"The week of June 3-7, the students of Master's Degree of Architecture and design and management Building Environment(MDGAE) participated in the International Week along with other students from the National University of Singapore (NUS), accompanied by Professor Nirmal Kishnani. The meeting, which took place at the headquarters of postgraduate program of the University of Navarra in Madrid, was coordinated by Purificación González, director of Master's Degree; Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, manager of international strategy of Master's Degree; and Aurora Monge, professor of MDGAE; and was complemented with visits and theoretical and practical sessions given by international professors and professionals.
On the first day, after a presentation by Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, we received a class by Mayka García Hípola on the history of Madrid and its urban development , as well as the sustainable development policies that are being implemented and that will condition this growth, especially that of Madrid Nuevo Norte.
Afterwards, Felipe Pich-Aguilera, partner founder of Pich-Aguilera Architects, gave a session on some of the sustainable architecture projects carried out in his studio. In this session, Felipe placed special emphasis on the importance of craftsmanship and technology in architecture over time, and on the cultural and social value of technique. "As soon as architecture becomes technified, society becomes ordered," he said. He talked about concepts such as porosity in architecture and natural cooling, materials, prefabrication and the circular Economics , under the idea of an architecture capable of adapting to changes and needs.
Starting Tuesday, we attended theoretical-practical classes on regenerative architecture taught by Bill Reed, architect, consultant planning, process facilitator for design and author at subject on sustainability and regeneration. Bill is director of Regenesis Group, a association originally from the United States that seeks to understand how complexity works in specific situations, especially in architecture. His goal is to understand that the human being can be a sign of evolution, not degradation, and to learn how to harmonize human activity with the evolution of the planet, achieving exponential value of the qualities of life within projects, communities and their ecosystem.
One of the most important ideas Bill wanted to convey during these three days is that we cannot treat communities in a generic way. Experiencing and feeling the places you inhabit and knowing their context is essential to understanding the people who call those places their own. Analyzing problems from a holistic perspective and having an overview facilitates work.
The theoretical sessions were interspersed with practical exercises that we had to solve in groups. Through these activities, we exchanged different points of view and were enriched by each other's way of working and thinking. Answering the questions posed by Bill in his classes was essential to develop a critical thinking that, as architects, we should turn into a way of life.
At final, this week was full of activities and work as a team every day. The coexistence between students and teachers was very enriching. We had the opportunity to learn a lot from professionals working in different contexts and cultures, improving their critical sense and questioning numerous topics."
Text written by: Pilar Vilarrubí Moracho, student of Master's Degree Architecture and design and management Environmental Buildings.
