IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

At the beginning of the degree program, one central question arise: What does it mean to study? And more specifically in architecture: How does one begin with architecture—especially under the sign of climate change? To encourage independent, research-based, and reflective learning—while also emphasizing the shift in perspective toward a post-anthropocentric architecture—an experimental teaching format was created: In the first week of their studies, first-semester students retreat into a landscape exposed to the elements. There, they think, draw, create, and experience space in its various dimensions. If the vulnerability of the planet is not grasped intellectually but only perceived when it affects us physically, then ecological thinking must be expanded to include the aesthetic dimension (Gernot Böhme). The conditions of space—its materiality and the resources that enable it—must be experienced with one’s own body. At the same time, it is essential to care not only for other humans but also to take care of the environment. Against this backdrop, various aesthetic—experiential—spaces are created, perceived, and returned to the cycle using materials and resources found on site. Scarcity and abundance, as well as beauty and comfort, are reflected upon from a changed perspective. At the same time, social spaces are given great importance: the creation of space made possible only through collaboration, shared discourse, the collective presentation and experience of space, cooking, eating, and sleeping together. For the students, the experience is intense: they leave their usual comfort zones and are challenged to take a personal stance in a sparse, unfamiliar environment—encountering moments full of surprise and beauty.