The School of Architecture of the University of Navarra and the multinational Schneider Electric, a global specialist in management energy and automation, have launched an ideas competition among the fifth-year students of Degree Architecture of the academic center. The students must develop a concept for design about their future place of work with a focus on connectivity. The project is born as challenge of what will be the integration of electrical energy in the future, by the hand of the architects of tomorrow.

Starting from the initial premise that the connectivity needs of work spaces are growing and that the volume of connected devices will increase exponentially in the next 5 years, students will have to conceptualize what a work environment capable of responding to the connectivity, security and flexibility needs derived from new work trends would look like.

"This is a challenging project . On the one hand, we must be aware that we will have an endless number of devices - some invented and others yet to come - that will need to be connected, recharged and, of course, that we will need to protect. On the other hand, we are looking for spaces on work that are increasingly smart and comfortable, but also flexible," explains Xavier Badia, manager of Schneider Electric's future Retail offering. "We look forward to disruptive and innovative projects from the students who in a few years' time will be designing the offices of the future," he adds.

For his part, Eduardo Domingo, director of development of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra, adds that the idea "fits perfectly with the professor mode of the School, in which we prioritize the ability to carry out real projects with companies and facilitate the contact between students and them, knowing that it is the best formula for the employment rate of our students." 

The initiatives will be evaluated by a joint jury made up of professors from the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra and professionals from Schneider Electric.