Fundación Marjal

Every 18 months a conference within the framework of the International Congress of Architectural Technology (ICAT) is convened. The sixth edition took place this year at the University of Alicante on 12th, 13th and 14th May, organized by the Architectural Department of the Polytechnic School (EPS) and the Marjal Healthy Chair. The conference gathered more than 35 people from several countries. Academics and professionals who had the opportunity to discuss the way architecture is following right now, from teaching to research, with BIM as a protagonist.

Each edition seeks to find innovations in the construction of the buildings, dedicated this year to improving the quality of life of people in households, involving the user and therefore putting comfort and well-being as the center of construction process. A search that focuses on designing healthy spaces and therefore healthy buildings. Currently, tools that BIM (Building Information Modelling) offers allow architects to increase the quality and accuracy of building solutions because they offer a great possibility of analysis to predict more accurately how the building will work during his lifetime.

This edition had two very distinct parts: In first place an associated workshop, open to all students of the school of architecture that had the opportunity to present their developed projects in various subjects to be evaluated by lecturers and qualify for a prize.

In second place the conferences. Two parallel sessions where the architecture was discussed from four different approaches: research, education, vocational pathway and innovation associated with BIM. All this ended with a discussion moderated by the president of ICAT, Dr. Niels Barrett, where it was possible to do a review of the context in which the architecture is moving right now and what are the possible ways forward on.

The conference allowed to show new procedures and architectural solutions both when addressing the design and construction, searching for healthier buildings and creating a context of broad and constructive debate forum.