VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

Typologies for an Ex-Territory is an experimental architectural studio that introduces a renewed pedagogical model grounded in direct engagement with place, community, and contested geographies. Situated within a moment of significant political, social, and spatial transformation in the region, the studio encourages a critical reading of power structures in Israel while focusing on the fragile, interstitial, and often overlooked zones of the Negev Desert. These so-called “ex-territories,” commonly dismissed as marginal or empty, are reinterpreted as fertile grounds. Working with a diverse body of Palestinian and Israeli students, the studio explores cross-border networks, emerging dwelling typologies, and practices of community and nomadism across shifting desert landscapes. Departing from conventional academic formats, the studio grounds its pedagogy in immersive fieldwork as a primary mode of knowledge, engaging directly with the communities who inhabit peripheral spaces. This approach positions them as active researchers who construct understanding through mapping, visual and textual documentation, cross-disciplinary interpretation, and critical analysis of complex socio-spatial conditions. Through this process, students often uncover how ex-territories segregate communities rather than foster shared commons. This year, partnerships with the Department of Photography and the NGO Bimkom—Planners for Human Rights—introduce visual research methodologies that deepen spatial mapping and critical interpretation of fieldwork. Through field expeditions and an iterative research process, the studio encourages students to embrace uncertainty, synthesize diverse forms of knowledge, and propose alternative architectural models responsive to rapid environmental and political change. Ultimately, it functions as a pedagogical laboratory for imagining inclusive, resilient, and community-driven spatial futures.