Grupo Construcía receives honourable mention at the AEO Awards 2024
18 de November de 2024
Circular Homes presents Morgana: a benchmark in sustainable residential development in Caldes d’Estrac
12 de March de 2025
- Organized by Grupo Construcía in collaboration with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) through their joint chair, with support from the Diputació de Barcelona and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII).
- International experts shared solutions addressing the environmental, social, and economic challenges of the sector, from buildings as material banks to the transformation of urban systems through new energy production and data management models, and their interaction with natural systems.
- Sponsored by industry leaders such as Holcim and Interface, the event reinforced its impact on the sector.
Barcelona, November 29, 2024 – Coinciding with the conclusion of COP29 in Baku and amid the tangible
impacts of climate change, the 4th Circular Construction Forum, organized by the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair with the support of the Diputació de Barcelona and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII), reaffirmed its position as a European benchmark in the transition towards a circular economy in construction.
Held at the iconic Casa Milà – La Pedrera, the event sold out its 280 tickets days in advance,
reflecting the urgency and interest surrounding the topic. The forum brought together experts, leading companies, public administrations, and academics to address the challenges of a sector that contributes significantly to wealth creation but also generates a disproportionate share of waste and emissions.
Arturo Fernández, Co-CEO of Grupo Construcía, emphasized in his opening speech: “Our sector represents 10% of the GDP but produces 40% of total waste. We must rethink how we build. We aim to be remembered by future generations as those who steered the course towards a model that combines sustainability with abundance.
Cradle to Cradle Pre-Event
The event was preceded on November 28 by the presentation of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Program and its new “Circularity” label at Simon Electric’s Casa de la Llum in Barcelona. The session highlighted the holistic vision of the program, which aids in designing products for a circular economy in alignment with stringent European and global regulations. Eco Intelligent Growth, Andreu World, and Simon Electric shared their experiences as both advisors and manufacturers with extensive expertise in the program. Ignasi Cubiñá, CSO of Grupo Construcía and co-founder of Eco Intelligent Growth, remarked: “Discussing circularity means decoupling the economy from resource consumption and managing risks like inflation. Calculating ROI remains the major challenge in sustainability.”
Living in a Material World in an Era of Limited Resources
The agenda for November 29 tackled the sector’s most pressing challenges from multiple perspectives.
Through sessions and expert panels, discussions ranged from the urgency of integrating circular economy principles into design and execution to addressing the energy and digital transition in cities amid material scarcity and the need yo incorporate biodiversity protection into decision-making for human and environmental health.
Session Highlights
Buildings as Material Banks
The day began with this session, where Thomas Van Oppens, Deputy Mayor of Leuven (Belgium), shared the success story of the city’s material bank. Established in 2020, it has recovered over 3,000 tons of materials by 2023. Moderated by Ignasi Cubiñá, the panel included experts like Becky Gordon from Interface and Cástor González, CEO of Circular Capital (Grupo Construcía). Discussions centered on challenges such as market inertia toward circular solutions, the need to drive change through public procurement and regulations, and the financial perspective of sustainability as a risk management tool.
Eloi Juvillà, Director of Building and Logistics at the Diputació de Barcelona, presented the project “La Industrial +”, which represents the green recovery and opening of the modernist School of Industrial Engineering complex to the public. The project incorporates innovative solutions for energy, heritage preservation, and enhancement while improving its integration with the surrounding neighborhood. “We will re-green the entire intervention area to function as a climate refuge for the public. All buildings will be Net Zero. We will enhance the heritage spanning 200 years of our city’s history,” said Juvillà.
Active Carbon Management
Moderated by Núria Forcada, director of the UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair, this session examined
strategies to reduce carbon footprints across the full lifecycle of construction projects. Experts like Mariano García of Holcim Iberia and Pablo Maroto of Knauf Ibérica discussed innovations in carbon capture and product lifecycle strategies.
Mesa Gestión activa del carbono
Digitization and Electrification
Led by Anne Rademaker, this session explored the challenges and opportunities presented by
digitalization and new energy systems in urban settings. Julia Okatz, Director of Systemiq, highlighted AI-driven urban development models, emphasizing that satisfying the material demands of electrification is a monumental challenge that cannot be met by mining expansions alone.
The summit also incorporated the perspective of historical heritage, particularly Catalan modernism, through a presentation by Mireia Freixa (University of Barcelona). She highlighted two features directly linked to the principles of the circular economy: “la volta de maó de pla” (flat brick vault) and trencadís (mosaic technique), both of which utilize local, available, reclaimed, and recyclable materials.
Construction, Health, and Biodiversity
Moderated by Ana Palencia Novás, CEO of Eco Intelligent Growth, this session emphasized the connection
between the built environment, health, and biodiversity. Experts like Bruno Sauer of GBCe and Giulia Sonetti of ISGlobal called for sufficiency and frugality in urban planning to create regenerative, low-carbon structures that enhance communities rather than exploit them.
Awards for Academic Innovation
The UPC-Grupo Construcía Chair awarded the best final degree and master’s theses in circular economy for construction, sustainability, technology, and innovation.
Showroom of Circular
Innovation
The first-ever showroom of Cradle to Cradle Certified® products offered tangible examples of
circular-ready products and business models. Companies like Interface, Saint-Gobain, Schneider Electric, and Knauf showcased solutions alongside Eco Intelligent Growth.
A Call to Action
Francisco Lendínez, Transformation Director of Grupo Construcía, urged attendees to view every project as an opportunity to unite sustainability and abundance. He reminded the audience of the need for urgent transitions to fairer, more sustainable models.
The 4th Circular Construction Forum: Living in a Material World, Enabling Systemic Action leaves a legacy of inspiration and commitment, underscoring its role as a catalyst for global construction change. The challenge now lies in showcasing progress at next year’s edition.
