04/11/2025 – 09:10 – 09:30h
Agora Catalonia
BIOCIUDAD – Biomanizales model at the Smart City Expo World Congress
Speakers:
Dr Javier Álvarez del Castillo
Dr Luz Stella Velásquez
Doctoral student Maribel Lozano Rojas
The UPC is taking part in the Smart City Expo by presenting the BIOCIUDAD research model, applied as a participatory long-term planning policy (1995–2025) in the city of Manizales, Colombia, under the name El Biomanizales. In addition to the multiple national and international awards and recognitions it has received, this city model has been the subject of six doctoral theses (all awarded excellent cum laude) within the Doctorate in Sustainability programme, supervised by Professor Dr Javier Álvarez del Castillo and Dr Luz Stella Velásquez, researcher affiliated with the UPC.
04/11/2025 – 11:00h
Barcelona Provincial Council
Innovative water-saving experiences in municipal sports facilities: ReThink Water: water reclamation materials for urban water treatment
Speaker:
Dr Irene López
Researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC)
04/11/2025 – 11:00h
Sorigué (Hall 2, Level 0, Street E, Stand 130)
Round Table: Reflective pavements to reduce the urban heat island effect
Moderator:
Sol Ortega Navarro
Head of Corporate Communication
Speakers:
Alba Pallarés
Engineer, Product Development Department
Fernando del Pozo
Engineer, im3
Rodrigo Miró
Professor and Researcher from the Construction Materials and Roads (MATCAR) Research Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)
Elia Sáez
Head of Pavement and Signage Maintenance, Urban Services Management, Barcelona City Council
Since 2023, Sorigué and UPC have been researching how the combination of aggregates and pigments in bituminous mixtures influences solar reflectance and thermal emissivity. This session presents reflective pavement models that reduce heat absorption and retention as a sustainable solution for cities, along with the pilot test currently being carried out by the Barcelona City Council.
04/11/2025 – 18:00 – 18:55
Research & Academy: Technology-Driven Approaches to Enhance Urban Infrastructure Performance Under Climate Stress
Stage – Impact Tech
Speaker:
Silvia Chellini, Business Development at CIT UPC, UPC Technology Center
Technological solutions for buildings and urban infrastructures to enhance performance and adaptive capacity in response to climate change impacts, including temperature rise and extreme weather phenomena.
More information: Smart City Expo World Congress
05/11/2025 – 13:30h
UPC startup corner (Hall P3)
Startup Pitches: Detection and Mitigation of Acoustic Signals and Optimization of Urban Freight Distribution (UFD) in the HORECA Channel
Speaker:
Albert Baldó, spin-off VAIVE LOGISTICS
More information: Smart City Expo World Congress
06/11/2025 – 11:00h
Sorigué (Hall 2, Level 0, Street E, Stand 130)
Round Table: Emerging technologies in the assessment and management of bridges in service
Moderator:
Sol Ortega Navarro
Head of Corporate Communication
Speakers:
Joan Ramon Casas Rius
Professor of Bridge Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Researcher from the Construction Engineering (EC) Group, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)
Víctor Solanes Banlles
Director of Maintenance
Anna Leal Bosch
Head of Road Maintenance
This round table addresses the role of emerging technologies in the evaluation, monitoring, and management of infrastructures in service. It explores the opportunities offered by tools such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence, advanced sensing, and digital twins to enhance safety, sustainability, and efficiency in the structural maintenance of bridges.
06/11/2025 – 12:00h
Sorigué (Hall 2, Level 0, Street E, Stand 130)
Round Table: R&D&I applied to circular economy in construction
Moderator:
Sol Ortega Navarro
Head of Corporate Communication
Speakers:
Nigel Bax
R&D&I Project Officer, Innovation Department
Rosa Pérez Luna
Head of Precast and Concrete Division
Ricardo Vericat Martín
Director of Building, Catalonia
Nikola Tosic
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Researcher of the Construction Engineering (EC) Research Group, and C3S Research Group Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC), and Partner in the DRASTIC project.
This session explores how innovation drives sustainability in the construction sector, particularly in building, by promoting resource efficiency, waste valorisation, and circular design. Among other topics, it presents the European project Drastic, which investigates new solutions and materials to reduce the environmental impact of the sector and move towards more resilient and sustainable buildings.
06/11/2025 – 12:10h
Stage – Move Better
The Role of Active Mobility in Making Cities Healthier and More Liveable Places
Speaker:
Paloma Nieri is an Architect and Master of Science in Urban Regeneration from UCL. She has worked as an architect and urban planner in the public, private and non-profit sectors; in Lima, London and Barcelona. She currently works at CARNET-UPC as a Researcher in urban and active mobility.
More information: Smart City Expo World Congress