"Arquitecto de la casa": the Official College of Architects of Madrid launches its firts awareness campaign

The Official College of Architects of Madrid (COAM) has presented its first public awareness campaign under the title ‘Arquitecto de la Casa‘ (Architect of the House), with the aim of raising awareness of the need and the advantages of permanently conserving buildings, specialized architects being the most qualified for it.

According to the dean of the institution, José María Ezquiaga, “the COAM has the mission to be close to citizens, their problems and needs concerning the housing, and -ultimately- to make Madrid a better city” . And he highlighted, during the presentation of the initiative to the media, that “the Architect of the house keeps the building in good condition, anticipating problems, saving costs, minimizing damages, providing solutions and managing the technical inspection process to generate security for the neighbors”. “The buildings are not preserved alone, and the passage of time also affects them, that's why an expert professional is needed, like the Architect of the house, to increase the life quality of the neighbors and make Madrid a more livable city”.

The architects of Madrid assure that “a building in perfect condition is a building that increases its market value” and specify that “other functions of the Architect of the House is to coordinate and supervise all the work carried out in the building by other professionals and develop a conservation plan with specific solutions for each building.”

The information campaign includes a website, outdoor advertising, technical conferences and citizen meetings. The data of the real estate park in the Community of Madrid, and especially in the capital, endorses the need for this initiative. In Madrid, more than half of the buildings were built before 1900. That is to say, 55% of them have more than 100 years of life. And one in four buildings was built between 1960 and 2000 (26%).

According to the data from the Technical Buildings Inspection Department of Madrid City Council, 44% of the buildings submitted up to 2011 were unfavorable. Most of the deficiencies were found in facades and patios, and on roof and rooftops, both in 2000 and in 2009. And in both cases, the results worsened. The unfavorable results in facades and courtyards went from 34% in 2000 to more than half (55%) in 2009. On the other hand, the unfavorable in roofs and roofs rose in four points, of 23% in 2000 to 27% in 2009.

Other studies indicate that, in an equal manner, localized damages in enclosures and distributions, finishes, foundation and structure, flooring, exterior and exterior carpentry are distributed to 20%. The causes of these damages were mainly different types of humidity and/or leaks (30%), but also finishing defects of 15% and the detachment and breakage of parts, in the same percentage as before.

According to the study “Building Pathology: propaedeutics“, the problem in the center of Madrid is even greater. The expert analyzes 1,300 damaged buildings located in the districts of the city-centre, Chamartín, Salamanca, San Blas, Ciudad Lineal and Barajas. And the main conclusion is that some of the lesions are duplicated in the center, and that the two main pathogens are water and human factors.

In this way, four out of ten of the buildings studied present lesions derived from leaks in their wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, rising to eight buildings out of ten in the center. And 60% of the buildings in the center suffers bad condition in its roof, being 30% in the rest of the city.

In addition, 30% of the buildings under study of the article have injuries resulting from insufficient or no maintenance, improper use or incorrect works, amounting to 50% in the buildings of the city-center.

Source: COAM
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