Sandra Bestraten i Castells has taken office as President of the Fundació COAC, after winning the elections for Dean of the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC), held on 20 and 21 May, a role to which the presidency of the Foundation is attached. Bestraten thus becomes the entity’s most senior representative for the coming years, with the challenge of continuing to drive forward the projects and values the Foundation promotes in the field of architecture and society.

A career built on service to the profession

Sandra Bestraten is no newcomer to the institutional life of the COAC. Since 2018 she has held the presidency of the Barcelona Demarcation of the College, a role to which she was re-elected in 2022, and from which she has driven numerous initiatives on behalf of the profession.

An architect trained at the ETSAB (2001) and a partner at Bestraten Hormias Arquitectura, her career has been marked by a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation in architecture. Among her best-known works are the Waldorf-Steiner El Til·ler industrialised school in Bellaterra, and the refurbishment of Ca la Dona, a building with two thousand years of history in the heart of Barcelona.

Bestraten combines professional practice with teaching at the ETSAB-UPC and UIC, and has led numerous international solidarity education projects, as well as initiatives for the regeneration of urban areas in vulnerable contexts.

An expert in housing research, she has recently published the book De la Zona Franca a la Marina. 100 anys d’Habitatge Social a Barcelona 1925-2025 (From the Zona Franca to the Marina. 100 Years of Social Housing in Barcelona, 1925–2025), a work that explores the history and challenges of social housing in the city.