Vertical Workshop

The Vertical Workshop has always been an important event representing the very essence of the school which, over the years, has reaffirmed and extended its scope for innovation.

Currently, the Vertical Workshop consists of a workshop lasting approximately one week which is held during the first week of the course as a dynamic start after the summer break, in which all of the students, from years one to five, are mixed up into different teams, each one led by two renowned teachers, to compete in an architectural exercise aimed at benefiting the community. For that week, the whole of the school is transformed into a laboratory to investigate a subject chosen by the directors of the workshop.

The Vertical Workshop brings together innovative aspects of teaching architecture, such as:

• The students design and build their ideas to life-size scale, thus having to deal with real construction challenges, putting themselves in the place of the constructor.
• The experimental element of resolving the social problems outlined, emergency housing, the industrialization of minimal sized housing, etc.
• Strong university/business relationships are fostered, as companies working in the sector collaborate to make the workshop possible.
• This is a very valuable exercise on an educational level due to the intensive relationships formed between students from different courses and teachers working side-by-side for a whole week.
• The workshop becomes a communication tool for the school that seeks to generate debate, interest and interaction with the outside world.