Jordi Roviras and Cristina Garcia·Castelao: 12 anys d'innovació amb la Càtedra Ceràmica

The Barcelona Ceramics Chair belongs to a network of chairs promoted by the Spanish Association of Tile and Ceramic Flooring Manufacturers (ASCER) and is currently directed by Doctor of Architecture Vicenç Sarrablo and coordinated by architect Cristina Garcia·Castelao and Doctor of Architecture Jordi Roviras.

Since its creation during the 2004-2005 academic year, it has generated and fostered synergies between the University and the ceramic tile industry, boosting contact between architects and manufacturers. On the one hand, the Chair has enhanced the education of over 200 students by providing them greater knowledge of this product and the vast possibilities that ceramic tiles can add to the creative and conceptual work of these professionals.

Jordi Roviras Miñana earned a doctorate in Architecture from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in 2013 and a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from the same university in 2002, the year he founded his own architecture studio (Roviras·Castelao Arquitectura) alongside architect Cristina Garcia-Castelao. Since 2004, he has worked as a lecturer in the Department of Construction at UIC Barcelona School of Architecture and as lecturer and coordinator of the Barcelona Ceramics Chair (ASCER). Between 2007 and 2013, he took on the role of Assistant Director of Academic Planning and Teaching Staff at the same university. He has been involved in highly relevant research projects on the innovation and development of architectural ceramics, giving rise to invention patents, utility models and his doctoral thesis: "Integració arquitectònica de col·lectors solars tèrmics ceràmics per a clima mediterrani" [The Architectural Integration of Ceramic Solar Thermal Collectors and the Mediterranean Climate]. He is currently a member of the Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Industrialised and Sustainable Construction (LITEIS) Research Group.

Cristina Garcia-Castelao graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in 2002, the year she founded her own architecture studio (Roviras·Castelao Arquitectura) alongside architect Jordi Roviras Miñana. Since 2004, she has worked as a lecturer in the Department of Construction at UIC Barcelona's School of Architecture and as lecturer and coordinator of the Barcelona Ceramics Chair (ASCER). From 2004 to present, she has been involved in highly relevant research projects on the innovation and development of architectural ceramics, giving rise to invention patents and models.

She has spent the past two years (2014-2015) completing an official 2-year Master's Degree in Green Building and Healthy Architecture at the Institut für Baubiologie + Oekologie Neubeuern (IBN-IEB-UdL).

Philippe Block and David López: The Vaulting in the 21st century 

New interactive equilibrium methods for the design and analysis of masonry structures have facilitated the construction of masonry structures with a formal language well beyond what is typically associated with compression-only architecture. These developments have also rekindled interest in tile vaulting and led to a rediscovery of the economic and versatile nature of this traditional building technique. This paper presents a review of the latest innovations in tile vaulting, analysing the most representative works of the past few years and their contribution to the field.

Philippe Block es profesor asociado del Instituto de Tecnología Arquitectónica de la Universidad Politécnica (ETH) de Zúrich, Suiza, donde dirige, junto con el Dr. Tom Van Mele, el BRG (Block Research Group). Este grupo de investigación se centra en el análisis del equilibrio, la elaboración de formas computacionales, la optimización y la fabricación de estructuras de superficies curvas. En el Centro Nacional de Competencia en Investigación (NCCR) de Suiza para la fabricación digital, el BRG desarrolla innovadoras estrategias de diseño estructural a través de la prefabricación a medida. Estudió Arquitectura e Ingeniería Estructural en la Universidad Libre de Bruselas (VUB), Bélgica, y en el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT), en el que se doctoró en 2009. Con la BRG y como socio de Ochsendorf de DeJong & Block (ODB), lleva su investigación a la práctica evaluando estructuras de monumentos históricos así como diseñando y construyendo innovadoras estructuras de compresión. Ha ganado numerosos premios por su investigación, ha impartido conferencias en las mejores universidades y despachos de ingeniería y arquitectura del mundo, y es invitado regularmente como consultor experto.

David López is Associate Professor at the Institute of Technology in Architecture, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where he directs the Block Research Group (BRG) together with Dr. Tom Van Mele. The BRG focuses on equilibrium analysis, computational form finding, optimisation and fabrication of curved surface structures. Within the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Digital Fabrication, the BRG develops innovative structural design strategies using bespoke prefabrication. He studied architecture and structural engineering at the VUB, Belgium, and MIT, where he earned his doctorate in 2009. With the BRG and as partner of Ochsendorf DeJong & Block (ODB), he applies his research into practice on the structural assessment of historic monuments and the design and engineering of novel compression structures. He has won numerous awards for his research, has lectured at top universities and leading engineering and architecture offices worldwide and is regularly invited as an expert consultant.

Design, Industry and Innovation. Ceramics Applied to Architecture conference cicle  is a programme of activities and lectures organised in cooperation with the Ceramics Chair of the International University of Catalonia, addressing the latest technological innovations and research with regard to the application of ceramic materials in architecture.

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