On Saturday, March 1, two teams of third year students of the Degree in Architecture programs of study presented their research projects at the Forum of the University of Navarra(FORUN). FORUN is an annual congress in which students from different disciplines of the University of Navarra come together in a space to reflect and debate on issues related to university values and problems facing contemporary society. During the event, they had the opportunity to present and defend their projects, framed in the topic of this edition: "global citizenship".
One of the teams, composed of the students María Morales, Jara Benito and Calista Vizcayreceived the first award in the category of 'writtendiscussion paper ' for hergraduate project 'Architecture for Eternity'. Their work is part of the tasks carried out as internal students in the Geometry and Form laboratory of the School of Architecture. The other team, formed by the students Javier Ruiz, Hugo Ancín, Leyre del Castillo and Noelia Echeverríapresented his work 'Black Dots'.
Jara Benito, member of the winning team, explains what the winning project 'Architecture for eternity' consisted of:"Our project, graduate 'Architecture of eternity', investigates the role of architecture in the creation of cemeteries. We analyze how these spaces have evolved over time and what factors should be considered when designing them. We focus on four core topic: adaptability, typologies and geometry, symbolism and historical influence. We study cases ranging from indigenous cemeteries to contemporary ecological and conceptual proposals. Through this research, we seek to reflect on the role of cemeteries in today's society, their impact on the collective report and new trends in funerary architecture. We consider that these spaces are not only places of rest, but also scenarios loaded with cultural, historical and emotional meaning.
The teacher Pilar Salazar, in charge of supervising the projects, shares her evaluation of the work done by the students of the winning team: "The enthusiasm with which they have done the research, their thoroughness and initiative to carry it out have been key. Despite the projects, deliveries and exams, they knew how to dedicate time and make the topic their own. The jury highlighted the eloquence with which they presented their work and the professionalism of the research. It is relevant that they were able to address a topic of global impact (in line with this year's FORUN topic ) from an architectural perspective. We will now review the projects in order to publish them. This subject of experiences allows them to get started in research, to present at conferences and to learn how to write in the scientific field. There was a risk of focusing too much on the social aspect, leaving aside the architectural and geometric analysis of the cemeteries, but they were able to correct this tendency. It was also a challenge meet deadlines without affecting their academic performance.
Noelia Echeverría, a member of the other participating team from the School, shares details about 'Black Spots':"We have conducted research on the geometries and proportions that are repeated in architecture, creating spaces that can generate sensations of violence. We identified that, when certain patterns are repeated, they create these spaces that we have called 'Black Spots'. This study examines how geometry and architectural design can influence the perception of safety in urban space. Through the analysis of different areas of Pamplona, we identify common elements that generate feelings of insecurity. These factors, such as the proportion between streets and buildings, lighting, visibility, state of conservation and access design , play a core topic role in the perception of space. The cases studied in neighborhoods such as Casco Antiguo, Iturrama, Mendebaldea-Ermitagaña and Segundo Ensanche show how certain spaces, due to their configuration, can induce feelings of isolation, oppression or vulnerability. Based on this work, strategies are proposed to improve these spaces, focused on the humanization of the urban design ".
