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¿Cómo deben ser las instalaciones para un edificio de uso polivalente que será utilizado por miles de personas simultáneamente? Comencemos por la lógica (arquitectónica): Un espacio de estas características ha de permitir el movimiento de las personas y el desarrollo de sus actividades con libertad, sin que las servidumbres de las (numerosas y voluminosas) instalaciones supongan un problema. Las instalaciones han de ser fácilmente accesibles para gestionar su mantenimiento.

The authors of the article work on the integration of thermoelectricity in facades since 2009. The purpose of this article is to review the possibilities that this technology offers for its incorporation as a building air conditioning system, focusing on the description and analysis of the behaviour of the last prototype made within a research project. For this, the design criteria and the necessary components for its assembly are described, in this aspect the reduction of the thermal bridge with respect to previous prototypes has been especially important. The experimental methodology followed, and the tests performed are explained, critically analysing the results. The conclusions raise improvements and recommendations to implement in future developments. © 2021 CSIC. Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de la licencia de uso y distribución Creative Commons Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0). Los autores del artículo trabajan en la integración de la termoelectricidad en fachadas desde el año 2009. El objeto de este artículo es revisar las posibilidades que esta tecnología ofrece para su incorporación como sistema de climatización de edificios, centrándose en la descripción y análisis del comportamiento del último prototipo realizado dentro de un proyecto de investigación. Para ello, se describen los criterios de diseño y los componentes necesarios para su montaje, aspectos en los que ha tenido especial importancia la reducción del puente térmico respecto a prototipos anteriores. Se explica la metodología experimental seguida, los ensayos realizados, y se analizan críticamente los resultados. Las conclusiones plantean mejoras y recomendaciones para implementar en futuros desarrollos.

En un periodo marcado por la escasez y las dificultades económicas, se apostó en España por la realización de un gran plan sanitario que afectaría a toda geografía española, llamado el Plan de Instalaciones Sanitarias. Promovido por el propio Gobierno de la época, se propuso la construcción de una red sanitaria fundamentada en la construcción de hospitales y ambulatorios, a imagen y semejanza de la modernidad de los edificios americanos. Se construyeron más de un centenar de grandes complejos hospitalarios de forma rápida, pero a la vez insuficiente. En menos de una década, una treintena de nuevos hospitales y ambulatorios formaban parte del conjunto urbano de las ciudades españolas. El desarrollo del plan duró cuatro décadas, el cual estuvo marcado por la inestabilidad en la ejecución de los proyectos, y por el esfuerzo técnico, económico y político que conllevó. In a period marked by scarcity and economic difficulties, Spain opted for the realization of a large health plan that would affect every Spanish geography, called the Health Facilities Plan. Promoted by the Government of the time, the construction of a health network based on the construction of hospitals and clinics was proposed, in the image and likeness of the modernity of American buildings. More than a hundred large hospital complexes were built quickly, but at the same time was insufficient. In less than a decade, about thirty new hospitals and clinics were already part of the urban complex of Spanish cities. The development of the plan lasted four decades, which was marked by instability in the execution of the projects, and by the technical, economic and political effort involved.

Las instalaciones y sistemas energéticos en edificios y urbanismo se refieren en la Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Navarra a las materias protección contra incendios, gestión del agua (entrada y salida), electricidad, redes de voz y datos, acondicionamiento higrotérmico, gestión de residuos, comunicaciones verticales, integración de energías renovables y todos aquellos sistemas que requieren edificios especiales como hospitales, cocinas industriales o centros de distribución por citar solo algunos ejemplos. Como puede comprobarse, se trata de una materia extensa, heterogénea, cambiante y dependiente de la realidad de las soluciones comerciales de innumerables fabricantes nacionales y extranjeros. A todo ello se suma la necesidad de transmitir los contenidos asociados a diferentes normativas y reglamentaciones, tanto nacionales como internacionales. Es en este contexto donde cobra sentido la generación de herramientas docentes alternativas que faciliten la comprensión del alumno de arquitectura estas cuestiones, ya sean mejorando la interacción profesor-alumno (armarios de prácticas), generando herramientas de transmisión audiovisuales (iBook) o con prototipos conceptuales (módulos Peltier). El objetivo de esta comunicación es dar a conocer varias de esas herramientas, convertidas en Proyectos de Innovación Docente (PID) relativos a las materias de protección contra incendios, electricidad, acondicionamiento higrotérmico y diseño de instalaciones, aplicados a las asignaturas de Instalaciones II (3 Grado de Estudios en Arquitectura) y Diseño de Instalaciones I y II (5 GEA).

Leather industry is an example of circular economy, using meat industry wastes (hides and skins) as raw materials. However, it also produces a big amount of organic waste in the process of tanning. This paper presents an experimental study of several proposals to reuse the weekly tons of left-overs (both shavings and hair) issued by a tannery, as new resources, instead of taking them to an external composting plant or to the landfill. Three different types of solid wastes (chromium and vegetable tanned shavings, and discarded hair) have been characterized and analysed to obtain biomass and acoustic panels for building industry. The calorific values of the discarded hair and the shavings have been analysed both in wet and dried samples. After testing the samples according to the Spanish Norm UNE-EN 141918:2011, the results showed that the calorific value obtained from the dried hair is higher than the standard values considered for general biomass, forestry biomass or even wood pellet. Thus, bearing in mind that the plant already has installed a cogeneration system, the daily discarded hair obtained in this tannery, after the processing of drying, would cover completely the gas consumption coming from the boiler installed for the heating demand of the industrial plant, and part of the consumption from the gas engines. The wet hair gives no interesting results. The second approach to the waste has been to look for new products in building sector. After obtaining the granulometry of both chromium and chromium-free leather shavings, different tests were done with different additives: gypsum, glue, cement, cement plus latex, resin, cement plus sand and latex resin. The mechanic tests showed no interesting results in terms of resistance to flexion or compression in gypsum composites. However, the results in terms of acoustic absorption are good, giving similar data as agglomerate cork or some carpets. The outcomes of the experimental research have been promising, as they open several paths to get the maximum use of leather solid waste.

La estructura tiende a pasar desapercibida, encontrándose debajo de los suelos, detrás de las paredes, pero posee la capacidad de liberar o coartar al proyecto arquitectónico. El desarrollo del hormigón armado supuso un cambio fundamental en el desarrollo de nuevas estructuras, generando nuevas tipologías arquitectónicas y aportando flexibilidad a las nuevas construcciones del siglo XX. La tipología hospitalaria de este siglo es modelo a la hora de demostrar la importancia que tiene la estructura dentro del proyecto arquitectónico. Se trata de un tipo arquitectónico que alberga en su interior una gran diversidad de actividades, y donde el desarrollo técnico juega un papel determinante. Es por ello, que la estructura aparece en algunos ejemplos como en el caso del Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid, desarrollado por Eduardo Torroja y Manuel Sánchez Arcas, como generadora de un ritmo continuo, de una base, donde encajar la variabilidad de los espacios y dar origen a un edificio multidisciplinar capaz de transformarse y permanecer a lo largo del tiempo. Así, el objeto de estudio de este artículo es relatar justificadamente como esta estructura ha permitido el uso continuado a lo largo de más de 80 años de este edificio, a pesar de los cambios permanentes que requiere una construcción de estas características. The structure tends to go unnoticed, being found under the floors, behind the walls, but it has the capacity to release or restrict the architectural project. The development of reinforced concrete was a fundamental change in the development of new structures, generating new architectural typologies and providing flexibility to the new constructions of the 20th century. The hospital typology of this century is a model when it comes to demonstrating the importance of the structure within the architectural project. It is an architectural type that hold inside them a wide variety of activities, and where the technical development plays a decisive role. Therefore, the structure appears in some examples as in the case of the San Carlos Clinical Hospital of Madrid, designed by Eduardo Torroja and Manuel Sánchez Arcas, as generator of a continuous rhythm, of a base, where to fit the variability of the spaces and give rise to a multidisciplinary building capable of transforming and remaining over time. Thus, the object of study of this article is to explain justifiably how this structure has allowed the continued use over more than 80 years of this building, despite the permanent changes required by a construction of these characteristics.

In order to fulfil the current challenges for the European building sector, building design has diverged into two alternative directions: active technologies and passive design strategies. In the last few years, advanced and responsive building envelope components have represented a promising answer to these challenges. This paper presents the design and construction process of a project that aims to design, build and control the energy performance of an industrial-scale modular active ventilated facade prototype with a new Themoelectric Peltier System (TPS). The TPS is a thermoelectric HVAC heat pump system designed to be located in the building envelope and providing a high comfort level. Trying to optimize the energy performance of the traditional ventilated opaque facade, and make more efficient the energy performance of the TPS, the concept of adaptability has been applied to ventilated opaque facades. The essential research theme is to control the natural phenomena that take place inside the ventilated air cavity of the facade: taking advantage when heat dissipation is needed, and avoiding it when heat losses are not welcome. In order to quantify the previous statements, some facade prototypes are being built in Pamplona (Spain) and their energy performance is going to be analyzed during a year., Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015): Special issue ICAE2015

La tecnología ha cambiado la forma de ‘hacer sociedad’ en este vertiginoso inicio de siglo XXI. Pero los cambios tecnológicos no se refieren solo al abrumador avance de las telecomunicaciones, sino a muchos a otros cambios que influyen en la cotidianidad de la sociedad. Así, esta comunicación utiliza como hilo argumental el planteamiento de diferentes preguntas referidas a la evolución de los distintos servicios e instalaciones que requieren los edificios y la ciudad, junto con las previsibles soluciones de lo que podrá proporcionar la industria y exigirá la normativa, planteando en su parte final cómo este conjunto de hipótesis podrá influir en el devenir de la sociedad y, por ende, de la familia. En este sentido, dado el tono y objetivos de esta Jornada Interdisciplinar (más divulgativo que académico), el planteamiento de las preguntas así formuladas pretende servir de detonante intelectual a profesionales de diversas áreas, y no tanto dar respuestas cerradas de una evolución tecnológica que deparará sorpresas inimaginables en las próximas décadas. Desde este planteamiento, las líneas que siguen suponen una simplificación de la realidad y de los problemas de futuro a los que se enfrentarán ingenieros, arquitectos y técnicos de la edificación y el urbanismo. Sin embargo, no son éstos los destinatarios principales de su lectura, de hecho, son todos aquellos habitualmente alejados de estas áreas, pero que requieren entender estas cuestiones para tener datos adicionales con los que enfrentarse a los retos del futuro de sus respectivas áreas.

In Spain, the architectural development of the fifties, is included within the second stage of autarky in the country favoured by US aid, loans from European banks for the purchase of goods, and the beginning of tourism expansion and improvement of external relations. In this context, the Basilica of Arantzazu was completed in 1954, a real turning point in the Spanish architectural historiography of the 20th century. Part of the archived documentation on this project has not been published yet, and will be showed for the first time in the paper of Congress, because it is interesting for the light it sheds on the construction process (real architecture, beyond considerations of architectural theory) of the Basilica of Arantzazu.

In a recent work Phys. Rev. E 91, 022808 (2015)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.91.022808] it was reported that placing an obstacle in front of a gate has a beneficial effect in the flow of sheep through it. Here, we extend such results by implementing three different obstacle positions. We have observed that the flow is improved in two cases, while it worsens in the other one; the last instance happens when the obstacle is too close to the door. In this situation, the outcomes suggest that clogging develops between the doorjamb and the obstacle, contrary to the cases when the obstacle is farther, in which case clogging always occurs at the very door. The effectiveness of the obstacle (a strategy put forward to alleviate clogging in emergency exits) is therefore quite sensitive to its location. In addition, the study of the temporal evolution of the flow rate as the test develops makes evident a steady behavior during the entire duration of the entrance. This result is at odds with recent findings in human evacuation tests where the flow rate varies over time, therefore challenging the fairness of straightforward comparisons between pedestrian behavior and animal experimental observations.

La ocupación real en los edificios es objeto de estudio en diversos campos de investigación entre los que se encuentra la disminución de la demanda energética. En este marco se sitúa el proyecto europeo Adapt4ee - Occupant Aware, Intelligent and Adaptive Enterprises el cual, mediante la integración de los datos de la arquitectura (BIM) y los modelos de proceso de negocio (BPM), ha desarrollado una herramienta de simulación capaz de relacionar el comportamiento energético del edificio con los procesos de negocio, teniendo en cuenta la conducta de los ocupantes. Los actuales softwares de simulación energética consideran la ocupación de los edificios mediante la aplicación de plantillas prediseñadas para diferentes usos de edificios. Sin embargo, el equipo de ingenieros informáticos y arquitectos del proyecto han implementado una serie de perfiles de uso más próximos al comportamiento humano real. Con estos antecedentes, desde el proyecto Adapt4ee se ha analizado y evaluado el comportamiento en tiempo real de los ocupantes en relación con los consumos eléctricos y térmicos, mediante la monitorización de dos edificios en uso. Esta ponencia, por tanto, mostrará los resultados referentes a la ocupación extraídos de simulaciones, del estudio del proceso de negocio y de los datos reales obtenidos.

La herramienta informática desarrollada en el proyecto de investigación de la Unión Europa Adapt4EE está enfocada a arquitectos e ingenieros implicados en el proceso de diseño y uso de energía en edificios. Es por ello que se plantea desde el inicio el testado de la herramienta por parte de futuros usuarios, en este caso estudiantes de último curso de arquitectura e ingeniería, para obtener así de primera mano su análisis y valoración. Esta ponencia trata de mostrar el proceso de evaluación llevado a cabo por parte del equipo de Adapt4EE para testar el software final del proyecto a través del Workshop International Seminar in Building Energy Performance realizado durante el año 2014. De este modo, se aportan datos que avalan la importancia de la introducción de este tipo de herramientas de integración entre investigación y empresas en los modelos educativos universitarios.

IFireSS – International Fire Safety Symposium Coimbra, Portugal, 20th-23rd April 2015

El rendimiento estacional de una caldera relaciona la energía aprovechada en una máquina durante un periodo determinado de funcionamiento, y la energía total consumida por la máquina durante el mismo periodo. Este concepto, frente al de considerar solo el rendimiento puntual de la caldera, está llamado ha ocupar un lugar principal en el futuro de la clasificación energética de estos equipos. Desde este planteamiento, la mejora del rendimiento global del uso de las calderas puede lograrse con un avance tan ‘sencillo’ como el de tener una lógica y mayor modulación de la potencia entregada por la caldera, de forma que se pueda ajustar la generación de energía a la demanda de cada momento y que, de esta manera, se reduzcan al máximo los ciclos de encendidos y apagados tan frecuentes en calderas con poca modulación, logrando así un menor desperdicio de energía. Contribuir a extender el empleo de esta tecnología aportando una serie de consideraciones teóricas y normativas es el objeto de este artículo.

Los edificios pueden entenderse como una clase especial de máquina que, en términos de acondicionamiento higrotérmico, se encienden y se apagan, manteniendo una temperatura estable en relación a las actividades que albergan en su interior, en una estrategia similar a la que ofrecen los animales de 'sangre caliente'. Existen numerosas estrategias pasivas en la arquitectura que permiten un control efectivo de los condicionantes interiores de los edificios dentro de los niveles de habitabilidad humana. Del mismo modo, el mundo animal posee diversos métodos de control térmico activo como el atún con su sistema rete mirabile, las abejas controlando la temperatura de la colmena o el gusano de seda regulando la temperatura y controlando los gases dentro de su crisálida. El proyecto que se describe explora nuevas estrategias de diseño de los sistemas energéticos y de instalaciones de los edificios, a partir del análisis crítico de los sistemas metabólicos de los denominados animales de 'sangre fría'. Se plantea, por tanto, una reevaluación del paradigma establecido en la metodología de concepción de los sistemas energéticos e instalaciones en los edificios, con una visión aproximativa desde otra área del saber.

We present an experimental study of a flock passing through a narrow door. Video monitoring of daily routines in a farm has enabled us to collect a sizable amount of data. By measuring the time lapse between the passage of consecutive animals, some features of the flow regime can be assessed. A quantitative definition of clogging is demonstrated based on the passage time statistics. These display broad tails, which can be fitted by power laws with a relatively large exponent. On the other hand, the distribution of burst sizes robustly evidences exponential behavior. Finally, borrowing concepts from granular physics and statistical mechanics, we evaluate the effect of increasing the door size and the performance of an obstacle placed in front of it. The success of these techniques opens new possibilities regarding their eventual extension to the management of human crowds.

The “faster-is-slower” (FIS) effect was first predicted by computer simulations of the egress of pedestrians through a narrow exit [D. Helbing, I. J. Farkas, and T. Vicsek, Nature (London) 407, 487 (2000)]. FIS refers to the finding that, under certain conditions, an excess of the individuals’ vigor in the attempt to exit causes a decrease in the flow rate. In general, this effect is identified by the appearance of a minimum when plotting the total evacuation time of a crowd as a function of the pedestrian desired velocity. Here, we experimentally show that the FIS effect indeed occurs in three different systems of discrete particles flowing through a constriction: (a) humans evacuating a room, (b) a herd of sheep entering a barn, and (c) grains flowing out a 2D hopper over a vibrated incline. This finding suggests that FIS is a universal phenomenon for active matter passing through a narrowing.

El objetivo de esta tesis doctoral es reflexionar acerca del papel de las instalaciones de aire acondicionado en el diseño arquitectónico, así como analizar cuál ha sido su protagonismo en la génesis de la propia arquitectura por las servidumbres que generan. En la tesis se pretende demostrar como los edificios que han sido referencias arquitectónicas en el pasado siglo XX español, también han sido sobresalientes en la forma de integrar las instalaciones de aire acondicionado en los edificios, y se reflexionará acerca de si esa actitud es necesaria al plantearse conseguir nuevos modelos de arquitectura. Se analizarán las instalaciones de aire acondicionado de algunos de los edificios más significativos de la historia arquitectónica española del siglo XX en los que estas instalaciones han tenido un papel protagonista, y a partir de dicho análisis se extraerán conclusiones sobre cómo se han diseñado y ejecutado esas instalaciones en relación con el proyecto arquitectónico, de modo que las conclusiones sirvan para la actividad profesional de la arquitectura actual.

The constructed architecture and exhibitions inside the pavilions erected at international exhibitions are logical and necessary starting points for studying the design process that lead from the program to its implementation. The analysis of these elements, though indispensable for the study of a set of cases, usually focuses on the final stage, or at least in a theoretical outline focused on the architectural conception of the ‘idea’. Obviously the reality is much more complex, so it becomes indispensable to obtain a holistic view of what was happening in twentieth-century Spanish architecture, by incorporating actions and agents that enhance the knowledge of what happened. In the present case, the Spanish Pavilion at New York, designed by Javier Carvajal, what is of interest is that it had to be built 'over there', taking into account the high quality requirements imposed by US regulations, with Spanish means and engineers from 'over here'. If that 'there/here' distance had been excessive, the execution of the project would had suffered, and resulted in something different. But Javier Carvajal was lucky enough to have a brilliant Spanish engineering team, who also had ample experience of working in USA military bases in Spain, so their knowledge of techniques and technologies was the same as what could be found on the other side of the Atlantic. From the architectural point of view, all this tells an exciting story of how a Spanish architect and some engineers were able to design, calculate and execute a project carried out in the United States, and maintain the levels of aesthetic and technical quality as planned in their Madrid workshops. In other words, it is a truly international project since the physical and intellectual boundaries did not cause any problems, obstacles or constraints, because the engineers involved were perfect connoisseurs of energy systems and the most advanced building services of the moment. These systems provide the basic storyline for this text, but they must not hide the brilliance of the intellectual attitude towards joint work which permitted the architect and engineers to come up with a remarkable solution.

La protección contra incendios es una materia de conocimiento multidisciplinar y transversal que afecta al conjunto del edificio y de su proceso proyectual: disposición del programa, estructuras, construcción... Un texto aproximativo como este, corre el riesgo de ser demasiado generalista o de centrarse solo en algunos de los detalles, olvidando otros. En todo caso, ha de buscarse la consecución de tres objetivos: Seguridad de personas, protección de bienes, y continuidad, a ser posible, de las actividades.

El proyecto europeo Adapt4EE descrito en la ponencia, tiene como objetivo desarrollar y validar un marco de evaluación de la eficiencia energética integral que incorpore los metadatos de arquitectura (BIM), los procesos críticos de negocio (BPM), los consecuentes patrones de comportamiento de los ocupantes, los activos y las respectivas operaciones de la empresa, así como las condiciones ambientales generales. El proyecto demuestra como un sistema para la simulación en la edificación que incluya datos sobre el comportamiento de la actividad de los ocupantes como miembros de una estructura empresarial, puede mejorar significativamente el rendimiento de las herramientas de simulación. Se exponen aquí algunos de los principales resultados que se están obteniendo a partir de los edificios piloto.

The aim of this innovative educational project is to encourage students’ interest in one of the most underrated fields of architecture: building services. With this material students interact with real elements and thereby understand the relationship between facilities and the building. A set of three small technical cabinets is planned. They allow for comfortable use and movement inside the building, need minimum maintenance and are easily stored. The result is an alternative concept of a mobile laboratory called a ‘technical cabinet’, made up of three mobile units for fire safety, electricity and the heating/cooling system. The design, content and learning systems of the cabinets confirmed the validity of the initial concept during the first year of use. A protocol has also been developed for each of the technical cabinets so that the teaching experience may be of use in other Schools of Architecture.

Fire protection is a main parameter in the design of buildings, although it is often neglected in the Schools of Architecture because is being considered an “engineering thing”. In Spain, the education system provides a minimum dedication for this matter, but in the case that will be presented in the paper, it has been taken to a higher level. This is because fire protection is provided in three courses as we described in the article. This article will show the teaching itinerary in Architecture Studies Degrees explaining the dynamics of each of the three courses in which students are trained in fire protection, illustrated with real examples of work from the students themselves. We anticipate here that in the first year, students learn the theory, its impact on the Project; in the second year of learning, they relate it to the project at hand; and in the third, this time independently, consolidate learning in a complex project that takes place over two semesters. This teaching experience includes also the description from developing apps for smartphones, to the students practices of fire protection in the Laboratory. Far away from the opportunity of research and specialization that Fire Safety provides for future architects and construction engineers, it must be taken into account that Fire Safety it is not a limitation, Fire Safety becomes more real the architectural project.

The mission: – Adapt4EE aims at augmenting the contemporary architectural envelope by incorporating business and occupancy related information to the early construction products. – Provides a holistic approach to the design and evaluation of the energy performance of construction products at an early stage and prior to their realization.

This paper describes the process followed for the creation of four applications for iPhone/iPad devices, which have produced an unusual R&D and are applicable to professional practice. This process is born on two, apparently unconnected points: 1. University teaching, research and the professional practice of architecture should not be unconnected activities, but the complex reality of the world of construction means that they are seen as separate. 2. It is obvious that many technological tools such as PC tablets, smartphones... are being used by the general public in their everyday lives [1]. These are the first apps developed by the School of Architecture, where the formal and aesthetic requirements are of great importance, so the concept of a collection of apps also had to be resolved in these first apps. Hence, the seemingly simple user interface was complex to design, as it had to be the basis for future apps (yet to be designed at the time), either by the School of Architecture or other Faculties in the University.

The team researchers have been investigating on alternative ways for buildings to waste less energy. The result is the consecution of a new facade system with Peltier cells, that is to say, a new system of air conditioning that works both as a machine as a facade. That means the application in the field of construction of a technology that is already in use in other areas, fundamentally the military and aerospace. The new system has to be a prefabricated element that perfectly fix between the slabs. The result of all these ideas is the construction of a prefabricated module, consisting of a simplified inhabited housing unit with a thermoelectric installation that provides service to this module. The prototype has been monitored during one year. The University of Navarra has got the national patent for a “prefabricated and decentralized facade module for the climate control of inhabited spaces”. Moreover, the Thermoelectric Conditioning System (TCS) is designed to reach a high comfort level for people living in the local. Without mechanical parts like pumps or compressors, there is no necessity for maintenance, reducing the possibilities of failure. The only mechanical elements are the dissipation heat fans placed in the external face of the prototype. There are also some heat sinks to evacuate the heat from the power elements. The next step is improving the system as a facade, paying special attention to carry out the legal façade envelope’s requirements, such us, noise level, thermal transmittance, hydrothermal condition or behavior against fire. At the same time, it is going to be design a facade solution that tries to take advantage of inside and outside conditions in order to achieve the desire inside comfort conditions. Furthermore, the module is going to integrate photovoltaic panels to achieve a total autonomy system, which does not need to be connected to the traditional electrical network.

The influence of urban infrastructures in city planning is obvious. However, among all types of systems, those that are destined to supply thermal energy to the cities, there is no tradition in design and development in Spain, contrary to what happens in the United States or in other countries in Europe. From a technical point of view, these systems present a proven effectiveness in countries with more than one hundred years of experience using these infrastructures. They have an efficiency of up to forty per cent higher compared to other isolated systems of energy production, implicating better fuel management with a consequent reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Regarding the social implications, they present great advantages such as lower maintenance costs, avoid the problems of heat outage, or risks of individual explosions or accidents. But above everything, they improve the urban air quality in many towns, since local boilers and high chimneys are replaced for single heat generation plants. So, why this type of infrastructures has not had in Spain the same development as in other countries if the benefits seem clear as mentioned above?

This paper describes the processes followed for the creation of a fire safety application for iPhone/iPad devices, which, for educational reasons, has produced R&D and is applicable to professional practice, and is based on two, apparently unconnected points: 1. University teaching, research and the professional practice of architecture should not be unconnected activities, but the complex reality of the world of construction means that they are seen as separate. / 2. It is obvious that many technological tools such as PC tablets, smartphones… are being used by the general public in their everyday lives. With these precedents, the aim of the project was to create a software program so that a student, lecturer or professional architect could, at any time or any place, use the tool to calculate the main fire safety parameters for a residential building (number of sectors, occupation, structure resistance and dimensions of the evacuation routes) obtaining a result which, beyond regional or national regulations, assesses the appropriateness of the proposal. Thus, based on the Spanish norms, and with reference to the Performance Based Design so as to be applicable to any project, we have a simple software program which returns the mentioned parameters with the input of only six pieces of data on the building.

El arquitecto es el técnico responsable de integrar en los edificios las instalaciones necesarias para facilitar la vida de los usuarios, garantizando la seguridad en la protección ante el fuego. Partiendo del estado actual de la cuestión se pretende reivindicar la necesidad de una docencia actualizada y racional, así como una investigación detallada de la Protección Contra Incendios en la edificación que nazca en su entorno lógico: las Escuelas de Arquitectura.

A pesar de que la influencia de las infraestructuras urbanas en la práctica profesional del urbanismo es evidente, los arquitectos urbanistas que se forman en las Escuelas de Arquitectura que existen en España, reciben escasa información sobre esta materia. De entre todos los tipos de infraestructuras urbanas, la falta de referencias construidas de las destinadas a calefacción urbana en España, propicia la escasez de asignaturas sobre esta materia. Como consecuencia, si no se enseña, tampoco se investiga, generandose un negativo círculo cerrado para esta disciplina. Es por ello que se reivindica la necesidad de crear una metodología de investigación sobre este tipo de infraestructuras, que influya en la docencia que los futuros arquitectos urbanistas reciben en las Escuelas de Arquitectura españolas.