Sandra Bestraten

Sandra Bestraten i Castells will be the new dean of the Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya for the 2026-2030 period after winning elections that registered the highest participation in the last four elections. Her candidacy obtained 1,445 votes, 42.64% of the total, ahead of Guim Costa and Jacint Raurell. The result opens a new stage within the COAC at a particularly delicate moment for urban planning and housing, with open debates on housing emergency, sustainability, and the transformation of cities. Bestraten has already stated that she wants to recover the role of architects as a "social engine" and put technical knowledge at the service of challenges such as population aging or climate change.

An architect from ETSAB since 2001 and a partner at Bestraten Hormias Arquitectura, she has held the presidency of the Barcelona Demarcation of the COAC since 2018, a position for which she was re-elected in 2022. She combines professional practice with teaching at ETSAB-UPC and UIC, in addition to having led numerous international cooperation and urban rehabilitation projects in vulnerable contexts. Among her most recognized works are the Waldorf-Steiner El Til·ler school in Bellaterra and the rehabilitation of Ca la Dona, in the heart of Barcelona. Specialized in housing research, she has just published the book De la Zona Franca a la Marina. 100 años de Vivienda Social en Barcelona 1925-2025.