Escuela Superior de Enseñanzas Técnicas

The development of the skills and knowledge of architecture students is largely shaped during their study at a Faculty of Architecture. There is another way of improving student knowledge of architecture and urban planning. Apart from Erasmus programmes, there are also other international academic and education programmes as well as international workshops. The Activation of the Public Spaces of Historical City Centres Based on Local Communities, jointly conducted by the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology and the Technical School of the University CEU Cardenal Herrera in Valencia, is one such programme. The outcomes of this form of teaching include not only the knowledge and skills allowing one to deal with new conditions that young people have to face while being put through a lot of stress, but also the effort they put into multiple-days-long conferences, workshops or the preparation of their Bachelor’s in engineering projects. International cooperation and workshops participation have contributed to the enhancement of knowledge about architecture and to the development of participating students’ characters.

This paper synthesizes how three Research Units from three European universities launched a research and didactic program assuming an on-field approach to explore innovative methods of public space activation. The initiative has adopted the formula of three itinerating intensive workshops involving 45 students and ten tutors covering multidisciplinary fields (from Architectural and Urban Design to Environmental Design) to define new kinds of design approaches stimulating both project makers and local communities. This alternative pedagogic method allows students (coming from majors in architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture post-graduate courses) to test innovative approaches in response to local needs. By teaming up with colleagues and teachers familiar with the local environment, the participants can fasten the process of site understanding in terms of historical and current issues. At the same time, a survey on participants’ satisfaction has estimated the program’s performance outcomes. Results initially contribute to reformulating intensive teaching modalities like workshops, providing valuable insights for future experiences.

Carlo Scarpa, considerado como uno de los maestros de la arquitectura moderna de la segunda mitad del siglo XX, conjuga arquitectura y diseño mediante una metodología proyectual que prioriza la reflexión gráfica frente a la inspiración inmediata. Su escrupuloso proceso creativo se refleja en la documentación gráfica del arquitecto que progresivamente ha ido concentrándose en el archivo de arquitectura del MAXXI de Roma. Los aproximadamente treinta mil documentos del archivo permiten entender y secuenciar su proceso proyectual, que utilizaba el dibujo como herramienta central creativa y de reflexión. Este artículo pretende profundizar en el proceso de pensamiento creativo, analizando las técnicas y procedimientos gráficos que el arquitecto veneciano utilizó a la hora de abordar el diseño de sus proyectos, así como su evolución durante sus años de profesión. La investigación requirió del estudio comparativo de los documentos gráficos, revelando ejemplos inéditos que ilustran la esencia de lo planteado. Para la ordenación de ideas y de la secuencia evolutiva de su método, se recurrió al análisis de escritos relevantes, entrevistas y transcripciones de sus clases, ordenando cronológicamente los documentos gráficos para poder evidenciar los cambios suscitados a lo largo del tiempo. De este análisis se concluye que Scarpa presenta una sensibilidad creativa única, guiada por una búsqueda de la perfección que lo llevará a un nivel de depuración y sofisticación del método proyectual en el que destaca su capacidad para usar el dibujo como instrumento de pensamiento, diseño y comunicación.

Vocation is one of the determining factors taken into account by students when choosing their university studies. However, when the students start their studies, in their first year, they will find a series of basic subjects that barely motivate or stimulate them. In the specific case of mathematics, the problem is aggravated when many of the students already begin the first year showing rejection towards this subject. The lack of motivation for mathematics also affects the subject of physics because “the role of mathematics is to be the language of physics”. The EXPLORIA project proposed by the CEU Cardenal Herrera University is a potential solution to this problem. The objective of this project is the implementation of STEAM learning (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) in the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture at CEU Cardenal Herrera University through the EXPLORIA project. This article focuses on the activities carried out in the subject of physics in the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture, corresponding to the part of mechanical engineering in order to show that through the realization of different challenges, we can develop creative products, new buildings with their logos and storytelling, as well as connect with the rest of subjects. For its development, students must use everyday objects within their reach, such as forks, spoons, knives, shoes, etc., to build an object or structure that must remain in a “creative balance” and this will serve as an inspiration for new buildings. These new creations are evaluated by an architecture team who fills in a rubric to evaluate the creativity and originality of the products. The number of students included in this project was 24 and the participants’ age ranged between 18 and 20 (similarly distributed). At the end of the work, an anonymous ad hoc questionnaire was carried out to show the students’ assessment of the new teaching methodology and the challenges developed in the subject of physics.