CAVIAR “Quality of Life in Architecture” research group is composed of teaching and research staff from the Architecture Department at the University of the Basque Country (EHU). It was established in 2006, supported by the structure of the new Master’s programme in “Sustainable Construction and Energy Efficiency”, launched in collaboration with the Environmental Resource Centre “Cristina Enea” (San Sebastián City Council). In 2015, it was recognised for the first time as an Integrated Group within the Basque Research System by the Basque Government.
The group addresses, from the field of Architecture, one of the EU’s priorities and distinctive areas, as defined by the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP): Quality of Life. It places particular emphasis on the social responsibility of those involved in the creative-constructive process and on fostering an interactive dialogue with users. In this way, human perception is brought back to the forefront of development and research activities. For this reason, the research areas of the group are connected through three cross-cutting focus areas relating to people, the environment and efficient management. To facilitate internal organisation, the group’s research projects are categorised into different lines of investigation, which are currently as follows:
L1: Quality of Life, Health and Well-Being, Comfort, Human-Built Environment Interaction, Renaturalisation
L2: Sustainability, Climate Neutrality, Energy Efficiency, Circular Economy, Life Cycle, Industrialization
L3: Regeneration and Urban Transitions: Mobility and Technologies for Enhancing Capacities, Urban Renewable Electricity
The construction processes, along with methods of management and intervention in the urban environment, which constitute the material focus of our research, have a significant impact on the environment, the conservation of natural resources, the preservation of ecosystems, urban areas, and the quality of life of all its inhabitants. The concept of sustainability must be adapted to people’s needs, with the aim of continuously improving their quality of life.
