EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION

Navarre, a European region of reference

Navarra is among the pioneering European regions in the application of the European Nearly Zero Energy Consumption Building Directive (NECBD), and leaders in the promotion of highly energy-efficient and sustainable housing, with pioneering projects that incorporate wood as a source of energy (forest biomass boilers) and as a structural element in construction processes.

All of the developments under the Navarra Social Housing rental plan, launched by the Government of Navarra and Nasuvinsa in 2017, are buildings committed to sustainable development.

The standards applied -Passivhaus and its own certification model- speak of high-end sustainable building, but also of the right to comfort and health, of the commitment against energy poverty and, ultimately, of the subjective right of access to decent rental housing at affordable prices.

Pilot projects

Aided by its extensive experience in ECCN, Navarra has been a pioneer in the implementation of the European Nearly Zero Consumption Building Directive (ECCN), with the construction since 2016 of 520 homes with Passivhaus standard, corresponding to the first phase of the public rental plan Navarra Social Housing.

Thus began an ambitious innovative process that has allowed the acquisition of important experience through pilot projects that have marked the transition from passive to positive housing, the incorporation of wood with structural functions in the construction processes and the first experiences with the pre-industrial and industrial model.

In this context, Nasuvinsa completed in 2024 its first building in Navarra built so far in an urban environment and with the use of industrialized wood, which has 39 subsidised housing units (VPO) for subsidized rent. This project represents a change in the traditional housing construction model and an important step towards the digitalization process of the sector.

 Likewise, another of its most emblematic projects will be completed in 2024 in the Azpilagaña neighborhood of Pamplona, specifically a development of 32 apartments, currently under construction, for rent for people over 60 years of age or with disabilities, as a result of a collaboration agreement between the Government of Navarre and the Pamplona City Council.

The project for this building in Azpilagaña was drawn up by the team of architects Javier Oficialdegui, Germán Velázquez and Jesús Mª Armendáriz, with the assistance of Nasuvinsa architect Maitane Zazu. It has been conceived “from the principles of inclusiveness and friendliness and contains several innovative elements”.

This building with two first floors and 9 floors is being built with industrialized elements such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), a concrete and steel structure on the first floors and wood on the upper floors, Passivhaus certification as a nearly zero consumption building, exclusive use of renewable energies to cover the rest of the energy demand, Ilunion certification for universal accessibility and “the versatility of the interior design of the apartments to adapt them to different uses or needs”.

Industrialised construction

Building & Architecture Institute (BAI)

The Department of Territorial Planning, Housing, Landscape and Strategic Projects of the Government of Navarra and the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) of the Government of Spain have promoted the creation of Building & Architecture Institute (BAI), the first national center for industrialization and robotics applied to construction and architecture.

This new center, which will be based in Pamplona / Iruña, aims to be a reference point to support the strategies already in place in Spain and Europe, through research, training and dissemination of a new innovative methodology in building.

Its forthcoming creation represents a decisive step in the Government of Navarra’s strategy for the transformation of the construction sector towards a new, more efficient and sustainable model. It also responds to the will of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) of the Government of Spain to promote and regulate quality in building in order to meet the growing social demand in this area.

Within a framework of public-private collaboration, the Government of Navarra has also promoted the creation of the Cluster for the Industrialisation

for the Industrialization of Construction in Navarra, with the participation of professionals from the sector and university and college entities.

Navarra’s interest in the industrialization of construction is not new. The Ecological Transition Strategy – Navarra Green, promoted within the Reactivate Navarra / Nafarroa Suspertu 2020-2023 Plan, already contemplated the creation of a center specialized in industrialization and robotics. In fact, in January, the Regional Executive announced its intention to collaborate with the Polytechnic University of Zurich to promote it.

Navarre Social Housing Developments