Escuela de Politécnica Superior

During the last three decades, technological, economic, social and cultural innovations have changed radically our cities and with them, they have trans formed also productive processes that now we must define as flexible. As a result of this situation, there have been changes in the architectural design education to accommodate new demands provided by the opportunities of the fabrication based design techniques and schools of architecture have been trying to adapt digital fabrication concepts in their curricula. In this paper, it is presented a case study: the Advance Diploma in Digital Fabrication for Architectural Design taught in the Digital Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab Madrid CEU) based in CEU San Pablo University. This training program intends to take advantage of the high creative potential associated with the combination of virtual computer aided design and digital fabrication tools, as milling machines, laser & vinyl cutters and 3D printers, which are considered the fourth generation of the application of digital technologies in the field of Architecture.

Juan Navarro Baldeweg´s installation Interior III (1975) was exhib ited at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1975, as a compendium of the research that he began to develop around the exploration of optical phenomena and color, seeking to investigate those mechanisms that allow observation, apprehension, and the understanding of the environment. The installation is part of a series, in which, starting from empty rooms, Juan Navarro Baldeweg explored various concepts and ideas, which, over time, came to be what he called the essential variables that can be found in his architectural designs and works of art. The study of this instal lation and the optical pieces that he created in this context can help us understand in depth some of these variables, which ended up laying the foundations on which his unique professional career is based.

Digital fabrication technologies can be powerful tools for architectural representation, assisting during the fabrication of physical models and prototypes useful in architectural design. The use of these technologies can contribute to complement conventional architectural drawings by allowing the creation of physical models, prototypes and architectural models of constructive details or structural elements, to be used as visualization and communication tools to explore different solutions during the design phase. Therefore, it seems appropriate to reflect and work towards a better integration between the latest digital fabrication technologies and architectural graphic tools to assist the architect. This paper will try to deepen on the applications of digital fabrication in the field of Architecture, based on the projects carried out in Fab Lab Madrid CEU, the Digital Fabrication Laboratory based at CEU University, reflecting about the potential of milling machines, laser cutters, 3D printers and molding and casting technologies to materialize ideas and projects.

The INARQ innovation project was designed and implemented during the first semester of the 2021‐2022 academic year in the Architecture degree, from the subjects of "Form Analysis I" and "Introduction to Architecture" within the framework of the Exploria project. Its main goal was to increase the motivation of the students, enhancing their creative interpretation of the architectural fact. The strategy was based on designing an emotional approach to Architecture from other Arts, in order to encourage its holistic understanding. The initiative also sought to introduce students to the language of theoretical and graphic abstraction as a tool for thought and expression, as well as to enrich their perceptive, analytical, and interpretative skills in their understanding of architecture. Under this innovative approach, the classroom and drawing workshop work was complemented with the study of bibliographic references, on‐site experience (visits to buildings in Madrid), lectures, visits to exhibitions, individual presentations, and critical sessions with other classmates. The activity favoured the existing synergies between both subjects, and the motivation of students and teachers to take on new challenges, proving that learning transcends the physical and temporal framework of the classroom, expanding the regulated spaces and schedules, to promote at the same time the transversal learning based on other Arts as an innovative way of Teaching/Learning.