{"id":57436,"date":"2026-09-29T16:07:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/?p=57436"},"modified":"2026-09-29T16:07:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:07:55","slug":"galicia-construye-sostenible-keys-to-designing-the-future-of-construction-in-galicia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/news\/galicia-construye-sostenible-keys-to-designing-the-future-of-construction-in-galicia\/","title":{"rendered":"Galicia Construye Sostenible: keys to designing the future of construction in Galicia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sustainability is no longer a trend in the construction sector: it is a necessity. With this in mind, the first edition of <strong>Galicia Construye Sostenible<\/strong> was held in Santiago de Compostela. The forum was organized by <strong>Ecoforest<\/strong> in collaboration with <strong>Fundaci\u00f3n RIA, Arrokabe Arquitectos<\/strong> and <strong>FINSA<\/strong> to foster dialogue among architecture, industry, energy and spatial planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event, held at Fundaci\u00f3n RIA\u2019s headquarters, brought together industry professionals to consider how to design buildings and places that are more efficient, resilient and prepared for the environmental and social challenges of the coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A shared vision: sustainability requires collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the main messages to emerge from the event was the <strong>need for everyone involved in the construction process to work together<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Architects, engineering firms, manufacturers, forest managers and public authorities<\/strong>, along with <strong>developers, <\/strong>share responsibility for advancing <strong>more sustainable approaches<\/strong>. This collaboration is not always easy, however. Participants agreed that it requires empathy, an ability to engage in dialogue and a willingness to put shared goals ahead of individual interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also emphasized the importance of taking a <strong>long-term view<\/strong>: moving beyond the aim of reducing upfront costs and investing instead in <strong>more efficient and durable building<\/strong>s, avoiding what some participants described as <strong>\u201cbuilding cheaply only to pay dearly to live there.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9025cf-b5\"><strong>Ecoforest: maximum comfort with minimum energy consumption<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Iago Bastos<\/strong>, head of the heat pump division at <strong>Ecoforest<\/strong>, discussed the <strong>role of renewable energy in decarbonizing buildings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his presentation, he stressed the need to assess the <strong>energy, economic and environmental performance of buildings<\/strong> throughout their life cycle. From this perspective, higher upfront investments in efficient technologies can pay for themselves in just six or seven years through the resulting energy savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bastos advocated the <strong>early integration of systems such as heat pumps into the<\/strong> architectural <strong>design process,<\/strong> allowing the technology to form part of a project from the outset rather than being added at the end of construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia Construye Sostenible | Iago Bastos | Ecoforest\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WR-EQYnno98?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_9a9410-1e\"><strong>Arrokabe Arquitectos: building to last<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The architectural perspective came from <strong>Iv\u00e1n Andr\u00e9s Quintela<\/strong>, co-founder of <strong>Arrokabe Arquitectos<\/strong>, who championed<strong> architecture capable of meeting environmental, cultural and social criteria at the same time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His presentation focused on <strong>renovation, timber architecture and the design of buildings<\/strong> that can remain fit for purpose for decades. Looking beyond energy efficiency, Quintela raised important questions for the sector: <strong>can we speak of sustainability without local solutions?<\/strong> How can the <strong>use of locally sourced materials<\/strong> be balanced with requirements for durability and performance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia Construye Sostenible | Iv\u00e1n Andr\u00e9s Quintela | Arrokabe Arquitectos\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ahr8EhaeuMs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FINSA: sustainable construction starts in the forest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Emma Romero<\/strong>, head of Construction Solutions at <strong>FINSA<\/strong>, turned the conversation to where materials come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her presentation highlighted how <strong>sustainable forest management <\/strong>is <strong>essential to the development of more responsible construction practices<\/strong>. As she explained, building with wood not only reduces the environmental impact of buildings but also helps preserve the <strong>economic and environmental value of Galicia\u2019s forests<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company presented examples of the <strong>circular economy<\/strong> in both forest management and <strong>industrial processes<\/strong>, including initiatives to reuse materials and make the most of available resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also emphasized the <strong>importance of bringing technical knowledge of wood<\/strong> into the earliest stages of architectural projects to optimize its use and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia Construye Sostenible | Emma Romero | FINSA\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MlwtryI7iSM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fundaci\u00f3n RIA: understanding a place before intervening<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Architect <strong>Luc\u00eda Escrigas<\/strong> of <strong>Fundaci\u00f3n RIA<\/strong> offered a perspective centered on <strong>spatial planning and the analysis needed before <\/strong>any architectural intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using the model village of <strong>Muimenta<\/strong> as an example, she explained how understanding the <strong>social, cultural and spatial dimensions<\/strong> of a place makes it possible to design strategies that go beyond constructing buildings. The project includes <strong>initiatives involving public space, housing, community facilities and social engagement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia construye Sostenible | Luc\u00eda Escrigas | Fundaci\u00f3n RIA\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3N0zD1SWz0s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The experience shows that architecture can become a <strong>tool for strengthening communities and reinforcing<\/strong> the relationship <strong>between people and the landscape.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia Construye Sostenible | Manuel Rodr\u00edguez | Fundaci\u00f3n RIA\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZvSQwv8q1Mk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The challenges facing sustainable construction in Galicia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion among the speakers brought several shared challenges for the sector\u2019s future to light:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promoting <strong>greater coordination among everyone involved<\/strong> in construction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Designing for the long term<\/strong> and considering the entire life cycle of buildings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integrating<\/strong> energy, materials and architecture into projects <strong>from the outset<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening the role of public authorities in creating <strong>regulatory frameworks that support sustainability.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investing in solutions suited to the local context<\/strong> without sacrificing innovation or technical performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading55368_51a115-7d\"><strong>A dialogue that will continue in November<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This first edition of Galicia Construye Sostenible has opened a space for reflection on the future of architecture and construction in Galicia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sustainability, the participants concluded, does not depend solely on new technologies or materials. It also depends on the <strong>ability to connect knowledge, planning and collaboration<\/strong> to create <strong>buildings and places that are more efficient, livable and prepared<\/strong> for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"p-rc_eb01e3bcdf30aec3-32\">The series will continue <strong>next November, in 2026<\/strong>, with another event exploring the challenges and opportunities of sustainable construction in Galicia in greater depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"p-rc_eb01e3bcdf30aec3-32\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Galicia Construye Sostenible | As\u00ed fue el evento de Ecoforest\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/483Mngx-jzw?start=8&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sustainability is no longer a trend in the construction sector: it is a necessity. With this in mind, the first edition of Galicia Construye Sostenible was held in Santiago de Compostela. The forum was organized by Ecoforest in collaboration with Fundaci\u00f3n RIA, Arrokabe Arquitectos and FINSA to foster dialogue among architecture, industry, energy and spatial [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":54942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,68,89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-source-heat-pumps","category-news","category-ground-source-heat-pumps"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/galicia_construye_sostenible_ecoforest.jpg",768,405,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Mercedes Fernandez","author_link":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/author\/mercedesfernandez\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":83,"name":"Air-source heat pump","slug":"air-source-heat-pumps","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":83,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":114,"count":41,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":83,"category_count":41,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Air-source heat pump","category_nicename":"air-source-heat-pumps","category_parent":114},{"term_id":68,"name":"Blog","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":68,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":231,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":68,"category_count":231,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Blog","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":89,"name":"Geothermal","slug":"ground-source-heat-pumps","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":89,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":114,"count":26,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":89,"category_count":26,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Geothermal","category_nicename":"ground-source-heat-pumps","category_parent":114}],"tag_info":false,"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":83,"label":"Air-source heat pump"},{"value":68,"label":"Blog"},{"value":89,"label":"Geothermal"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57437,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57436\/revisions\/57437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecoforest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}