21
A sustainable Contract business start with
the materials
César Ruiz-Larrea, founder of the architecture firm of the same name, reflects on the
need to introduce the concept of sustainability into the Contract sector business, through
the correct choice of materials.
In few areas of architecture has a greater
degree of industrialization been achieved
than in the Contract business. Offices,
shops and hotels have been an open door
to large-scale operations, where the efficiency
maxim has, on many occasions, been
a factor in play against sustainability. In
tune with the times we live, we believe that
it is time to take a more holistic vision in this
field, where other criteria, mainly ecological
ones, also prevail.
Wood, sustainable material par excellence
One of the noblest materials that has always
been present in architecture is wood, with its
long relationship still on the rise in our civilization.
Today it is still available for use in all
areas, including understanding the material
not only for use in the Contract business but
also as a structural and industrialized element.
We cannot forget that it is produced
by the most efficient factory on earth: the forests,
which discharge oxygen into the air and
whose leaves capture CO2, mitigating greenhouse
emissions, balancing and helping our
survival as a species.
The physical and mechanical characteristics of
wood make it the best material for a large
number of uses such as: furniture manufacturing,
insulation or carpentry; and in parallel, it
acts as a carbon store for the entire life of the
product. But for the system to work, it is ne-
Oficinas Bioclimaticas en Valencia, España / Bioclimatic Offices in Valencia, Spain