VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

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This article presents a reflection on the pedagogical experience of the architecture studio “Contemporary Project and Emerging Programs,” focused on exploring the impacts of climate change along the coastal edge of the La Serena–Coquimbo conurbation in Chile. In response to the threat of rising sea levels and the increasing vulnerability of Chilean coastal cities, the studio proposed rethinking the relationship between the city and the maritorium through the development of floating projects as speculative explorations of new modes of inhabitation in contexts of environmental risk and transformation. The teaching approach frames architectural education as a laboratory for imagining resilient futures, integrating methodologies based on formal experimentation, territorial foresight, and the construction of prototypes with potential for real-world application. From a reflective perspective, the architectural project is understood not merely as a technical or formal outcome, but as a critical tool for addressing the contemporary challenges of coastal urbanism under conditions of climatic uncertainty. The studio is situated within the urgent context affecting Chile’s coastal cities, where official studies identify Coquimbo Bay as one of the areas most at risk of future flooding. Within this framework, the course invited students to speculate on the possibility of “inhabiting the sea,” exploring floating architecture through amphibious and semi-floating systems as alternative strategies for climate change adaptation. The concept of maritorium or maritime territory, expanded the conventional understanding of territory by incorporating the ocean as a productive and cultural space from which to redefine inhabitation and open new lines of design inquiry for future climate scenarios.