Die Agenda für Baukultur
März 2026
Josep Maria Borrell | Creating Communities and Changing Mindsets
«IMPSOL promotes a high-quality public housing model in the metropolitan area of Barcelona contributing to transform cities and improve lives. With financial independence, we manage the full housing cycle — from land planning to maintenance-treating housing as permanent social infrastructure. Through democratised architectural competitions that ensure transparency, participation, and respect for architects, IMPSOL practices proactive leadership, stakeholder collaboration, and a strong commitment to decarbonisation and social innovation. Our housing model integrates architectural excellence with resident support, fostering identity, sustainable habits, and responsible living, while spreading values for a fairer and balanced society.»
Josep M. Borrell Bru is an architect (ETSAB / Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2001) with a postgraduate degree in Innovative Real Estate Development and Management by Escola Sert / UPC. His final degree project received highest honours and was awarded the Dragados Foundation Prize in 2002. Since the beginning of his professional career, he has combined public and private sector practice, holding various technical leadership positions at IMPSOL while also working in his architectural studio with Maria González, primarily focused on the rehabilitation and construction of housing and public facilities.
He is currently General Manager of IMPSOL, the public housing agency of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), responsible for land management and development of public housing, both through new construction and rehabilitation processes. IMPSOL has advanced a model of contemporary public housing that integrates environmental sustainability, typological and technological innovation, gender-sensitive design, and architectural quality, understanding housing as a key social infrastructure for fostering more equitable and balanced urban communities. His approach combines architectural excellence with user-centred allocation and post-occupancy support processes, encouraging residents’ engagement, comprehension, and dissemination of these values, with the aim of scaling the model for a more just and balanced society.
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This lecture is part of the School Lecture Series « COMMUNITY VOL.2 – Seven exemplary projects and case studies ».
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You can find the recordings of the lectures on the YouTube channel @epflarchitectureschool.