COAM

What COAM does

COAM (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid) is a public law corporation (corporación de derecho público) representing architects in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1929 and operates under current statutes dating to 2002. Membership is mandatory for architects practicing within its jurisdiction, and the institution discharges statutory responsibilities including the visado (technical certification of professional work), Continuing Training (CTEM), and the brokering of professional liability insurance — most recently renewed with Catalana Occidente at €35,000 of coverage. Non-statutory services include employment matching (COAM Emplea), institutional representation at CSCAE and UIA, and member cultural programming.

The organization's main assets beyond its regulatory mandate are a stack of member-facing digital platforms: COAM Digital (member portal), Visado Telemático (telematic certification), PC COAM (cloud infrastructure service built with partners Quinteiva and Nubeando), MATCOAM (building materials and solutions database), and the recently launched IA Lab COAM for AI exploration. It also operates a coworking space, a bookshop, and the Architecture Magazine (778 issues, 10,932 articles archived). Service extensions such as CTEM Memorias (with COAMU) and the SIREM partnership with Madrid City Council anchor institutional positioning.

Revenue mechanics are a mix of mandatory annual cuotas, per-transaction visado fees, course and training tuition, insurance commissions, and space rentals (coworking, events). Governance is democratic: 73 elected representatives are seated via periodic elections, with a 9-member Junta de Gobierno led by Decano Sigfrido Herráez Rodríguez, reconstituted in the May 2025 elections. COAM is not a commercially investable equity; it is a non-profit professional body whose strategic trajectory is shaped by regulation, member value, and incremental digitization rather than capital deployment.

Name

COAM

Legal name

Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid

Website

https://coam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COAM (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid) is a public law professional college representing architects in the Community of Madrid, Spain, founded 1929. It delivers mandatory membership, statutory visado certification, continuing education, liability insurance, and digital platforms (PC COAM, MATCOAM, Visado Telemático) to its registered architect membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Document Preparation Services (56141)

akta.pro primary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM), Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Architectural certification services
• Professional liability insurance
• Continuing professional education
• Membership-based professional services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Quotas (Cuotas): Annual membership fees charged to architects for professional association membership. Fees vary based on residency status, employment status, and years of membership. Discounts available for first-time members, unemployed, retired, and non-residents.
2. Professional Certification and Stamping (Visado): Fees for certifying and stamping architectural projects and professional documents. Revenue from document certification and registration services.
3. Professional Liability Insurance Program: COAM negotiates group professional liability insurance with Catalana Occidente through BMS Mediación Iberia. Members receive basic coverage included in membership, with optional expansions available.
4. Continuing Education (Formación): Revenue from professional development courses, training programs, and the Oppositores School (exam preparation).
5. Space Rental and Commercial Management: Revenue from renting COAM facilities and spaces for events and professional use.
6. MATCOAM - Materials Department: Building materials information and advisory services through the Materials Department.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COAM is the Official College of Architects of Madrid, a public law corporation that represents, defends, and regulates the professional interests of architects practicing in the Madrid region. It provides mandatory membership services, online project certification and stamping (visado), professional liability insurance, continuing education, technical/legal/labor/tax advisory, employment services, and a cloud computing service (PC COAM) exclusively for its registered members.

Product overview

COAM (Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid) is the Official College of Architects of Madrid, a public law corporation that represents and defends professional architects' interests. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio of digital and service platforms including Visado Telemático for telematic project certification, COAM Digital for member self-service, and PC COAM as a cloud-based virtual desktop service with professional software access. The product ecosystem encompasses professional tools like CTEM MEMORIAS for project documentation, certification services (Certificados COAM, VIVE COAM sustainability mark), advisory services (technical, legal, labor, tax), employment services (Bolsa de Trabajo, Red de Arquitectos), and specialized initiatives such as IA Lab COAM for AI exploration, SIREM for building rehabilitation information, and coworking spaces. Cultural offerings include the Fundación COAM with its architecture magazine, library, and historical service, while the Instituto de Formación Continua provides ongoing professional education. The portfolio is anchored by the COAM Digital platform serving as the unified member portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visado Telemático (Online Project Certification) Telematic certification service enabling architects to submit and process professional project certifications and documentation online through the COAM portal. Required for many construction and development projects in Madrid.
• COAM Digital (Member Portal) Digital portal providing members access to certificates, invoicing, member data management, and other collegiate services online.
• PC COAM (Cloud Computing Service) Cloud-based virtual desktop service providing architects with secure remote access to professional software applications, backup, antivirus, and technical support on a pay-per-use basis. Available in Standard, Advanced, Premium, and shared configurations for architecture studios.
• MATCOAM (Materials Department) Building materials department providing access to material information, catalogs, and resources for architectural projects.
• Oficina de Rehabilitación (Rehabilitation Office) Advisory service helping architects and property owners navigate building rehabilitation processes, regulations, and best practices.
• SIREM (Building Rehabilitation Information Service) Building Rehabilitation Information Service of Madrid, launched by Madrid City Council in collaboration with COAM, providing rehabilitation information services located at the COAM headquarters.
• Coworking COAM Collaborative workspace service for registered architects and pre-registered students, offering flexible work environments.
• Instituto de Formación Continua COAM (Continuing Education Institute) Continuing education institute offering training courses, oppositions preparation school (Escuela de Opositores), and professional development programs for architects.
• Certificados COAM (Professional Certificates) Professional certification services providing certificates tailored to architects' professional classification and registered or certified works.
• Concursos COAM (Architecture Competitions) Architecture competition platform organizing and publishing professional competitions, calls for entries, and competition news for architects.
• Red de Arquitectos (Architect Directory) Professional network directory allowing users to search and filter architects by specialty, geographic area, postal code, or name to find qualified professionals.
• Bolsa de Trabajo (Job Board) Job board connecting architects with employment opportunities, organized by specialties and available to citizens seeking to hire qualified architects.
• Asesorías COAM (Professional Advisory Services) Professional advisory services including technical, legal, labor, and tax counseling for architects.
• MediaCOAM (Mediation Service) Mediation service promoting architects as mediators and alternative conflict resolution in professional matters.
• Fundación COAM (Cultural Foundation) Cultural foundation focused on programming cultural activities and disseminating values of sustainable architecture and urban planning, including architecture magazine, library, and historical service.
• Registro para Constancia (Intellectual Property Registration) Professional work registration service preserving intellectual property by documenting authorship and delivery dates for architectural documents and projects.
• Professional Liability Insurance Program Group professional liability insurance negotiated with Catalana Occidente through BMS Mediación Iberia. Basic coverage is included with membership (35,000€ per claim), with voluntary extensions available from 100,000€ to 3,000,000€ coverage.
• CTEM MEMORIAS (Project Documentation Tool) Application for creating project memory documents for basic and execution projects, compliant with CTE (Technical Building Code), including Community of Madrid-specific annexes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,932 articles in the Architecture Magazine archive
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Catalana Occidente (via BMS Mediación Iberia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025COAM has negotiated a group professional liability insurance program with Catalana Occidente through BMS Mediación Iberia. The program includes basic coverage for all members and voluntary extensions. The association has achieved improved coverage terms including increased limits to 35,000€ for basic policies.
• SEGIPSAminorOthersSEGIPSA (Sociedad Estatal de Gestión Inmobiliaria de la Patrimonio) publishes general tariffs applied by COAM, as published in the BOE (Official State Gazette) on May 27, 2015 by the Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations.
• COAMU (Colegio de Arquitectos de la Región de Murcia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOAM has signed an agreement with COAMU providing Madrid members access to the CTEM Memorias application at advantageous rates. This tool enables creation of basic project and execution project documentation for new construction and renovations under CTE regulations.
• Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Madrid City Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIREM (Servicio de Información sobre la Rehabilitación Edificatoria de Madrid) is a joint initiative between Madrid City Council and COAM, providing building rehabilitation information services located at COAM headquarters.
• UIA (Unión Internacional de Arquitectos)coreOthersCOAM is affiliated with UIA, supporting member participation in the World Congress of Architects UIA 2026 Barcelona.
• CSCAE (Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España)coreOthersCOAM is part of the CSCAE, the national governing body for all architect professional associations in Spain. CSCAE elections determine the leadership team for the profession's highest representative body.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Fundación COAM: COAM's own cultural foundation running the Architecture Magazine, library, and historical archive. Included as an ecosystem participant to capture COAM's full scope (it is legally separate but operationally linked).

Direct peers

• Ordre des Architectes (France): French national order of architects with mandatory registration for practice, analogous disciplinary and certification functions, and national/regional chapter structure. Closest continental European analog to COAM's statutory model.
• Ordem dos Arquitectos (Portugal): Portuguese professional order for architects with mandatory membership, registration, and discipline functions. Direct Iberian peer to COAM under similar EU regulatory context.
• Colegio de Aparejadores y Arquitectos Técnicos de Madrid: Madrid's official college for technical architects (aparejadores), running parallel statutory registration, visado, training, and advisory services in the same Madrid market as COAM.
• Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de la Comunidad Valenciana (CTAV): Valencia's official architects' college with statutory registration, certification, training, and continuing-education services. Operates as a direct regional peer to COAM under the same national CSCAE framework.
• Col·legi de l'Arquitectura Tècnica de Catalunya (CATEB): Catalan professional college for technical architects offering the same colegiación, visado-equivalent certification, training, and advisory model as COAM but for Catalonia. Direct functional mirror at the regional level.

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of Architects (AIA): US national architects' association offering membership, continuing education (CES), advocacy, and competitions. Comparable in scope and member-service model though operating as a voluntary (non-mandatory) membership body.
• Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA): German federation of architects with voluntary membership, advocacy, awards, and continuing-education programs. Comparable professional association scope though without mandatory membership.
• Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE): National umbrella body coordinating all Spanish architects' colleges including COAM. Comparable at the meta-level for governance, policy advocacy, and cross-regional service standards.
• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): UK chartered body for architects with comparable professional registration, validation of courses, CPD, competitions, and member services. Similar non-statutory (in UK) but authoritative position versus COAM's statutory role.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COAMadrid
• Facebookfacebook.com/COAMadrid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colegio-oficial-de-arquitectos-de-madrid
• Instagraminstagram.com/coamadrid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COAM