On 26 March in the UIC Barcelona Saló de Graus, Dr Vicenç Sarrablo defended his position as full professor of the Area of Architectural Construction in the Department of Architecture at UIC Barcelona School of Architecture. With this act, he obtained the highest level of academic recognition within the university sphere, having achieved academic, professional, teaching and research merits. 

Having completed a PhD in Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Vicenç Sarrablo has lectured in the Specialist Area of UIC Barcelona School of Architecture since 1998, an area he has also been managing since 2002. He has also been director of the Barcelona Ceramics Chair since 2004 and coordinator of the LITEIS research group (Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Industrialised and Sustainable Construction) since 2014. He currently holds three six-year research periods recognised by the National Research Activity Assessment Committee (CNEAI). 

Professionally speaking, Sarrablo specialises in researching and developing innovative building systems based on ceramics. He is the mastermind behind industrial designs such as “Lamas versátiles” and “Flexbrick”. He has designed construction fairs stands for brands such as Hispalyt, Piera Ecoceramica and Flexbrick, and has directed architectural projects such as “Casa Mingo”, “Ampliación de la Hípica La Llena” (Extension of the La Llena Equestrian Centre) and “Guardería Virolai Petit” (Virolai Petit Pre-Primary School). All have been widely acclaimed in specialist journals and have been the subject of numerous distinctions. Among the awards he has obtained throughout his career, the most notable may be the National Prize at the XIII Spanish Biennial in Architecture and Urbanism in the “Best Product for Architecture” category for his invention Flexbrick. 

“I have been at UIC Barcelona for 23 years. The fact that the University’s Board of Trustees and Board of Governors decided to grant me this honour has restored my enthusiasm to continue my work at this institution, which I already consider to be my home”, says Vicenç Sarrablo.