FuturEMAC® highlights fire protection as a pillar of architectural design.
Protecting lives begins long before an alarm sounds. Fire protection in construction starts on the drawing board, in the design phase, in the decision to understand architecture not only as an aesthetic exercise but as a commitment to safety, sustainability, and the well-being of all people. This was one of the main conclusions of FuturEMAC®, the forum promoted by EMAC®, which focused on one of the major challenges in the sector: fire-resistant construction.
The second edition of FuturEMAC®, held this Thursday at the Territorial College of Architects of Valencia (CTAV), brought together architects, engineers, and accessibility specialists to analyze the challenges and solutions related to fire safety in contemporary buildings, and the importance of anticipating prevention from the very beginning of the project.
The breakfast-discussion featured the participation of Mª Carmen Fernández, Technical Architect of Universal Accessibility and Innovation at Fundación ONCE; Ángel Cobo, architect and accessibility specialist and prescription manager at EMAC®; Pablo Peñín, architect, CTAV secretary and head of training; Marina Juárez, Director of Technical Business Development at Grupo Greco Gres Internacional; and Javier Gismeno, Technical Director at Torresfire. The forum was moderated by Luis Motes, CEO of Doyou Media.
Designing with safety from the very beginning
During the session, the speakers agreed that prevention must be integrated from the project stage, understanding safety as a structural value rather than a technical add-on. Throughout the event, key issues were addressed, such as responsible architectural design, the selection of fire-resistant materials, coordination between manufacturers and designers, inclusive evacuation, and the importance of passive and active protection systems. The discussion also highlighted the need to learn from real emergencies to improve regulations and to rebuild safer and more resilient spaces.
“Protecting against fire is not just about meeting a standard; it is about designing to safeguard lives. Safety must be considered from the very beginning, integrated into the design. It means strategic planning, combining aesthetics, sustainability, and safety, and understanding that every construction decision can make a difference. Only by working together can we ensure truly safe environments,” stated Emi Boix, CEO of EMAC® Group, during the event’s opening.
Experts emphasized the need for a comprehensive vision of protection, covering everything from prevention and evacuation to reconstruction after a fire. In this regard, they highlighted the relevance of passive systems, such as fire-resistant materials or spatial compartmentalization that slows the spread of fire, and active systems, such as alarms, sprinklers, and extinguishing equipment—both essential to minimizing risks and saving lives. They also stressed the importance of coordination between manufacturers, designers, and technicians as a key factor in achieving effective and safe solutions.
“It is not enough to comply with minimum regulatory requirements; we must add an extra level of safety whenever possible,” noted Javier Gismero, Technical Director of Torresfire— a company that designs and manufactures fire doors—who insisted that aesthetics and safety are not opposites but allies when design is approached responsibly.
In the same vein, Pablo Peñín, architect and secretary of the CTAV, emphasized the need to update and unify regulations to adapt them to new materials and emerging uses such as electric vehicle charging. “We need more agile processes and continuous training so that regulations are not an obstacle, but a tool that enables safer and more coherent construction,” he stated. Peñín also stressed the importance of maintenance and periodic inspections of buildings, which become mandatory after 50 years, “just as we naturally assume the vehicle inspection for cars.”
Mª Carmen Fernández, Technical Architect for Universal Accessibility and Innovation at Fundación ONCE, warned about the “major gap that has existed in evacuation protocols for people with disabilities, because we simply have not been prepared to evacuate in an accessible way.” She emphasized that training—both for professionals and users—has been and continues to be essential for moving toward more inclusive protocols, and recalled the recent publication of the good practices included in the Inclusive Emergency Plan for people with disabilities developed by CERMI Comunidad Valenciana. Fernández insisted that accessibility must be integrated into any evacuation plan, because “in an emergency, any of us may become a person with a disability: smoke, fire, and fear can limit our ability to react.”
For her part, Marina Juárez, Director of Technical Business Development at Grupo Greco Gres Internacional, highlighted the importance of working with high-quality construction materials as the first line of defence in passive fire protection. She also stressed the need to go beyond mere regulatory compliance and pointed out that Frontek offers materials with very low combustibility —classification A1,s1,d0— according to European standards. But to ensure effectiveness, coordination between active and passive protection systems is essential, as well as continuous maintenance. Marina Juárez concluded her speech with a clear message: designing to protect is an investment in safety and trust.