EURAU18 Alicante

19-22 settembre 2018 - Alicante

Traditionally, architecture supported itself by various branches of knowledge to advance its proposals:

Structural Knowledge: Gothic, High-Tech...
Artistic Trends: Surrealism, Constructivism, Deconstruction...
New Materials: Polymers, Metallic glasses...
Technological Advances: Self production (3d printers), Software...
Economic Changes: Rationalism, Postmodernism...
Political positions and Conflicts: Neo-regionalisms, Post-colonialisms, planning regulations Anti-demonstrations, Locking of neighbourhoods and cities...
Environmental Crisis and Natural Catastrophes: Technical Codes, bioclimatic architecture...
Social organizations: urban gardens, Collaborative networks...

While the resulting architectures are excellent examples of applying these areas of knowledge, our interest lies in the reverse process: how the discipline of architecture can cause changes in others. It is an applied research that extends its scope to a prior discourse that originated in the past. That is to say, becomes a Retroactive Research.
Gentrification, Democracy, Integration, Gender, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Patents, Space Syntax, Demography and Welfare, Urban Orchards, Energy and Transport, Ecology, New Materials, Collaborative projects... are just some of the issues that we include. These are as many as the fields where architecture can contribute to their development.
An important consequence of this methodology is the imperative specialization. Whether it is serendipity, making a fortunate discovery by accident - or when both students and architects feel an urgent need to include an external expert in the process as an important link with reality.
In the end, the architectural project is an effective document that not only establishes a program but also defines the author as an entrepreneur, understanding this quality as a position that opens the door to different types of practices that architects can exercise: from running a professional architecture office, to teach, to do interior and furniture design, to write, to design digital scenarios, to work in social associations, to collaborate with research centres...