WE HELP YOU [1]
In Catalonia, there is a wide range of highly qualified architects available to find solutions to your needs. They are professionals with experience in the construction sector, knowledgeable about the latest technologies and technical solutions and aware of the current legislation.
Whether you wish to improve the sustainability of your building, take advantage of a space, or ensure your home renovation will add value, request the services of an architect.
Every client, every location and every commission is unique. No project has just a single solution and there are a great many professionals able to offer their expertise over a wide range of specialist areas. Choosing the right architect is a key factor in achieving success.
The COAC recommends that you visit our Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project.
Job Bank [2]
TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY QUALITY SPACES [3]
The construction sector faces the challenge of offering an ever-changing society the best solutions for new functional, technical, cultural and comfort requirements. Choosing the team of professionals with the right skills to address these new requirements is a key decision in the whole construction process.
High-quality construction solutions guarantee economy, low maintenance costs, durability and energy efficiency. In Catalonia there is a wide range of architects with experience in the construction sector, knowledgeable about the latest technologies and technical solutions, experts in project management and well-versed in current legislation and the government’s changing economic promotion policies.
Before looking for an architect, consider the requirements of your project and ask yourself the following questions:
• What main challenges does my project involve?
• What is my budget?
• What experience or specialist knowledge do I expect my architect to have?
• How important to me is the sustainability factor?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professional for your project, or you can fill in the following form [4].
TO RENOVATE WISELY [5]
The ageing process of buildings makes it essential to carry out regular maintenance to guarantee they are kept in an optimum state of conservation over the years. In the same way, due to the changing needs of its users, wholesale renovations often have to be made to adapt to the building’s new uses.
It is essential to strengthen the culture of rehabilitating and restoring our built heritage and bring it in line with European standards, which now represents more than 40% of all work in the construction sector. To face this challenge, architects and practices specialise in energy rehabilitation, structural renovations, heritage restoration and town and country planning: these are the profiles that can bring added value to your built heritage while at the same time optimising the management and energy efficiency of the building.
Consult the Guide for managing the renovation of an apartment block [6].
The COAC will help you to choose the right team of professionals and collaborators for your project. You can contact the Job Bank by completing the following form [4].
TO OPTIMISE MAINTENANCE [7]
Some 80% of the energy consumption of buildings takes place during their use. Knowing the correct way to manage a building’s maintenance is just as, if not more important than, having it built in an efficient manner. Facility management is the discipline that administers properties to guarantee and manage their functioning and associated services.
Architects who specialise in facility management can provide the best service for companies or property owners by inputting their specific knowledge of building management and support services as a complement to their basic knowledge, giving them an understanding of the full complexity of buildings and infrastructures.
All buildings and building occupants are different. Every client, every building and every user is unique. There is no single way of managing a building, but there is a whole range of professionals who can offer their expertise. Selecting the right professional or team of professionals is one of the most important decisions to make.
Before starting the search, consider the requirements of your project and ask yourself these questions:
• What are my building’s management objectives?
• Do I have a defined maintenance and management strategy in place?
• Do I have the right management tools for the job?
• Am I aware of the incentives offered by government agencies to improve my building’s efficiency?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professional for your project, or you can fill in the following form [4].
TO IMPROVE A RETAIL SPACE [8]
Starting up a business is, in many respects, an adventure of trial and error in which minimising risk is a key factor in achieving success. Being able to rely on a good team of professionals allows entrepreneurs to reduce that risk by defining aspects such as added value, commercial strategy and customer journey maps, amongst others.
Architects who specialise in retail are experts in designing on-site and online retail spaces and analysing commercial processes and flows and sales management. This knowledge is indispensable when it comes to providing advisory and design services for retail spaces in a society with a growing demand for this type of specialist.
Every commercial project, every client, every company and every product is unique. There is never one single solution for every project and there is a huge range of highly qualified professionals ready to offer their expertise. Choosing the right architect is one of the most important decisions you can make.
Before starting the search, consider the needs of your project and ask yourself the following questions, whatever your experience and the complexity of your project may be:
• Do I have a well-defined business strategy?
• What are the challenges facing my business?
• What are my company’s objectives?
• What experience or specialist knowledge do I expect my architect to have?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project, or you can fill in this form [4].
TO SAVE ENERGY [9]
The sustainable development of our cities and buildings is establishing itself as one of society’s main requirements. Despite the positive image acquired by sustainable development, a lot still remains to be done. The implementation of sustainable development in the construction sector—which represents around 40% of energy consumption in Spain—is one of the biggest challenges facing architecture in the 21st century.
In Catalonia, there is a wide range of highly qualified architects available to find solutions to your sustainability needs. Professionals with experience in the construction sector, knowledgeable about the latest technologies and technical solutions; architects who are experts in project management and well-versed in all the different rules and regulations and the government's changing economic promotion policies.
Before looking for an architect, consider the requirements of your project and ask yourself the following questions:
• Do I want to save energy?
• How important is the factor of sustainability to me and my project?
• What is my budget?
• What experience or specialist knowledge do I expect my architect to have?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project, or you can fill in this form [4].
TO GAIN INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY [10]
Architects specialising in accessibility are experts in universal access and design, knowledge which is indispensable when it comes to providing architectural and design services to a society with a growing demand for this type of specialist. The aim is that absolutely everyone, without exception, is able to enjoy our public spaces.
There is never one single solution for every project and there is a huge range of highly qualified professionals ready to offer their expertise. Selecting the right architect is one of the most important decisions to make.
Before starting the search, consider the requirements of your project and ask yourself these questions:
• What are my objectives in terms of accessibility?
• Do I need to adapt an existing building? Do its users form part of a collective with special requirements?
• Do I wish to incorporate the benefits of automation and the latest technologies?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project, or you can fill in this form [4].
TO MANAGE PROJECTS [11]
In the current economic climate, companies are more in need than ever of professionals who can systematize and bring their projects to fruition to boost their efficiency. Indeed, at the moment, only 8% of organisations are regarded as ‘high performance’ with regard to achieving the objectives of the projects they undertake. A low-performing company poses a capital risk almost fourteen times higher than companies with excellent performance results, a contrast that can mean the difference between whether a company is viable or not*.
Architects are agents of change. They are used to working under pressure in dynamic, complex and ever-changing environments. They can alternate a global overview of the project with the ability to focus on key aspects. Furthermore, architects who specialise in project management are trained specifically to complete projects to the agreed quality, deadline and budget. At the same time, they have the ability to document, monitor and control the project effectively. This is their main added value. A project is not just a routine operation, but a series of operations designed to achieve a particular objective.
Every client, every location, every commission and every work team is unique. Selecting the right team of professionals is one of the most important decisions to make. Before starting the search, consider the needs of your project and ask yourself the following questions, whatever your experience and the complexity of your project may be:
• What are the objectives of my project?
• Is there a well-defined management strategy in place?
• Have I got the right work team?
• Do I have the right management tools for the job?
• Am I aware of the incentives offered by government agencies to improve my building’s efficiency?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project, or you can fill in this form [4].
*Information taken from the Project Management Institute’s ‘Pulse of the Profession 2013’ study.
TO PROMOTE YOUR GREEN SPACE [12]
Catalonia, and more specifically Barcelona, is recognised internationally for the quality of its public spaces, which are also one of our most highly valued cultural assets. Being able to enjoy high-quality public spaces enhances and intensifies human relations, allowing us to interact with people who do not form part of our own immediate circle, opening up a host of possibilities.
When we leave our homes, we need the spaces we inhabit to provide us with a feeling of safety and wellbeing, and to facilitate social interaction. Our community, our street, our squares, our children’s school playground, the sidewalk where we go for coffee, the building where we work and all the spaces we pass through every day must be designed to provide us with these values.
Architects and urban planners have been trained to spearhead the necessary processes of change in our cities and public spaces thanks to training that combines technical, cultural and social knowledge and that provides a holistic vision of our habitat. This fact helps us to create synergies with other professionals and social agents with a view to improving the quality of life in our cities and our region.
With this type of project, the most important decisions are taken at the very outset of the process, before work even starts on its design, and therefore well before any construction. It is at this initial stage that the success of your project is decided.
Choosing the right team of professionals and collaborators is one of the most important decisions that you can make. Before starting the search, consider the needs of your project and ask yourself the following questions, whatever your experience and the complexity of your project may be:
• Do I have a strategy in place that addresses all my requirements and encompasses the whole project?
• Am I sure that the chosen option addresses all of my needs?
• Am I confident that I will achieve the maximum benefit from the planned actions?
• How sustainable and durable over time is my project?
• Do I trust my suppliers?
The COAC recommends that you visit the Job Bank to help you select the best professionals for your project, or you can fill in this form [4].
TO PERFORM A CERTIFICATE [13]
Thanks to their training, architects have in-depth structural knowledge which allows them to undertake the inspection, diagnosis and certification of existing buildings. Contract an architect to perform the following tasks:
Technical Building Inspection (ITE)
This is a mandatory inspection which all apartment blocks are required to comply with in accordance with legal regulations. Based on this report, the Government of Catalonia will grant a Building Warrant of Fitness, which is valid for 10 years.
Certificate of Energy Efficiency (CEE)
All buildings or any part of them (apartments, shops, etc.) offered for sale or rent are obliged to have a Certificate of Energy Efficiency.
Certificate of Occupancy
The Certificate of Occupancy is an official document which verifies that a building fulfils the minimum habitability requirements demanded by current legislation and that it is suitable to be used as a residential property. It is absolutely essential to have this certificate whenever renting or selling a property.
We recommend that you visit our Job Bank to help you select an architect to secure a Certificate on your behalf. Fill in the following form [4].