Construmat celebrated its 30th anniversary in the Gran Via venue

One of the main features of Construmat 2009, to be held from 20 to 25 April, is the concentration, both of the exhibition offer the technical conferences, in a single enclosure. Implementation of two new independent rooms, Instalmat in 2008 and the bathroom, in 2010, whose proposals were integrated in Construmat, provides an important exhibition area on the grounds of the Gran Via. Also, the current economic climate influence, no doubt, the final number of exhibitors. In any case, the holding of Construmat in a single enclosure meets an old aspiration of many companies exhibiting and visiting.

Despite the difficulties arising from the economic crisis and which are specific to the sector, the Hall will be, once again, the great showcase of the Spanish construction and the forum for debate and reflection on the sector and the contemporary architecture of Spain.

"We want that Construmat is a tool that will help to boost the sector and will help it to overcome the situation in which", says the new President of the Organizing Committee, Josep Miarnau Montserrat, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of group Comsa.

In addition to an important offer of products and services related to the construction, Construmat will become again the great center of exhibition and discussion of new initiatives. In this regard, it highlights the fifth edition of the project Casa Barcelona, in which four architects of international prestige will show its proposals for innovative, sustainable and social housing.

On the other hand, the space sustainable construction, which will promote the use of more environmentally friendly materials with the environment; the extensive program of technical conferences, with special emphasis on the prevention of accidents at work or the Construmat awards for technological innovation, among others, complete the offer of Construmat 2009.

Following the success of 2007, the sustainable building space will again surprise with the presence of original proposals. The Green Box project with the active participation of the Department of housing and environment of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It will outline the range of companies that promote sustainability, display products and systems related to renewable energies and will host technical seminars with speakers national and international.

Casa Barcelona, under the technical direction of the architect Ignacio Paricio, the Germans Sauerbruch Hutton, the Catalans Carme Pinós and Xavier Claramunt and Andrés Jaque Madrid will be presented, a module of two floors and 300 square meters, its proposals of social housinginnovative and sustainable. In 2009, Casa Barcelona merged with the project ATPM to provide imaginative solutions and at the same time, realistic to the housing problem. This work will be open during the show.

Fitec, universities and research centres

The technological offer of leading universities and research centres specializing in environment will have their own space in the living room Construmat 2009 (Hall 1, stand D - 474).

The Fundació Catalana per a the Recerca i la Innovació (FCRI) will show through the Fira of Tecnologies (Fitec) all this offer with the aim of enhancing trade agreements and collaboration between research centres and companies. This is designed a stand with different spaces:

• Exhibition area with points of information centres and research groups specialized in the sector.
• Classroom Fitec where projects were submitted, and displays the capacity of different groups and researchers.
• Workshops on surveillance technology, intellectual property, financing of r & d and certification.
• Meeting zone to hold meetings University - company.

This year, Construmat has convened its awards dedicated to innovation in the construction. In 2009 these awards come to their thirteenth Edition and are divided into three categories: building, Civil Engineering and construction product.

In the first two categories, they can choose all the works of new plant or intervention in existing works, completed in Spain between January 2007 and December 2008. As for the 'Construction product' award, they can choose him processes or products presented at Construmat will submit to this call and corresponding a: construction processes; products for structures and enclosures (foundations, containment, structures, enclosures and protections, and separations); and products for insulation and coating (isolation, impermeabilitación, cladding and paving), and installations (home automation and communications, sanitation, lighting, climate control, management and control, protection, transport and equipment).

The Construmat awards ceremony will take place on 20 April in Hall 4 of the Fira of Barcelona's Gran Via venue.

Construmat 2009 will again feature a programme of technical seminars will feature experts from all areas and that will include conferences, seminars and conferences.

Within the framework of sustainable construction, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Spanish Standards Association (Aenor) organized a conference with speakers of Spanish and international as the President of the European Centre for standardisation, the Finn Ari Illömaki, or French Bruno Ziegler, specialist in calculation methods.

Workplace accidents is one of the main problems of the Spanish construction, Construmat wants to propose solutions and with the collaboration of the Gaudí Institute of construction, has organized a Conference on security.

Finally, will be held a day of the school of industrial engineering to construction professionals and where will be presented the guides 'Ventilation and protection against fires in car parks', 'Processing and preparation of construction projects' and ' efficient office buildings: design criteria '.

Ateg, Spanish Association of electroplating, organized within the framework of Construmat this technical session, addressed to technicians and professionals in engineering, architecture and construction that wish to deepen the knowledge of the characteristics of galvanized materials and correct use of these techniquesas well as knowing your applications in the construction, public works, urban equipment and industry in general.

In the event, which will take place on Wednesday, April 22, issues will be addressed as the ' protection of steel using zinc coatings. The hot galvanizing process '; ' Resistance to corrosion and properties of galvanized steel. Welded and bolted joints. Painted galvanized steel '; 'Armor plated for reinforced concrete'; or 'Examples of use of galvanized steel in construction, infrastructure and services', among others.

Before the current difficult financial situation, the rehabilitation of window appears as the most viable option to offset the decline in the construction of new building. For this reason, Asefave, Spanish Association of manufacturers of Windows and facades light aims to boost the 'plans Renove' window in all the autonomous communities and organizes this technical workshop in the framework of the Construmat Hall, Friday, April 24.

In this Conference meets in the same table to all the agents involved in the start-up, development and implementation of these plans: the Administration, which marks the lines of savings and efficiency energy and, in turn, defines global actions for the rehabilitation of buildings and neighborhoods; the experience of a regional agency of energy which has already developed a specific 'Plan Renove' window, with the pros and cons that have been found in its implementation in action; and finally the user and the information it receives on these energy saving plans, how can access to them and their level of satisfaction if he has participated.