The Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee is composed of recognised experts from various disciplines related to Galicia’s maritime and cultural heritage. Its role is to ensure the academic and technical rigour of the census, contributing its experience and knowledge to the preparation of the census.

Working methodology of the Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee applies a working methodology aimed at ensuring the rigour, coherence, and quality of the Census of Galicia’s Immovable Maritime Heritage.
Its involvement is structured in the following phases:

1. Coordination and planning
Each expert takes part in four discussion workshops convened by PCUMA, where common guidelines, methodological criteria, and the territorial distribution of the work are established. These sessions make it possible to gain an overall understanding of the project’s progress and to coordinate actions with the rest of the team.

2. Technical review and validation of assets
Review of the list of maritime heritage elements assigned to each area of study, cross-checking the information gathered by the PCUMA technical team. This review includes:

  • Verification of the location, typology, and description of each asset.

  • Assessment of its heritage value and state of conservation.

  • Identification of errors, duplications, or omissions.

3. Proposals for new assets and on-site review
The Committee is also responsible for proposing the inclusion of new maritime heritage elements not initially included in the Census, substantiating each proposal through bibliographic, cartographic, or testimonial references. Whenever possible, selective field visits are carried out to specific assets or heritage ensembles in order to verify information, assess their condition, and obtain complementary photographic documentation.

4. Theoretical and documentary contributions
Each member contributes their specialised knowledge through the provision of relevant bibliography and documentary sources, as well as participation in the conceptual and typological definition of maritime heritage elements and heritage categories.

5. Final evaluation and synthesis
Once the individual reviews have been completed, a collective evaluation session is held, during which personal observations are compared, inclusion criteria are agreed upon, and the final updates to the Census are validated.

Tasks of the Scientific Committee

Each member of the Scientific Committee shall:

  1. Attend the meetings organised as debate workshops on the state of heritage at the PCUMA office.

  2. Participate effectively in the activities proposed during the workshops.

  3. Adopt an overall perspective through the analysis, listening, and observation of the work developed and structured for the areas in which the subsystems of Galician maritime culture are articulated, with the aim of enriching the debate.

  4. Contribute whatever they consider appropriate, based on their experience, to the improvement of the Census.

Composition of the Scientific Committee

Dr Juan José Creus Andrade.

Architect and Associate Professor at the University of A Coruña, he holds a PhD in Architecture with Extraordinary Award. A specialist in intervention projects along the Galician coastline, he has received numerous national and international awards, including the European Prize for Urban Public Space (2024) and the FAD Award for City and Landscape (2023). He has participated in several editions of the Venice Architecture Biennale and has led emblematic projects such as the redevelopment of the ports of Malpica, Porto do Son, and Fisterra. A member of the research group “Galicia City and Territory”, he stands out for his extensive academic and outreach production on landscape architecture and maritime heritage.

Iago Fernández Penedo.

An architect with international training in wood design and engineering, he co-founded Fuertespenedo Arquitectos, a studio that focuses on integrating sustainability, heritage preservation, and rehabilitation concepts, particularly in projects related to the maritime and industrial sectors. He has won numerous awards, including at the Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism in 2021 and 2023, and has developed projects related to industrial and maritime heritage. These include the rehabilitation and musealisation of the traditional Ciprián Shipyard. He is also an author of articles and a speaker at specialised conferences, combining his professional practice with university teaching and cultural outreach.

Dr Óscar Fuertes Dopico.

PhD Architect from the ETSAC, awarded the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize and recognised at the 14th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism for his thesis Shipbuilding Carpentries in Galicia: the Recovery of Their Architectures. He has been a lecturer at the University of A Coruña since 2019, combining teaching with professional practice as a partner at the Fuertespenedo studio, which has received awards from competitions such as the BEAU, COAG, and FAD. His research focuses on maritime heritage, and he serves as principal investigator on regional, national, and European projects such as SEALabHaus, which connects Galician maritime heritage with the European Atlantic and with other disciplines including tourism, art, professional practice, and sustainability. Since 2021, he has directed the Plan da Cultura Marítima de Galicia (PCUMA), promoting a strategic and interdisciplinary approach to the preservation of maritime culture.

Dr Manuel Lara Coira.

PhD in Industrial Engineering and holder of a diploma in Environmental Engineering, he was a lecturer at the University of A Coruña until his retirement. He is President of Buxa, the Galician Association for Industrial Heritage, and of the Industrial Heritage Commission of the FAIIE, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Nova Ardentía, the journal of the Galician Federation for Maritime and River Culture (Culturmar), through which he carries out extensive research and outreach work on Galician industrial and maritime heritage. Author of numerous publications on industrialisation in the Ferrol estuary and other coastal enclaves, a speaker at international conferences, he has led heritage recovery projects with European impact and has promoted cultural routes and musealisation initiatives that connect industry and the sea as drivers of territorial development.

Lino Lema Bouzas.

Agricultural Engineer with extensive experience in public administration, he has developed a distinguished career closely linked to the sea and Galician maritime heritage. He served as Head of the Fisheries Extension and Fisheries Development Service of the Xunta de Galicia, where he promoted strategic projects for the maritime sector. He has coordinated European projects focused on the preservation of traditional vessels and training in traditional shipbuilding (carpintería de ribera). An active member of institutions such as the Museo do Pobo Galego and the Safeguarding Body for Traditional Shipbuilding Techniques, he continues to promote knowledge and appreciation of Galician maritime heritage through training and outreach projects. He has also driven the rehabilitation of coastal cultural infrastructures and collaborated on exhibitions and publications related to maritime culture.

Santiago Llovo Taboada.
Law graduate and civil servant in the Galician Autonomous Administration, he is a prominent independent historian specialising in the maritime memory of coastal communities. Author of more than a dozen books on the history of salting factories, canneries, and traditional shipbuilding in Galicia—such as Memoria salgada dun pobo and Mar de Outes—he contributes to the preservation of maritime culture through local research, written dissemination, and participation in talks and cultural activities.

Dr Iria Sobrino Fagilde.
Architect and PhD from the University of A Coruña, specialising in rehabilitation and sustainable urbanism, she is the founder of the noncommon studio, focused on research into industrial and cultural heritage. She has developed projects such as the Use Plan for La Panificadora in Vigo and the Inventory–Catalogue of the Vigo Estuary, combining architecture, art, and memory. A speaker at conferences and cultural events, she stands out for her outreach work in museums and exhibitions, as well as for the creation of cultural routes and exhibition projects that highlight Galician industrial heritage from a contemporary and critical perspective.

Research Technical Team

Oscar Fuertes Dopico

Plan Director

Pablo Fraguela Casas 

Carmen Fabregat Nodar

Mariedilia Schwarzenberg Estévez 

NOSO Cooperativa

Timeline of the workshops

Below are the dates on which the workshops were held and their content:

July 2024: Strategic coordination session for the selection of advisors and the definition of thematic lines of the workshops.

November 2024: Debate on the definition of Immovable Maritime Heritage. Reflection on typologies and on the need, or otherwise, to include certain typologies in the Census. Brief discussion on the limitations of the Census.

January 2025: In-depth reflection on selection and cataloguing criteria.

July 2025: Detailed review of the elements included in the Census by geographic areas.

September 2025: Synthesis and conclusions of the results of the process.