BBConstrumat receives the FAD Opinion Award for sustainable design at last year’s event

The 2019 Barcelona Building Construmat (BBConstrumat) event project has received the Opinion Award in the category of Ephemeral Interventions from the FAD Awards, one of the most prestigious in the field of architecture and design. The project, developed by the architect Josep Ferrando, was based on the use of recyclable materials such as large screens and metallic beams in an ephemeral intervention that didn’t generate any waste and in which the criteria of circular economy and sustainability prevailed.

In the last few Barcelona Building Construmat events, ephemeral architecture has been one of the identifying marks of the new stage of the Fira de Barcelona’s construction show, the most emblematic of all those held in Spain. This has been done under the criteria of innovation, creativity and, above all, sustainability, with the use of recyclable and reusable materials in the constructions which have defined the image of the event.

In particular, the FAD Awards jury highlighted that when making their decision they have especially valued the fact that the BBConstrumat project was committed to “recycling and reuse as key concepts” to create “an installation that provides the fair with a friendly space, capable of isolating the visitors from the murmuring sound surrounding them”.

Innovation and Sustainability
The architect Josep Ferrando was in charge of developing a totally innovative project for the 2019 event based on just two elements: geotextile fabric and large metal beams. The geotextile industrial insulating fabric with a standard format of 2.20 m x 200 m, was hung from six metres above the ground in a porch-like structure, creating waves with catenary curves at different heights; and metal beams, from the Sagrada Família construction works, were used as benches and tables. After the event, the two materials were reused in real construction projects.