Report on technical activities related to innovation in construction: Spanish National Technical Approval (DIT). 50 years of UEAtc

Abstract

Every year the UEAtc (Union Européenne pour l’Agrément technique dans la construction / European Union of Agrément), which was founded in 1960 and will therefore be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, convenes the directors of its member institutes, each representing its home country, to a meeting of the Co-ordination Commission. This Commission discusses national circumstances and the interaction among the activities conducted by the respective Institutes (countries) in connection with the assessment of construction industry innovations, particularly innovative products, procedure called in Spanish, Documento de Idoneidad Técnica (in other languages: Agrément, Avis technique and so on). As it is for other of life’s activities, so it is with technical approvals, that at times we pay little heed to the fact that they take place in a context marked by relevant historic events occurring during our careers, which are significantly affected by these situations in one way or another. This is what underlies the present constructive and optimistic reflection, a simple and subjective exercise with some sense of humour that lists some of the yearly highlights coetaneous with other more technical events related to technical approvals. This discussion concludes with the annual summary of activities in 2008 submitted to the March 2009 meeting of the UEAtc’s Co-ordination Commission. The message conveyed is that while on the one hand we must not ignore history and what we have achieved to date, on the other our efforts should not become so self-involved as to lose sight of the relativity of our endeavours.