"The construction sector is not dead, there are many opportunities for work especially in energy rehabilitation issues," said José Antonio Marcén, director general of Territorial Planning, mobility and Housing of the Regional Government, in a meeting held at the University of Navarra.

The work session, organized by the Master's Degree at design and management Building Environmental (MDGAE) of the School of Architecture, brought together almost twenty companies from the architecture sector.

In his exhibition, José Antonio Marcén explained what are the policies of the Regional Government in subject sustainability and put the focus on the energy rehabilitation of housing and the exploration of opportunities in other areas of Navarra, away from the area of the capital, as a solution to the construction crisis. "A new Land Law has not been C with the State. It is a law for the consolidated city based on three fundamentals: rehabilitation, regeneration and urban renewal," he said during his speech. 

Likewise, Marcén emphasized that we are lagging behind Europe in this aspect and wanted to keep in mind the importance of accessibility: "We have undervalued the field of rehabilitation and regeneration compared to our European neighbors. Moreover, only 23% of our buildings could be classified as accessible".

To conclude, he wished to recall the Administration's commitment to lead joint projects between the architecture and construction sector and the neighborhood communities where these works are carried out.

Sustainability, rehabilitation and regeneration projects

The director of the School of Architecture, Josean Medina, who opened the workshop, thanked the companies that "always collaborate with the University and that welcome their students at the end of the degree program or the postgraduate program", and wanted to remember "the commitment of the School in the creation of direct links with the world of the business".

profile For her part, the director of Master's Degree, Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, stated in her speech that "MDGAE students work during the postgraduate program on sustainability, rehabilitation and regeneration projects", which are attractive for companies, since "they handle all the current tools and programs to carry out these works". In this sense, he gave as an example some of the companies present during the meeting that have hired students from the Master's Degree after having completed an internship.

The session at work ended with a colloquium among the different participants in which they were able to express their concerns and suggestions, and learn first-hand about the experiences of companies with students from Master's Degree.