IAKS Spain Executive Board

Jesús del Barrio Díez, President

Jesús del Barrio Díez is an architect who graduated from the School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSA Madrid) in 1980. He worked independently and in collaboration with engineers until 1985. After passing a public competitive examination, he became an architect for the Ministry of Finance, working in the Directorate General of the Land Registry (Catastro).

In 1989, he was appointed Deputy Director of Sports Infrastructure at the Spanish National Sports Council (Consejo Superior de Deportes). In this role, he initiated the construction of High Performance Sports Centres (CAR), the Sports Facilities Construction Plan for schools and local communities, the University Sports Facilities Plan, and grants for sports facilities intended for international events.

Later, as Head of the Architecture Department, he coordinated the High Performance Centres in Sierra Nevada, Madrid, and León, and oversaw the CAR in San Cugat. He was also responsible for monitoring Sports Technification Centres.

He has participated in international cooperation projects and sports infrastructure conferences in Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Uruguay, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.

He has been an expert member of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN TC 315) on Spectator Facilities since 1995, and is President of SC-4 of the Spanish Sports Standards Group UNE-CT 147.

He has attended IAKS Congresses in Cologne since 1989 and is currently President of IAKS Spain.

Ruth Pujol, Secretary

Ruth Pujol is an architect who graduated from the Technical School of Architecture of the UPC. Her professional career has developed within Pujol Arquitectura, where she gained extensive experience in the design and construction of sports and recreational facilities, with a strong focus on high-performance swimming pools and aquatic centres.

In 2018, she founded the new firm Studio Pujol Sadovski, continuing the legacy of Pujol Arquitectura.

She has taken part in landmark projects such as the Rio 2016 Olympic Aquatic Centre, and has led large-scale sports developments like the European Games Park in Baku 2015 and the overlay of the Crystal Hall for the same event.

In recent years, she has contributed to consultancy work for major swimming events, including the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka 2021 and Gwangju 2019.

Ruth is a member of internationally recognized groups of expert sports architects, including the UIA. She is also a member of IAKS, where she regularly participates in and presents at the IAKS Expert Group on Swimming Pools. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of IAKS Spain.

Andrea Micallef Fideu, Communications Manager 

Andrea Micallef Fideu is the Communications Officer for the IAKS Spain section. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Marketing Communications from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.