Do you consider it important to focus on the fight against plastic pollution?

Buildings, whether they are where we live, work or play sports, for example, are the physical basis of our society. In that base there are finishes on the floors, walls, facilities... executed with plastics. Elements that interact in different ways with people and therefore require careful planning to avoid unwanted interactions.
 

How can this problem be addressed from your research area ?

Buildings are complex entities that require a design process, to be executed, used and in most cases dismantled. Therefore, the problem can be solved in any of these phases. Thus, the Anglo-Saxon concept of 'Cradle to Cradle' states that materials must be designed to be reused at the end of each of their useful lives.
 

Are you participating in any project related to this issue? If not, what project or idea would you like to implement to tackle plastic pollution in your discipline?

All research projects that are carried out ensure that the elements that are being designed, the physical prototypes, whether a heat-dissipating facade or a low-cost sensor fastening system, respond to these subject parameters. Otherwise, if that prototype is later replicated with more units, the problem is multiplied in the same way.

* César Martín Gómez is a professor at the School of Architecture. Learn more about his research.