SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The architect María Nieves Febles Benítez has been named the new dean of the Official College of Architects of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro (COA) after obtaining the necessary guarantees and being able to attend the electoral process called by the institution.
With her appointment, a “historic glass ceiling” is broken by placing a woman, for the first time, at the head of this collegiate body, the College highlighted in a statement.
In addition, the new board has the incorporation of three more architects, out of a total of six members, significantly expanding the presence of women in the areas with representation.
Thus, the new collegiate team is made up as follows: María Nieves Febles Benítez, dean; Víctor M. Acosta Díaz, secretary; Cristina Sáenz-Marrero Lorenzo-Cáceres, treasurer; Beatriz Simón Franco, vocal; Elena García Pérez, vocal and Jorge Díaz Rodríguez, vocal.
This new appointment goes beyond a gender issue and with this new board the COA faces the challenge of reconquering its presence in the social, political and media discourse, restoring to the institution the value as a consultative body to turn to in matters related to its field of action.
In addition, he points out, it is about “clearly betting on the conversion of space” by opening its doors to Tenerife society to become a forum for debate, as well as a meeting point to address cultural issues that serve to highlight the great heritage of the institution collected in its historical-artistic archives, as well as in its documentary or audiovisual collection.
From the collegiate perspective, it is invited to carry out an “introspective look” of the profession in order to analyze the new lines and skills faced by the renewed profile of the architect.
In addition, the new board is committed to “a more participatory operation” through which to generate networks of understanding that allow the implementation of actions and projects within the COA.
Added to this is the need to expand the collegiate organization, making room for the various professional groups, linked to the sector, in order to create a “more global” collegiate representative of the professional reality.
In the same way, they indicate that dialogue with other groups involved in building processes, such as geographers or engineers, will be promoted.
These lines of work are joined, as one of its fundamental axes, by fluid communication with the members of the COA itself, as well as with public institutions, with which the aim is to encourage the exchange of criteria to expedite the procedures derived from the issues administrative.
