UIC Barcelona has just renewed, for the third year running, its research agreement with CEMEX Global R&D. The agreement was signed on 8 October and was attended by representatives of both institutions: Davide Zampini, director of CEMEX Global R&D; the rector of UIC Barcelona, Xavier Gil; as well as the director of the School of Architecture, Josep Lluís i Ginovart; and the director of the CEIM chair, Felipe Pich-Aguilera. 

The cooperation agreement involves designing the course “Climate Concrete 3.0”, for architecture students. Between October and February, the students will attempt to demonstrate the enormous potential of porous concrete for improving the energy performance and air quality of buildings. Students will be required to develop a specific formula for concrete and design an improved construction system for the building envelope. They will then develop a full-scale prototype of the proposed system for performing laboratory tests and validating the behaviour of the material. At the end of the subject, a group of students will be picked to go to Switzerland to take part in a six-day workshop run by CEMEX’s research group in the Alpine country. The agreement was signed within the framework of the Chair in Industrial Construction and the Environment (CEIM) at UIC Barcelona School of Architecture. The chair is sponsored by Pich-Architects and Rockwool Peninsular.