We arrived in Spain with a mixture of excitement and vertigo. For some, it was their first time in the country; for others, it was a familiar destination to which they always return. Just before the course began, we had a meeting where we were announced the first challenge: a workshop in Granada to design a café-viewpoint in the Alhambra, that mythical place we studied so many times during our licentiate degree our countries.

A matter of perspective

So there we were, the four international students on Master's Degree Master's Degree Master's Degree Lebanese, one Argentinean, one Ecuadorian, and one Guatemalan—along with director Master's Degree design Theory and design , Rubén Labiano. We explored the city, learning about architecture as we walked, talked, and observed. We met Ramón Fernández-Alonso, visiting professor the workshop, and began to design while the professors opened up new perspectives and encouraged us to look further ahead. We discovered the Alhambra, from the place to unlocking the cisterns, on whose roof our project would be located. And, as a fitting Andalusian finale, we ended the week with a paella that tasted like celebration.

Before arriving in Pamplona, we took the opportunity to continue discovering architecture, so we escaped to Córdoba to visit its mosque, a trip that set the tone for what was to come: learning by seeing, traveling, and sharing.

First steps at the School of Architecture

The first semester . We took three theory courses that plunged us headfirst into the academic world. With Professor Héctor García-Diego, we delved into the methodology of architectural criticism. The campus itself campus a parallel school: a kind of exhibition featuring works by Moneo, Sáenz de Oiza, Vicens, and a School feels fresh, new, and timeless. The open workshops allow us to learn from all levels at once, in a horizontal relationship between students and professors that enriches us every day.

With Miguel Ángel Alonso del Val, we explored the Hispanic tradition of architecture and the roots that connect Latin America with Europe and the modern world. And with José Miguel Rodrigues, visiting professor Portugal, we embarked on a narrative journey through Italian architecture, understanding criticism from the Philosophy the honesty of forms.

At the same time, we developed the Integrated Architectural Projects Workshop, which took us to an old industrial town in Gipuzkoa. Amidst the landscapes of the Basque Country, the professor took us out of our comfort zone: we left behind the usual representation techniques to explore new creative processes. We started by thinking about everything that was not architecture, making collages by tearing paper with our hands to imagine possible scenarios. Week by week, the work until it culminated in a presentation in Legazpi, where we painted live, on giant canvases and with the financial aid guests, a large sketch-collage that synthesized the ideas explored during the workshop.