Those who follow what I share from my daily life, my home, and my family know that I’ve been making small changes with the goal of living a more conscious and sustainable lifestyle that minimizes my impact on the planet. It’s a path I’ve been taking gradually and in a way that makes the most sense to me, and I’ve been trying to bring it into my professional life as well, for Homestories and my team.

As an architect, I recognize that our industry is one of the major contributors to the climate issues we face, as 35% of the planet’s total energy consumption comes from the building sector, with most carbon emissions related to heating and cooling needs, primarily due to construction deficiencies.

In this context, Porcelanosa, one of our suppliers and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ceramics, kitchen furniture, bathroom equipment, and building solutions, recently hosted a discussion where they brought together various architecture professionals, and I had the honor of being present.

It was an open conversation, with the exchange of ideas and knowledge, where along with other colleagues in the profession, we shared the current and future challenges of sustainability in architecture and construction. We discussed what true sustainability is, the challenge of finding more sustainable materials with competitive prices, the difficulty in conveying and explaining to clients the advantages of certain materials or more efficient procedures, among other issues.

Despite the limitations and challenges we all face in making architecture and construction, in general, more efficient and sustainable, I believe that being aware of the problem is the starting point for us to begin doing things differently and better. It genuinely makes me happy to see that this concern is becoming increasingly present not only in those who design but also in the companies that are part of the construction industry, like Porcelanosa, and that they have an important role to play and can implement changes that make a difference.