By Constanza Cabezas Ruiz, Arquitects. According to the latest United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs report published in May 2018, 55% of the of the world's population of more than 7 billion live in cities and this figure is expected to increase to 68% by 2050.

Interview by Miriam Giordano. Klaus Illigmann, geographer, Head of Munich Urban Planning Department, in this interview explains the relevance of incubators and pilot projects in the renovation projects for the European cities.

The 21st edition of Barcelona Building Construmat (BBConstrumat), which will take place between 14 and 17 May in the Gran Via venue, looks like being one of the best in recent years. With only 4 months to go, 75% of Fira de Barcelona's construction fair exhibition space has been booked, which is a 50% increase compared to the square meters booked in the same period for the 2017 edition.

BBConstrumat (Barcelona Building Construmat), Fira de Barcelona's construction fair, will celebrate its fortieth anniversary in 2019. Since the first event in 1979 until the twenty-first, set to take place at the Gran Via venue from 14 to 17 May next year, it has demonstrated the importance of construction, a fundamental industry for the Spanish economy. In this interview, Ione Ruete, the Director of BBConstrumat, previews next year's fair. Ruete is a senior architect, a graduate of the ETSAB of the UPC and has an official master's degree in Architectural Technologies, specializing in rehabilitation and restoration, and an EMBA from the ESADE Business and Law School.

Licinio Alfaro Garrido, Head of the Sustainable Construction Department at the ITeC. CEO of Smart Care Technology. Associate Professor at the UPC. The large amounts of data produced by our cities provide an opportunity to improve construction processes. This data, if properly analysed, enables us to begin to define new types of management of the construction process. Furthermore, if we relate this digitalisation process to new methodologies such as the application of the Life Cycle Analysis and BIM (Building Information Modelling), we'll obtain the basic information required to define more sustainable actions, we'll build with less of an impact and we'll control the essential environmental indicators that cause our constructive activity.

An interview by Miriam Giordano. Continuing with the reflection on the evolution of cities, we speak with Denis Leontiev who explains how his multidisciplinary urban consulting company acts and why cities need to rethink the very concept of "building" the future

Interview by Miriam Giordano. Affordable Housing is a crucial task for the development of cities. In this interview we focus on the situation in Amsterdam, explained by Sabine Lebesque, member of the Investors Office Housing as well as of the Team Spatial Quality of the City of Amsterdam.

Conclusions of the first BBMeetings Forum in Madrid. By Marcel Benedito, journalist and editorial director of DISTRITO OFICINA.

The first BBMeetings and the Second Swimming Pool and Wellness Forum bring together more than 400 attendees.

An architect and teacher, he is responsible for the project for the ephemeral installation of BBConstrumat 2019. He can't tell us much yet, but he does explain some of the pillars of his approach to projects.

On 4 and 5 October, the Hotel Novotel Madrid Center will be the venue for BBMeetings, the first forum for professionals of design and interior architecture and investors in the hotel and retail sector, organized by Barcelona Building Construmat, Fira de Barcelona's construction fair.

By Antonio La Gioia, architect. Wood is in fashion. Glasses, watches, bicycles and the oddest accessories: we want everything to be made from wood. So it's not surprising that we want buildings made of wood as well. Perhaps this is the main reason for the success this material is enjoying in the construction sector, so much so that there is already talk of "the century of wood", following the centuries of steel and concrete.

Light represents one of the key factors in the result of an architectural space, be it natural or artificial and in the balance of the two. This relevance should lead to extreme attention to the lighting design project within the architecture teams.

The conference, which will take place on May 16, will analyse the impact of innovation in cities.

By Andrea Pala. In recent years, the winners of the Pritzker Prize have shown a desire to refocus architecture on the human dimension, and to draw attention to its capacity to create environments centred on society.

Is the curator of the next BB Talks seminar "Urban innovation and renewal Congress: from cities to materials". She answers our questions about innovation and renovation in the forthcoming urban lifestyle.

Pimàs, miembro y socio fundador del estudio 1984 Architectes, afincado en París, ofrecerá una conferencia titulada "Suburbia".

Graduate in Economics and Business Administration at the University of Valencia, Ana Vallés has headed the Sorigué business group since 2010. In December 2016, she was named President of the organising committee of Barcelona Building Construmat by the Board of Directors of Fira de Barcelona.

By Silvia Pujalte. On the occasion of the celebration of International Working Women's Day on March 8, numerous initiatives and tributes took place to increase visibility of the difficulties faced today by women in the architecture profession and other technical construction fields.

Representatives from associations and professional bodies in the construction sector have given their full support to Barcelona Building Construmat, the international fair of Construction of Fira de Barcelona, as the only major trade fair platform in Spain and have agreed on the drawing up of a Manifesto in support of BBConstrumat in which it is indicated: