The ceremony was presided over by Her Honour the Vice-Chancellor Adelaida de la Calle, the manager of ETSA José Ramón Moreno, and the South Cement commercial manager Juan Cobalea, who together with Javier Pérez de la Fuente, professor of Construction and director of the Chair, laid out the goals set for this new addition and the RDI activities planned to promote training and research in new uses for cement applied to architecture.

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The School of Architecture of Málaga University and FYM presented yesterday evening their Construction Materials Innovation Chair in a ceremony held in the Contemporary Art Museum’s conference hall and which was attended by the vice-chancellor Adelaida de la Calle and ETSA’s manager José Ramón Moreno. FYM was represented by the South area commercial manager Juan Cobalea, who sat at the inauguration table and pointed out that this chair follows from our company’s commitment to promote a closer relationship between industry and university by training, researching and promoting new materials in construction. On the other hand, the professor of Construction and director of the Chair Javier Pérez de la Fuente laid out the planned objectives and the programme he wants to follow.

The ceremony closed with a conference by professor Felipe Pich Aguilera on “Architecture and the Environment. A voyage through reality.” The vice-chancellor had previously spoken of the Chair “as a clear and tangible example of the possibilities which arise with the lines of cooperation between Universities and companies.” “The teachings given are very focused on conducting significant research in the field of new materials, with a direct impact on the sustainability of construction models.” Adelaida de la Calle finished by saying that “It can become an example of the possibility of transforming society through innovation.”

The Chair, a crossroads for innovation

This university course includes an optional subject called “New Materials. Technical basics in an architectural project”, which 46 students of the second cycle of Architecture have chosen for this year. This subject aims to become a crossroads for knowledge exchange among students and a very practical training course which reinforces and builds upon their knowledge of new materials and their applications.

The chair’s main goal is to train students, in order to make easier both their job placement and their possible research activities, either in the public or the private sector. To achieve these goals, it has planned various actions in addition to the aforementioned specific subject.
 
Among these activities, a special mention goes to the annual call for ideas contest which will reward the viability and originality of proposals to use new materials in the field of architecture, an annual visit to the material manufacturing premises or buildings deemed to be singular, the organisation of at least two conferences by industry architects and professionals and many publications to spread the training actions carried out, and a market study on the knowledge and use of the material which is the focus of the chair.