AFRIARGEL PRESENTS THE SURI PROJECT IN BILBAO, 2018

We share with you the news published by the Association “Bilbao Urban & Cities Design”, about the presentation event of the SURI Project.

We had the pleasure of organizing together with "Bilbao Urban & Cities Design" the event, which we attended, together with several professionals from different sectors.

MODULAR ARCHITECTURE AS A TRANSITORY SOLUTION TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

Last Thursday, July 5, the “Bilbao Urban & Cities Design” Association, in collaboration with the Alicante Consultant AFRIARGEL, organized an event to present the SURI Project in the Auditorium and the outer esplanade of the Bilbao Estuary Maritime Museum.

The conference, which was attended by a score of professionals from different sectors, was divided into three parts:

1. After a brief introduction by Xabier Arruza on behalf of the Association "Bilbao Urban & Cities Design", the managing director of the company Suricatta Systems, owner of the SURI product, Cristobal Navarro made a presentation of said solution and its technical characteristics. SURI was born as an emergency shelter project that offered better living conditions for all people involved in conflict situations, which entailed a three-year period of research focused on the design and materials to be used. The initial premise was to be able to design a light element, but at the same time resistant and that could be modular and easy to assemble. And in view of the above, we can attest to having achieved it.
2. After the presentation, the attendees went to the outside esplanade of the Maritime Museum to check one of the SURI modules in situ, accompanied by technical explanations from Cristóbal Navarro. Once back in the auditorium, the technicians assembled two modules as proof of SURI's versatility and the possibility of having modular spaces adaptable to the needs of each client; composition that could be seen at the end of the day.
3.  To end the day, there was a round table made up of professionals from architecture, modular construction and the third sector, preceded by a presentation of the activities of the Bilbao Municipal Housing entity, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, under the title "100 years of social housing in Bilbao".

In this sense, from the Zabala architecture studio, it was advocated that public institutions have a sufficient stock of housing to cover emergency situations.

From the Fundación Vicente Ferrer and Cruz Roja, representatives of the third sector at the table, it was confirmed that the current infrastructures are insufficient to attend an immigration flow as large as the one that is taking place, although they ruled out the use of transitory elements such as the SURI in cities for this type of situation.

However, all agreed that modular construction solutions of easier construction and lower cost could be suitable for situations of this type.

From the Association "Bilbao Urban & Cities Design" we will continue organizing conferences around models that contribute to building more sustainable, efficient and inclusive cities.

Social aspects, such as the treaty on this occasion, are fundamental for the achievement of the much commented Smart Cities and architecture must adapt to these new patterns and needs of cities.

On this occasion, we would like to especially thank Cristóbal Navarro from Suricatta Systems and Iñigo Gulias from Afriargel, for having trusted us for the celebration of this event; as well as the members of the round table Txari Vallejo (Bilbao Municipal Housing) and Maite Gay (Cruz Roja Bizkaia), Xabier Orueta (Fundación Vicente Ferrer), Alejandra Zabala (Zabala Architects) and Julen Aurtenetxea (Aurtenetxea Containers).