andalusia! In this link you will find more information on the strategic plan for cork oak groves and cork in Andalusia 2017.  

With Isidoro Gordillo, lime master craftsman from Gordillos Cal de Morón, we learned the value of the lime from Morón declared Unesco World Intangible Heritage in 2011. The lime from Morón, as well as offering many environmental benefits for households, is burned in kilns using discarded olive wood branches. It is part of the landscape of the southern Iberian Peninsula, where the whitewash helps to endure the sweltering summer heat. 

And, what about Seville? We have learned that Seville has been built with manual brick, lime and glazed tiles by hand, and that they continue to be manufactured! A Life Reusing Posidonia Andalucía would surely be built with manual brick cooked with biomass and local tile. And the public space with chalky sand! It's a breathable material that reduces the summer heat and causes golden highlights on the facades of Seville. 

After the talk, the Cotidiana studio decided to begin to create a Map of Resources with local and ecological industries in Andalusia. Will you help broaden our list with other businesses? 

In Sevilla:

Gordillos Cal de Morón (Morón de la Frontera)

Cerámica Triana 

Cerámica La Molina

Cerámica artística sevillana A González

Cerámica Isabel Parente

In Granada:

Ladrillos Viceira Muñoz (Las Gabias)

In Murcia:

Cerámica Blas Alemán 

Cerámicas Antonio Alemán

(...)

We wish to thank Isabel Martín, from the Cotidiana studio, for leading us through the maze of the exquisite historical quarter of Seville and show us the city’s treasures, and the people of Seville, for not running us down along the narrow winding streets (not with their bicycles, but with their horse-drawn carriages!).  

NAN Architecture and Construction prize

Life Reusing Posidonia has been awarded the NAN Architecture andConstruction prize by the TPI Group and NAN Arquitectura y Construcción. The presentation event took place on 30 November 2017 in Barcelona.

The architect and head of the European project, Carles Oliver, received the award for the best residential construction project for the 14 subsidised housing units in Sant Ferran (Formentera) on behalf of the IBAVI (Institut Balear de l'Habitatge).

The prototype is the main initiative of the European project to combat climate change known as Life Reusing Posidonia, an environmental project driven by the IBAVI and the General Directorate of Energy and Climate Change of theGovernment of the Balearic Islands, whose goal is to provide reliable data to all administrative departments involved in urban development or the environment: city councils, island councils, autonomous governments, central governments and the European Commission.

The Life Reusing Posidonia project can be viewed in a travelling exhibition that has already been shown in Formentera, Ibiza, Palma and Mahón, as well as in a documentary that has been broadcast in the regional TV station IB3 which also forms part of the travelling exhibitions.

The exhibition embraces heritage, architecture and the environment in an effort to support the return of traditional architecture as a means to combat climate change. It offers a global outlook of the ecosystem in which we live and which we are a part of.

The project against climate change arrives to Palma

The sample claims to go back to the traditional architecture as an action for struggle against polluting emissions. 

The exhibition itinerant of the european project against climate change Life Reusing Posidonia arrives on Friday to Casal Solleric, and it will remain until the 3rd of December. This building has a great leadership in the project origin, because in the Casal Solleric rehabilitation works, were found dry posidonia remains and the anecdote help to boost the project REUSING POSIDONIA when in 2010 it was doubted the viability of the dry posidonia recovery as tile insulation. 

All palaces of Palma were built between XlV and XVll century using dry posidonia to protect the coffered ceilings (wooden roofs) and it is discovered fully operational 600 years after. Now, their use is recovered to the building with 14 social housing in Sant Ferran promoted by IBAVI, where they have rehearsed the formulas to reduce the ecological footprint of the buildings and they have been monitored the good functioning. 

This building is an activity of the european project against the climate change Life Reusing Posidonia, an environmental governance project promoted by IBAVI and Directorate General of Energy

and Climate Change of Government of the Balearic Islands, with a view to providing verified data to the European, Local and Regional Institutions for the drafting of future regulations related to the reduction of the environmental impact of the building sector. 

Life Reusing Posidonia arrives to Ibiza

On the 3rd of November 2017 was opened the exhibition and the documentary of the Life Reusing Posidonia in the Ibiza cloister. The deputy major, Elena López, and the IBAVI technic director, Antonio Martín, took part of the presentation.

The assistants could see the documentary premiere which explains all the phases of the project and they took part of an interesting round table with three experts: Vicent Marí Serra, Carlos Velasco Reguero y Manu San Félix. Central issue: heritage, architecture and climate change.

The three speakers are gave their vision of the use of natural resources and the importance to struggle against climate change, each from his field. Vicent Marí is a traditional craftsman  in the construction, who was formed with the old people. Carlos Velasco is an architect by the ETSA of Madrid who defend the paper of the architecture as social dynamo. Nowadays he works in the development of a cooperative dwellings project. For last, Manu San Félix,  marine biologist and photography director of the Pristine Siguis project of National Geographic, where he is creating huge marine sanctuaries and is the person who cares about the 80% of the protected surface in our oceans.

The exhibition and the documentary were launched in Ibiza until the 13th of November. Before, it was launched in Formentera and their next stops will be Palma (the 24th of November in Palau Solleric) and Mahón (5th of December).

The project goal is to explain people how while we are looking for solutions for more sustainable solutions for construction we have forgotten what has been done for hundred years before the Industrial Revolution, for instance the posidonia insulations.

The exhibition in the Ibiza cloister was published in different media as Diario de Ibiza, Nou Diari and IB3 Televisió.

Life Reusing Posidonia: the book

Project book of Life Reusing Posidonia is available. 144 pages with original texts of IBAVI architects. It is also available in printed edition in Palma (Manuel Azaña, 9 street) or you can download the .PDF file here. 

Life Reusing Posidonia is Environmental Governance project from LIFE Program which has consisted of the construction of 14 social dwellings at Sant Ferran (Formentera). This book helps us to explain the origin and development of the project. 

Marc Pons, IBAVI president and Minister of Territory, Energy and Mobility at Government of the Balearic Islands, explain that we must enhancing our cultural tradition whilst promoting greater energy efficiency and the use of eclogical technologies because it helps to maintain and care for our natural resources. 

Joan Groizard, Director General of Energy and Climate Change at Government of the Balearic Islands explain that the opportunities offered by these regions as potential “laboratories” make island territories the perfect place to lead efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts. This project demonstrates that the Mediterranean has the resources and the climate needed to significantly reduce energy consumption, both during the process of building houses and during their subsequent use.

Project goals are developed in this book; new production and consumption models; self-sufficiency, resources map and traditional architecture; the prototype of 14 social dwellings in Sant Ferran; the selection of the most representative materials; management of the entire water cycle; waste management; prototype monitoring and, above all, conclusions and recommendations done by competent authorities about climate change, regarding materials, CO2 and thermal comfort. 

For instance:

1. For wood products from outside the EU, an FSC or PEFC forest management label should be required as a condition for being used in public works

1. For all products made on an industrial scale, both in the EU and abroad, product traceability should be required at all ex- traction, manufacturing and distribution stages. 

1. A CO2 emissions ceiling should be established for construction industries.

1. Make known traditional materials. 

Life Reusing Posidonia book is written in both Catalan, Spanish and English.

The Life Reusing Posidonia project promoted by IBAVI in collaboration with the Balearic General Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the CAIB has received a European grant of € 754,012 from the LIFE + 12 program in the Environmental Governance category for Climate Change Adaptation Projects.

Into the final of the Green Solutions Awards

The Life Reusing Posidonia project, promoted by IBAVI in collaboration with the Balearic General Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at theCAIB, that has received a European grant from the Life +12 programme, has made it to the final of the Green Solutions Awards organised by Construction21 after winning in the Low Carbon national category.

Help us to make the project known and to expand an efficient and responsible construction!

The Green Solutions Awards are organised by the Construction21 platform. The aim of these awards is to promote sustainable and innovative solutions applied to real buildings.

Such is the case of the 14 Public Housing units in Sant Ferran in Formentera developed by the IBAVI in order to meet the Europe 2020 Strategy targets through a climate change adaptation project.

The Green Solutions Awards jury panel has comprised 11 experts in sustainable construction of buildings and cities who have assessed the Spanish nominations to determine the most inspiring cases. The selection criteria have been the innovative nature and performance of the projects, their cost and reproducibility.

With their choice, the members of the jury are voicing a clear message: to prove to owners and professionals that it is possible to build or refurbish in an alternative manner, contributing tangible and specific solutions. This is what Life Reusing Posidonia is about!

The international final of the Green Solutions Awards 2017 will take place on 15 November in Bonn (Germany) during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 23).

Reducing CO2 in construction

The Life Reusing Posidonia project (the name under which the 14 public housing unit project has been presented) is proving that, outside of the big cities, it is possible to use building systems that are more sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective. Eco-friendly industries based on local craftsmanship using Zero Kilometre raw materials available locally and which are slowly disappearing.

In the case of the 14 Public Housing Units in Formentera local resources have been used, such as dry posidonia for insulation purposes, recycled woodwork for interior and exterior carpentry, NHL5 lime mortar for the foundations and hydraulic lime flooring and tiles cooked in a biomass kiln, among others. But other imported materials have also been used, such as FSC certified wood and Ytong cellular concrete blocks to reduce environmental impact.

We have managed:

To reduce CO2 emissions by 50% during the construction of buildings

To reduce useful energy by 75% during the useful life of the building

To reduce water consumption by 60%

To reduce waste production by 50%

In addition to quantifiable factors, the aim of the project is the utmost reduction of the collateral effects of construction , such as labour exploitation in the so-called “third world countries, toxicity inside homes and environmental and social disasters caused by the exploitation of resources, such as uncontrolled tree felling and bauxite mines.