This month we had the great opportunity to receive two groups of students from the Technology and ICT department of the Balearic Classroom in Talat: They gave us a great presentation on their projects on construction and sustainability, one of them, winner of the competition for the UIB "Engineering in building: Building with engineering"..
This contest proposes the development of a sustainable construction project, which aims to promote sensitivity and respect for the environment, as well as to understand the fundamental elements and procedures of research and scientific methods while discovering and learning to value the contribution of science and technology.
The two groups had to give their sustainable solution to a construction focusing on the points of:
- Location and site of the building.
- Influence of site climate on building energy demand.
- Thermal and acoustic insulation solutions, as well as air conditioning and ventilation solutions for the building.
- Construction materials and their environmental impact.
- Exterior carpentry.
- Water management, electric, wind, and other natural resources supply act.
- Use of renewable energies.
- Other aspects related to sustainable building.
The involvement and level of the work has surprised us a lot. We have been able to see a level of maturity in terms of analysis and problem solving skills, as well as a lot of enthusiasm, involvement and team coordination.
During the morning they were advised by a panel of experts, including engineers and technical architects, from our Team Talat: Our colleagues Miguel Ángel Calviño (engineering department), Antonio Remesal and Héctor Montilla (department of Project Management) have reviewed their work and helped them to prepare for future exhibitions and to be more than ready to answer any questions that may come their way.
The proposals have been very successful, with room for improvement in some areas that have had the opportunity to reflect carefully, such as water management and the materials chosen. One of Talat's proposals was to replace the use of wool as a thermal insulator with cork, the production of which is very abundant in Spain.
The proposals have been very successful and innovative, proving that, if you let your imagination flow, you can come up with solutions that can revolutionize an entire sector.
They also had the opportunity to discuss practical aspects of their proposals and how to carry them out, from the implementation of the proposed construction materials, their alternatives, execution times and costs.
One of the groups is already counting on the next stage: taking their project to a national competition.
Good luck!
Here is a summary of the day: