VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY
Abstract
Teaching architecture-related concepts to architecture students is a task that educators in this field are trained to do and already accustomed to. Teaching similar concepts to high school students is a completely different story. It should involve hands-on activities, direct interaction with their surroundings and multidisciplinary activities, ultimately leading to the development of new abilities useful for day-to-day life, like awareness, problem solving and visual and verbal communication. Considering this, the UPT CAMPUS EXPLORER project was developed, enabling direct interaction between high school students and university students/teachers, through a series of workshops organised by each faculty of the Politehnica University of Timisoara. Within the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, four workshops were organised, each approaching a set of different skills. The first one, “Timisoara on foot”, focuses on the story of Timisoara and a deeper understanding of historic and contemporary architecture and urban development. The second “Re_Design” focuses on the upcycle of different discarded objects, highlighting important principles and problems of today’s society. The third – “Architecture and Portrait” focuses on basic photography-related principles, teaching students the importance of light and composition, and the philosophy behind a picture. Ultimately, the last workshop “Strawture” focuses of basic construction concepts through model building and experimental learning based on a long span bridge built using paper straws. Based on this, the paper is trying to bring forward how these workshops were tailored so they can become attractive for high-school students and highlight the main outcomes of this event.
Assoc.Prof. Mirela Szitar-Sîrbu graduated the Faculty of Construction and Architecture, UPT, in 1999. She completed her doctoral degree in 2014, with the topic of sustainability assessment systems in construction. She teaches courses in Sustainable Buildings, Landscape Design and Aesthetics, in complement with the activities of the 2nd year architectural design and undergraduate design. She has been involved in research projects, organizing camps for students and pupils, coordinating volunteer activities.
Diana Giurea is an architect and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Politehnica University of Timișoara, Romania, where she currently serves as Head of Department. Her academic and professional experience converges in both the theory and practice of temporary architectural structures, with a focus on the integration of nature’s principles in architecture, as well as the application of digital tools and fabrication techniques in architectural practice. She has acted as lead designer, project manager, and site manager for the adaptive reuse project ARChA — the faculty’s new flagship space.
Ovidiu Micșa is an architect and photographer, holding a PhD in architecture with the thesis “Studies on the Perception of Built Space. Photography as a Tool for the Mental Representation of Architecture.” He is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning in Timișoara. He currently leads the third-year design studio, teaches courses in Program Theory, Photography and Film, Visual Arts, and is actively involved in the Complex Design Unit, part of the sixth-year Bachelor’s Design program. His academic activity is complemented by his professional practice, ranging from chain hotels, public, social, and healthcare facilities, to commercial spaces, collective and individual housing, and interior design.
Alexandra Keller is an architect and holds a PhD in Civil Engineering with a thesis that addresses the multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary evaluation of historic timber roof structures in Timișoara. She is a lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, teaching classes related to structural design like Constructions or Structural Aesthetics. She is involved in different studies related to the analysis of the relationship between architecture and structure, especially in the case of historic buildings.