Some visits leave a mark. Not only for what you see, but for what they confirm. The Zity, in Málaga’s District Z, is one of them. Seeing a high-rise building rise with an industrialized timber structure in an urban expansion area of the city is to confirm that bioconstruction is no longer a promise: it is a reality, nor is it a projection of the future; it is the present.
On 16 October I took part in the visit organized by the Provincial Council of Málaga, together with Club Madera and the Cesefor Foundation, to this pioneering project, guided by the technical team of 011h, specialists in industrialized timber building systems. It was a day of shared learning, of conversation among professionals and of admiration for what is being achieved there.
The project, developed by Terra Green Living, consists of 73 homes distributed across two high-rise buildings, built with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure. This choice responds to a simple but powerful idea: to build in a cleaner, faster, more efficient and more conscious way.
Industrialized timber makes it possible to manufacture with precision in the workshop (factory), reduce waste on site and shorten timescales by around 30%. Each panel arrives ready-made, assembled like an engineered piece that fits with the others with the serenity of a well-thought-out system.
Walking through the floors under construction, still unfinished but with the warmth of the CLT visible, is to sense what those spaces will be like when they fill with life. Light bounces differently off the wood, the air seems gentler, and one feels that this kind of architecture can give back something that conventional construction has been losing: the connection with the material.
Beyond the technique, The Zity embodies a profound change. The industrialization of bioconstruction is not a renunciation of craft, but a natural evolution: manufacturing intelligently, measuring, anticipating and optimizing without giving up quality or the soul of the trade.
During the visit there was a palpable sense of excitement. Architects, engineers, developers, technicians… we all shared the feeling of being in front of a model that can transform the sector. A model that shows that sustainability is not at odds with profitability, nor innovation with beauty.
Málaga is becoming a benchmark space for this kind of initiative. From Málaga Bio to this new stage in District Z, the province shows that the transition towards responsible construction is not only possible, but already underway.
At RedVerde Bioconstrucción we follow these steps with enthusiasm towards a new building model. We know that natural materials are not an aesthetic add-on: they are an active part of the energy performance, the indoor comfort and the reduction of buildings’ carbon footprint.
Clay coatings, limes, ecological insulation, natural oils for wood: all contribute to improving energy efficiency, regulating humidity, extending durability and reducing environmental impact. Bioconstruction is not limited to the structure, but encompasses every layer of the building, from the enclosures to the finishes.
Projects like The Zity remind us that building better is not a future option, but a present responsibility. And along that path, RedVerde is, and will be, providing materials that add technology, health and sustainability to the new paradigm of construction.
