Solidarity economy architecture
Introduction
The Sustainability and Architecture Association, ASA, is a Spanish non-profit organization, whose purposes promote the integration of sustainability and architecture.
History
It was created in 2007 at the initiative of Carlos Hernández Pezzi, then president of the Superior Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE), as a reaction to the influence that climate change and environmental impacts were producing on nature, and its reflection in cities and the territory. It is made up of architects and urban planners, is based in Madrid and is state-wide, although it is open to other disciplines and activities outside of Spain.[1].
It was formed by nine Colleges of Architects, those of Murcia, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Catalonia, Basque-Navarre, Asturias, Cantabria and Madrid, and ten professionals, of diverse origins, generations and orientations, who formed its first Board: Teresa Batllé, Santiago Cirugeda, Izaskun Chinchilla, María Jesús González Díaz, Isabel León, Andrés Perea, Isabel Pineda, Fernando Prats, César Ruiz-Larrea and José María Torres Nadal. It consists of a Scientific Advisory Committee that included experts from other disciplines (José Fariña, Juan Rubio del Val, Margarita de Luxán, Josefina Gómez Mendoza, etc.).[2].
Objective and activities
Its objective is to integrate all the work carried out on sustainability, environment, biodiversity and climate change in architecture and urban planning, to enhance its application and dissemination. It promotes activities to expand knowledge and research, collaborates with other institutions, and attends forums of interest such as the Observatory 2030,[3] or the New European Bauhaus.[4].
In 2009 he drafted principles that, based on bioclimatic architecture, established a guide in sustainable architecture.[5][6] In 2010, he convened in Asturias more than forty volunteers, diverse professionals, who, reflecting on ecology and the city of the future, wrote the manifesto for "A livable and sustainable, plural and supportive, free, diverse, creative and participatory city" entitled The letter of the Transcantábrico.[7][8].
ASA worked on agreements with the Ministry of Housing "Ministry of Housing (Spain)") and of Public Works (2012), on the sustainability of the Technical Building Code and, prior to the appearance of Covid-19, on natural ventilation.[9][10].