Schools of architecture have recently converted the former Final Degree Project into a one-year 'enabling' master's degree. This is a collateral effect of adapting Spanish university studies to the European legislative framework. Faced with this challenge, the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura del Vallès (ETSAV) proposed the implementation of a teaching model that would allow students to learn based on the experience of interaction with 'the people' and construction experimentation. On a methodological level, the article reviews the theoretical basis related to this model based on the condition of an open process, physical experimentation and social return. It also makes a critical approach of the three first years of the master's degree to identify and review the teaching tools implemented, the subjects being researched and the contradictions that emerge. It concludes by evaluating the results obtained and identifying the need to balance learning between psychosocial competences and construction and technological competences, representing the main challenge and potential complexity of the service-learning projects conducted by the ETSAV's 'enabling' master's degree. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (published version)
Schools of architecture have recently converted the former Final Degree Project into a one-year 'enabling' master's degree. This is a collateral effect of adapting Spanish university studies to the European legislative framework. Faced with this challenge, the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura del Vallès (ETSAV) proposed the implementation of a teaching model that would allow students to learn based on the experience of interaction with 'the people' and construction experimentation. On a methodological level, the article reviews the theoretical basis related to this model based on the condition of an open process, physical experimentation and social return. It also makes a critical approach of the three first years of the master's degree to identify and review the teaching tools implemented, the subjects being researched and the contradictions that emerge. It concludes by evaluating the results obtained and identifying the need to balance learning between psychosocial competences and construction and technological competences, representing the main challenge and potential complexity of the service-learning projects conducted by the ETSAV's 'enabling' master's degree. ; Las escuelas de arquitectura han convertido recientemente el antiguo Proyecto Final de Carrera en un Máster 'habilitante' de un año de duración; un efecto colateral de la adecuación de los estudios universitarios españoles al marco legislativo europeo. Ante este reto, la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura del Vallés (ETSAV) planteó implementar un modelo docente que permitiera un aprendizaje desde la experiencia de la interacción con 'la gente' y la experimentación constructiva. A nivel metodológico, el artículo revisa la base teórica relacionada con este modelo basado en la condición de proceso abierto, de experimentación física y de retorno social. Además desarrolla un recorrido crítico por los tres primeros años de funcionamiento para identificar y revisar las herramientas docentes implementadas, los temas objeto de investigación y las propias contradicciones emergentes. Se concluye evaluando los resultados conseguidos e identificando la necesidad de equilibrar los aprendizajes entre competencias psicosociales y competencias constructivo-tecnológicas, principal reto y complejidad potencial de los proyectos de aprendizaje-servicio conducidos por el máster 'habilitante' de la ETSAV.
Schools of architecture have recently converted the former Final Degree Project into a one-year 'enabling' master's degree. This is a collateral effect of adapting Spanish university studies to the European legislative framework. Faced with this challenge, the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura del Vallès (ETSAV) proposed the implementation of a teaching model that would allow students to learn based on the experience of interaction with 'the people' and construction experimentation. On a methodological level, the article reviews the theoretical basis related to this model based on the condition of an open process, physical experimentation and social return. It also makes a critical approach of the three first years of the master's degree to identify and review the teaching tools implemented, the subjects being researched and the contradictions that emerge. It concludes by evaluating the results obtained and identifying the need to balance learning between psychosocial competences and construction and technological competences, representing the main challenge and potential complexity of the service-learning projects conducted by the ETSAV's 'enabling' master's degree. ; Peer Reviewed ; Postprint (published version)
Reinhabitating means to stimulate a new attitude towards the use of dwellings and towards the necessity and nature of refurbishing, thinking about a new or different use or just about extending the life cycle of that commonly considered old. Reflecting on the use of our houses from this point of view, turns out to be especially suitable in the actual economical time of crisis, and notably in a country dealing with an oversized housing development. A newspaper's new allows us to enlighten this situation. In 2004, more houses were built in Spain than altogether in Germany, France and Italy. In other words, a country with a population of 44 million inhabitants built more houses than three countries whose population comes altogether to 204 million inhabitants, almost five times the amount of Spain inhabitants. Under these circumstances and considering the high amount of empty dwellings, secondary residences, as well as unoccupied industrial and services facilities in good conditions, a research about new housing seems to be, nevertheless, a perfectly deferrable matter. More than a century ago it was published "The Practicon. Complete treatise on cooking and reusing the leftovers". In that text Angel Muro, the author, defended a cuisine based on using the leftovers of meals and managing to cook with them delicious courses. We think that the house, its conception, its equipment and its form, remain buried by an avalanche of premises which always try to find an ideal house, as an impossible research. Perhaps studying the way of reinhabitating pre-existing houses, does not finally turn out to be just a naïve effort, but the most honest way to approach the actual housing situation while enabling an open-ended process of improvement. During 2009 and 2010 Habitar, a research group of the Catalan Polytechnic University, worked on this concept applied to the city of Madrid thanks to an I+D Research project granted by the Spanish Government, which concluded with the diffusion of the results by means of six exhibitions and nine small books. To take advantage of the leftovers of the Spanish opulence edge is the main aim of the present research, that pretend to assign a new use to preexistences. We do not refer to refurbishing or to interventions which pursue the renewal of a building, but to the proposal of modification of the use of the building itself. Reinhabitating does not mean restoring. Reinhabitating is reusing architecture, but just modifying the way of using it. It has not to do with plastic interventions, but with the how itself. In this article we will explain our experience with the popularization of these concepts which were applied to the house, to the street and to the city. ; This work has been supported by the "Associació Catalana d'Universitats Públiques" under the project grant RecerCaixa 2010 - Rehabitar "Rehabitar: la casa, el carrer i la ciutat". ; Postprint (published version)
Reinhabitating means to stimulate a new attitude towards the use of dwellings and towards the necessity and nature of refurbishing, thinking about a new or different use or just about extending the life cycle of that commonly considered old. Reflecting on the use of our houses from this point of view, turns out to be especially suitable in the actual economical time of crisis, and notably in a country dealing with an oversized housing development. A newspaper's new allows us to enlighten this situation. In 2004, more houses were built in Spain than altogether in Germany, France and Italy. In other words, a country with a population of 44 million inhabitants built more houses than three countries whose population comes altogether to 204 million inhabitants, almost five times the amount of Spain inhabitants. Under these circumstances and considering the high amount of empty dwellings, secondary residences, as well as unoccupied industrial and services facilities in good conditions, a research about new housing seems to be, nevertheless, a perfectly deferrable matter. More than a century ago it was published "The Practicon. Complete treatise on cooking and reusing the leftovers". In that text Angel Muro, the author, defended a cuisine based on using the leftovers of meals and managing to cook with them delicious courses. We think that the house, its conception, its equipment and its form, remain buried by an avalanche of premises which always try to find an ideal house, as an impossible research. Perhaps studying the way of reinhabitating pre-existing houses, does not finally turn out to be just a naïve effort, but the most honest way to approach the actual housing situation while enabling an open-ended process of improvement. During 2009 and 2010 Habitar, a research group of the Catalan Polytechnic University, worked on this concept applied to the city of Madrid thanks to an I+D Research project granted by the Spanish Government, which concluded with the diffusion of the results by means of six exhibitions and nine small books. To take advantage of the leftovers of the Spanish opulence edge is the main aim of the present research, that pretend to assign a new use to preexistences. We do not refer to refurbishing or to interventions which pursue the renewal of a building, but to the proposal of modification of the use of the building itself. Reinhabitating does not mean restoring. Reinhabitating is reusing architecture, but just modifying the way of using it. It has not to do with plastic interventions, but with the how itself. In this article we will explain our experience with the popularization of these concepts which were applied to the house, to the street and to the city. ; Postprint (published version)
