The architect began the session by presenting a series of works created by non-architects using different materials and construction systems, as reflected in the Tectónica blog he edits. Quintáns said, “Everything has a purpose and everything should be studied and used as ambitiously as possible. We have to shrug off our prejudices about materials and structures. A simple material can have great architectural power".

In his lecture, Quintáns analysed two construction projects whose differences arise from the climate. The first is located two and a half hours from his studio and the second is two and a half days away. One location has a cold climate and the other a warm climate. Quintáns explained, “The two houses need to be built of whatever is necessary, with nothing superfluous, to provide the best shelter possible: one closed, the other open. One house attempts to demonstrate an understanding of centuries of trial and error, condensed into one building, and the other focuses on someone who proposed new forms of construction not long ago”.

Carlos Quintáns was born in Muxía, La Coruña, in 1962. He is an unconventional architect who combines architecture, teaching and journalism. He has taught classes at the La Coruña School of Architecture and the ESARQ School of Architecture. Throughout his career, he has received several prizes from the Galician Association of Architects, as well as the FAD Architecture and Opinion Award. He is currently an editor of the blogs Tectónica and Obradoiro.