The University analyzes the problem of depopulation from the point of view of architecture together with 7 other universities from 7 different countries.
He has promoted an academic project within the framework of the America Forum, an initiative of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra and the Panamerican Federation of Architects Associations (FPAA).
FotoAdrianaRuiz León/The exhibition of the results of the project can be visited at the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra and will soon tour Latin America.
11 | 04 | 2025
TheCOIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) project 'Architecture and Depopulation' was born as an innovative and interdisciplinary initiative in which architecture students from 8 universities in Latin America and Spain have worked to analyze the challenges of areas at risk of depopulation through architecture. For months, these universities have cooperated in the framework the America Forum, an agreement signed between the University of Navarra (Spain) and the Pan-American Federation of Architects Associations (FPAA) to which they are adhered.
The academic centers that have participated are: Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo - UCB (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia); Universidad Católica de Santa Fé - UCSF (Santa Fé, Argentina); Universidad de Lima (Lima, Peru); Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (San José, Costa Rica); Universidad Latina de México - ULM (Celaya, Mexico); Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra - UPSA (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia); Universidade do Vale do Taquari - Univates (Lajeado, Brazil) and the University of Navarra. They have worked with the goal of developing and studying innovative solutions to address challenges such as depopulation, environmental sustainability, management of built heritage and sustainable agroforestry production.
The partnership between these universities has made it possible to achieve a global perspective on the problems shared by different regions. In the case of the Latin American universities, their study has focused on the areas undergoing depopulation processes in their respective territories. In the case of the University of Navarra, the proposal elaborated by the students of the 5th year of the Degree in Architecture programs of study focused on the rehabilitation of the rural area of Monterrei, an area of great historical interest, presided by a castle, located in the province of Orense (Galicia).
On December 20, 2024, the universities presented the works selected by each of them. In the coming months, the results will be displayed at the headquarters of the participating Latin American centers through an exhibition, which can already be visited at the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra. In addition, it will also be shown during the International Architecture Symposium in Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia, April 24-25, 2025.
