IE SoAD YearBook 2024

WORK 1

IE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

WORK 1 IE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

UNDERGRADUATE

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David Goodman Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

BACHELOR IN DESIGN

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Cristina Mateo Associate Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

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Clara Llamas Academic Director, Bachelor in Design

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Ben van Berkel & David Goodman International Committee

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Design Studio

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Course Highlights

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Thesis Projects

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Laura López Paniagua Associate Director, Exhibitions, Publications and Events

BACHELOR IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES 94

David Goodman Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

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Design Studio

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Course Highlights

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Thesis Projects

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GRADUATE MASTER PROGRAMS 194

Cristina Mateo Associate Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

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Master in Architecture

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Master in Real Estate Development Global Master in Real Estate Development

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Master in Business for Architecture and Design

PRAXIS 227

D-Lab

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Fab Lab

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Center for Sustainable Cities

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Prologue Magazine

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A Year in the Life

INTRODU

DUCTION

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

ON REPETITION

David Goodman Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

Any student or practitioner of rhetoric has probably been told (repeatedly) about the value of repetition in getting a message across. That’s why I’m going to start—as I almost always do—by explaining that our school’s mission is to develop, nurture and deploy the power of human creativity to shape a more sustainable, more just and more beautiful world. I think that’s an important objective, and one that’s much easier to say than it is to do. This book is intended to capture a year’s worth of our collective endeavor to fulfill that mission, to build that better world one day at a time.

None of this would have been possible without you: our faculty, students, staff, and even the casual reader of this book, engaged enough in the work of our school to take the time to read and to examine our progress. Together we’ve done a lot in the past year, at all levels, from planning and executing this, our first annual catalogue, to implementing new programs like our Master in Architecture, to designing programs currently being launched, like our new Bachelor in Fashion Design. Our students have produced novel and ambitious work across programs, and much of what you

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see here is testament to their hard work and intelligence and the dedication and ingenuity of our faculty and staff.

The hard work of advancing toward our goal isn’t necessarily always going to look like, or to feel like, a giant step forward. But I think that each day we get up and do the work, make something, meet someone new, listen, share, teach and look, we get a little bit closer to that better world. It’s hard work. But there’s a lot at stake in doing it well. No matter your relationship to our school or your role in it, I’m proud to share this snapshot of the 2023-24 academic year with you, and I hope that you feel as I do, that the work of our school over the past year was an inspiring step forward.

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

TOWARD NEW PROFESSIONAL ROLES

Cristina Mateo Associate Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

It is with great honor that we present to our readers the value of a master’s degree at IE School of Architecture and Design. Our programs immerse students in real-world experiences from the outset, integrating social, environmental and economic sustainability solutions. These solutions are developed with a practical and professional focus, culminating in presentations to experts, thereby reflecting industry standards.

As our world continues to develop, digitalize and automate, efforts to balance ethics with the rapidly advancing power of technology have created a blend of fear and optimism for the built environment. To stay ahead of trends and events, we must proceed with both caution and excitement.

Automation, digitalization and artificial intelligence are impacting the workforce, pushing us to reexamine legal frameworks and ethical considerations. Economist David Autor explains that 60% of today’s jobs did not exist 80 years ago, further proving the transformative effect of technology on the job market. A market more dynamic than ever requires

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students, soon to be workers, to adapt to new roles emerging from technological progress.

Whether we are talking about students’ work from the Master in Real Estate Development, Business for Architecture and Design or Architecture, they implicitly address the role of a designer or a real estate professional when we have the tools that can do that job for them.

There is also a pressing concern regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, particularly the social aspect, which often seems neglected in societal debates. The importance of a strong sense of community is acknowledged as essential for livable societies.

Social bonds and community engagement can lead to better governance participation and lower crime rates. It is crucial for our students, who belong to a global society, to stay attuned to the tensions between technological immersion and the support network available through face-to-face encounters. Their desire to participate in this yearbook and celebrate their work through the extracurricular highlights their need for shared experiences and community interaction. We are headed in the right direction.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE Ben van Berkel Founder and Principal Architect, UNStudio; Chair of the International Committee, Master in Architecture Thesis Chair, IE School of Architecture and Design David Goodman Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

In order to help us build an innovative, fullspectrum school of design, we’ve formed an International Committee of leading international professionals and academics in the creative industries. We’re pleased to welcome internationally renowned architect Ben van Berkel, of UNStudio as Chair of this committee, in addition to his role as Thesis Chair for our Master in Architecture. Along with Ben, we were pleased to welcome our founding members of the Committee: Lisette van Doorn Chief Executive, Urban Land Institute Europe Clotilde Entrecanales Head of Exhibitions, ACCIONA Cultura Hugh Forrest Co-President & CPO, SXSW Aref Laham Managing Director, Orion Capital Managers Manuela Luca-Dazio Executive Director, Pritzker Architecture Prize

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David Miller Managing Director C40 Cities; Former Mayor of Toronto Lucía Tahan Product Designer, Apple Sheika Reem Al-Thani Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Qatar Museums Nils Kok Professor in Real Estate Finance at Maastricht University We look forward to learning from our committee members and to sharing with them our plans for building a more sustainable, more just, and more beautiful world through the creative industries.

What is the International Committee?

Ben van Berkel: We established the International Committee to ensure that we regularly reflect on the future direction of our school, guided by an advisory team. Our aim

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

is to specifically assess our current position in education and the evolving nature of the profession. For example, how are changes driven by AI, mobility challenges, the future of work and economic shifts impacting the field?

The Committee serves as a sounding board, helping us to update our knowledge and steer the school’s development in the right direction.

David Goodman: The International Committee is crucial for us because it allows us to stay connected with the creative industries. While our roots are in architecture and design, as we expand into new areas, it’s essential that we maintain contact with leaders across various fields. Another key aspect we seek from the committee is maintaining a strong link with the world of work. As a school, it’s easy to become disconnected from industry trends, so we aim to actively nurture and foster this connection.

The members of our committee, who work within the creative industries, may identify emerging trends we haven’t yet noticed, or highlight skills that the workforce lacks— insights that can guide our future planning.

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What are the Committee’s goals?

Ben van Berkel: This committee has both short-term and, more importantly, longterm goals. In the short term, we focus on immediate issues affecting architecture and the profession. However, our primary interest lies in working with this advisory board for the long term, as the school aims not only to grow but to deepen and expand its content.

David Goodman: In the short term, our goal is to build a network within the industries we’re a part of. In the long term, the committee will help us establish longerterm trajectories for our programs and guide the school in new directions. Additionally, it will play a key role in strengthening these relationships over time, allowing us to identify shifts, needs, and trends as they develop. By building these connections today, we’ll be better equipped to address what will be relevant in a few years. Given how quickly things are changing, it’s not enough to simply react to the present—we need to anticipate the future, and I think the committee will help us achieve that.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRODUCTION TO WORK 1

Laura López Paniagua Associate Director, Exhibitions, Publications and Events

WORK 1 is the first annual yearbook of IE School of Architecture and Design, capturing the outstanding work of students and faculty from the 2023-2024 academic year.

This initiative, led by Dean David Goodman and Associate Dean Cristina Mateo, marks a significant milestone for our school by celebrating the creativity, craft and entrepreneurial spirit within our community.

This publication, alongside the inaugural WORK 2024 group show, aims to provide an inclusive showcase of the projects produced across the school. While not a strict catalogue of the exhibition, the yearbook aligns closely with its spirit, offering a broader reflection on our shared commitment to excellence. Both the show and the publication highlight the innovative achievements within our school and serve to build a greater sense of community within IE and beyond, connecting with wider audiences and potential collaborators.

The realization of WORK 1 is due to many hands and minds. We owe special thanks to our Dean and Associate Dean for their vision and unwavering support. We are also deeply grateful to Clara Llamas, Academic Director of the Bachelor in Design, whose insights and guidance have been instrumental in

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bringing this publication to fruition. Francesco Maria Furno, our Graphic Project Director, has elevated this publication to an exceptional display of design. Working closely with alumnus Carlos Loaiza, whose original graphic design concept was selected as a testament to his talent, Francesco transformed Carlos’s vision into a polished, professional publication.

Additionally, our thanks go to Jose Vela, whose expertise and generosity have been invaluable.

María Prieto-Moreno has also been a key figure, offering critical support and guidance throughout the development process.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Carolina Berges, editor’s assistant, whose organization and dedication have been exceptional. We also thank Brigita Klusovskyte, Teresa Cantero, Pia Mazzanti, Catarina Pais, Maria Maldonado and Sofia Estevez, whose teamwork and commitment made this publication possible. Finally, we thank our faculty and students, whose creativity and hard work are the heartbeat of this publication. WORK 2024 is a tribute to their accomplishments.

It is an honor to launch what we hope will become a tradition at IE School of Architecture and Design, celebrating a dynamic, growing, and above all, creative community.

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BACHELO IN DESIGN [UNDERGRADUATE]

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INTRODUCTION DESIGN STUDIO COURSE HIGHLIGHTS THESIS PROJECTS

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BID & BBABID

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

BACHELOR IN DESIGN

2023-2024

Clara Llamas Academic Director, Bachelor in Design

AS WE OPEN THE PAGES OF THIS YEARBOOK, WE ARE GREETED WITH A VIBRANT SHOWCASE OF CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND THOUGHTFUL DESIGN.

This collection represents the diverse and inspiring work of our students throughout the year, highlighting their journey as they navigated the complexities of design with purpose.

Each project featured in this yearbook tells a unique story—one of exploration, experimentation and dedication. From the intricate details of product prototypes to the expansive concepts of spatial design, our students have approached every challenge with a mindset of curiosity and the drive to make an impact. You’ll find projects that push the boundaries of visual storytelling, products designed to solve real-world problems, along with spaces and service systems reimagined to foster community and sustainability.

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This year, our students delved into hands-on experiences that brought their ideas to life. In these pages, you will see the results of their work with traditional crafts such as basket weaving and glassblowing, alongside modern techniques such as digital fabrication and CNC cutting. Their commitment to learning by doing is evident in every piece presented here. They have transformed materials into meaningful forms, explored the intersections of technology and craft and engaged with real-world challenges to create innovative solutions.

The yearbook also captures our students’ engagement with pressing global issues. You will encounter projects that address sustainability, inclusivity and

Image: a close-up of glass manipulation made by first year students.

2023-2024

BID & BBABID

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social innovation, reflecting the ethos of our program—to use design as a tool for positive change. From reimagining everyday objects with circularity in mind to collaborating with leading industry partners on supply chain challenges, our students have demonstrated that design is not just about aesthetics, but about creating a better future.

This collection of work is a testament to the diversity of perspectives and the

collaborative spirit that thrives within our community. As you explore these pages, you will see not just the finished products, but the process, the learning and the growth behind them.

To our students: this yearbook is a celebration of your achievements. You have brought our ethos to life through your creativity and dedication. May these pages inspire you as you continue designing the world you wish to see.

DESIGN STUDIO

Design Studio

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO

2023-2024

Andrea Caruso Coordinator, Design Studio Sequence

THE DESIGN STUDIO IS THE PRACTICE PLATFORM OF THE BACHELOR IN DESIGN PROGRAM, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH A HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH TO LEARNING THAT SPANS ALL FOUR YEARS OF THEIR EDUCATION.

These studios are dynamic, immersive environments where students actively engage with the design process, applying theoretical knowledge through practice. From their first year to the last, students encounter increasingly complex challenges that foster their growth as independent thinkers and designers.

The studios encourage experimentation, collaboration and problem-solving, equipping students with the practical and conceptual tools necessary to tackle real-world design problems.

In the first year, students are introduced to the fundamentals of design through a series of hands-on exercises that focus on learning by doing. This foundational experience takes place in

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a studio environment where students work directly with materials, tools and fabrication processes, exploring design in a tactile and experimental manner. In the second semester, the emphasis shifts to collaborative design, where students learn to engage with one another’s perspectives and ideas, refining their ability to work in teams and create cohesive, multifaceted design solutions. This initial phase of their education lays the groundwork for the development of crucial skills such as creativity, adaptability and teamwork.

As students move into their second year, the focus expands to encompass more specialized areas of design. The first semester is dedicated to visual

design, where students experiment with graphic, editorial, and communication design, honing their ability to convey ideas through visual media. The second semester turns to product design, allowing students to explore the principles of industrial design and service design as they apply to tangible products. Here, students begin to navigate the balance between form, function and user experience, understanding how design can meet practical needs while maintaining aesthetic and ethical considerations.

By the third year, students are prepared to engage with more complex spatial design challenges. This phase of the studio sequence pushes them to think critically about space and the environments they create, whether public or private. Students learn to conceptualize spaces that respond to both the physical and social dynamics of their contexts. They explore how architecture, interior design and urban planning intersect to shape how people experience and interact within these environments. This shift from object to environment encourages students to think on a larger scale,

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understanding how design can influence and enhance human interaction within various spatial contexts.

In their final year, students move toward strategic design, applying their accumulated knowledge and skills to tackle complex, research-driven problems. The focus is on using design thinking to address real-world challenges, often involving interdisciplinary approaches that blend design with business and technology. The strategic design studio encourages students to develop solutions that are not only creative but also sustainable, feasible and impactful on a broader societal scale.

By the time they complete the program, students have become versatile designers with a strong foundation in both the practical and conceptual aspects of design, equipped to navigate the evolving demands of the industry with a proactive, entrepreneurial and creative mindset.

2023-2024

Design Studio

Image: a closeup of glass manipulation made by first year students.

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INTRO DESIGN STUDIO I LEARNING BY DOING

Fall 2023

Professors: Fredrick Hellberg, Lara Lesmes, Andrea Caruso

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

THE SUBJECT AIMS TO BE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING MODEL AND THE SKILLS NEEDED TO LEAD A DESIGN PROCESS FROM THE CONCEPT DEFINITION, PRODUCTION AND FINAL PRESENTATION. BEING PROJECTS THE VERTEBRAL STRUCTURE OF THE DEGREE, IT IS RELEVANT THAT THE STUDENT LEARNS THE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE CARRIED OUT. The goal is to allow the student to determine, evaluate and monitor the work he develops while proposing solutions to the exercises which the teacher suggests.

The interaction and observation of the different ways of approaching the same problem from similar perspectives (the work of peers) will help students to learn how to develop new skills in every situation, in the search of a personal point of view on the project, which will gradually become their own language.

Final Results: Hacking the Masters.

Segovia, December 2023.

“The farther humans go into deep space, the more important it will be to generate

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products and shelter with local materials, a practice called in-situ resource utilization.”

- NASA Artemis Mission Guidelines, 2019 With this premise in mind, ‘Hacking Masters’ is an exercise for each student to study a masterpiece lamp, through sketches and mockups, and at the end replicate it using any available materials, components or everyday objects that can be reused. They are invited to avoid buying things and try to reuse objects, glue is forbidden and reversible joineries are promoted.

Students have used the Fablab facilities to solve the lamp features as laser cut, 3D printing or wood carpentry techniques.

@ie.bids #hackingthemasters

Intro to Design Studio I

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall 2023

Design Studio

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Fall 2023

Intro to Design Studio I

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRO TO DESIGN STUDIO I HACKING THE MASTERS

Professors: Fredrick Hellberg, Lara Lesmes, Andrea Caruso

Students: Juga Selimi, Leonie Mellac, Aya Shashaa

This project focused on the reconstruction and reinterpretation of a designer lamp, emphasizing creativity, functionality and the use of repurposed materials. We initially conducted an in-depth study of the lamp and its designer, creating detailed sketches and blueprints that allowed us to understand the technical aspects and intricate details of the original design. This foundational research guided our design process, ensuring that we paid close attention to both aesthetics and practicality.

also encouraged innovative thinking about how everyday objects could be transformed into a functional design.

Following our analysis, we constructed a life-sized cardboard model of the lamp.

To achieve this, we utilized 3D modeling software to create precise surfaces which we then laser cut to produce accurate components for our model. This stage was crucial in visualizing the lamp’s structure and identifying potential challenges before moving on to the final materials.

Once the cardboard model was completed, we shifted our focus to selecting materials for the actual recreated lamp. We embraced experimentation, exploring ways to repurpose items we already had, such as canvases, Christmas ornaments, party hats and plates. This not only allowed us to reduce waste, but

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We also learned to integrate an electrical circuit into our lamp, ensuring that it would be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Using our 3D model in Rhino, we designed customized joints to assemble the lamp without the need for glue.

Overall, this project deepened our appreciation for the design process, highlighting how sketches and prototypes can evolve into practical, realworld objects. The course has not only enriched our understanding of design principles, but also fostered teamwork and creative problem-solving.

2023-2024

Intro to Design Studio I

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Fall 2023

Intro to Design Studio I

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRO TO DESIGN STUDIO I HACKING THE MASTERS

Professors: Fredrick Hellberg, Lara Lesmes, Andrea Caruso

Students: Dharika Raj Singh, Leo Matias Imbert, Paolo Millan

Hacking the Masters is a semester-long project focused on deconstructing and familiarizing ourselves with lamp construction and characteristics. As a hands-on approach, each team dissected one design-iconic lamp, resulting in an intimate and detailed understanding of the artist’s work.

volts for safety purposes. This ensures that the lamp can be safely handled while it is functioning. LED strips fastened to recycled popsicle sticks can be attached and removed through magnetism, allowing the user to control the direction and the amount of light provided by the lamp.

The Tizio model, designed by Richard Sapper for Artemide, was the subject of design surgery for the group. Over the course of a few months we learnt every detail of the lamp by creating sketches, blueprints, cardboard models and prototypes.

The Tizio is revolutionary for its cordless design, focusing on the metallic structure’s electrical conducting properties for its use. We implemented this core principle in our remake of the lamp, while making modifications and using substitutions to make it our own. In the spirit of sustainable practices, our team utilized recycled materials and implemented reversible joints to ensure circularity in the design process.

We assembled all parts of the lamp from the electrical wiring to the wooden insulators.

The lamp works by using a transformer to convert the standard voltage to nine

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The project is an introduction to design by providing opportunities to familiarize ourselves and utilize various tools and skills such as the laser cutting machines, woodworking, research and much more.

Fall 2023

Intro to Design Studio I

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Fall 2023

Intro to Design Studio I

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRO TO DESIGN STUDIO I HACKING THE MASTERS

Professors: Fredrick Hellberg, Lara Lesmes, Andrea Caruso

Students: Tess Wagoner, Anita Burger

This semester, we explored various design principles and practices, including sketching, prototyping, and construction.

At the outset of the course, each student selected a lamp designed by a renowned designer and was tasked with producing professional-level sketches and blueprints of it. These initial steps required a deep dive into the original design’s structure, details, and overall aesthetic. The goal was not only to replicate these designs on paper, but also to understand the designer’s intent and vision.

models, we shifted focus to the final version of our DIY lamps. Our professor strongly encouraged us to go beyond mere replication of the original design. Instead, we were tasked with modernizing and transforming the lamps to make them our own, pushing us to engage in creative problem-solving and design ideation.

This phase required us to critically think about the design’s function and form while also incorporating contemporary materials and methods.

Once the sketches were complete, we were divided into teams, with each group assigned one of the selected lamp designs by our professor. Our group was tasked with a design by Gustav Stickley, a key figure in the American Arts and Crafts movement. At this stage, we began developing cardboard prototypes, translating our drawings into physical models to better grasp the lamp’s structure, proportions and overall design integrity. This hands-on experience helped us understand how two-dimensional sketches could come to life in three dimensions, revealing the challenges and nuances of construction.

After completing the cardboard

Our reimagined lamp is made primarily out of plywood that was shaped using the laser cutter located in IE University’s Fab Lab. The other materials used consist of the acrylic rectangles that were also created by implementing laser cutting techniques, as well as the electrical components that were a product of our wiring workshop in class. Overall, by incorporating new mechanisms and materials we were able to reach our final result of a reimagined lamp that reflected the original style as well as adding our own personality to it. This process deepened our understanding of design and fostered a strong sense of innovation and craftsmanship.

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Fall 2023

Intro to Design Studio I

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Intro to Design Studio II

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRO DESIGN STUDIO II COLLABORATIVE DESIGN STUDIO

Spring 2024

Professors: Arantza Ozaeta Cortázar, Álvaro M. Fidalgo, Susana Cámara Leret, Stefano Fusani

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

THIS STUDIO IMPLEMENTS A PROJECT-BASED LEARNING METHODOLOGY. IT FOCUSES ON ACQUIRING THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO LEAD A DESIGN PROCESS FROM CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT TO THE MATERIALIZATION OF IDEAS THROUGH MULTIPLE MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES, AND THEIR FINAL COMMUNICATION.

COLLABORATIVE DESIGN Collaborative Design means working together to achieve shared and creative outcomes. Collaborative design processes bring people together, with different experiences, skills, and needs, demonstrating our need for others, because one can manage on their own. This studio challenges stereotypes about individuality through the use of individuals to expand design’s disciplinary boundaries.

JOINTS & ARTICULATIONS Central to the studio’s agenda is the joint; the structure that connects different elements, visualizing our

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interactions, communications and interactivity. Throughout this course, we will work on three different joinery strategies: dissection, implant and assembly. These entail different manufacturing and design techniques, such as post-production and upcycling, craft, custom, and handmade. These techniques will allow us to develop complementary (and unexpected) roles as design strategists.

FOLKLORE This year our agenda addresses the socializing, transgressive and playful potential of PARTY when it is related to a learning experience.

The course unfolds through collective, shared-learning experiences which demand active student participation.

Embracing diversity through the combination of professional and lived experiences, students are invited to work with the many traditions, beliefs, crafts and ways of doing from their respective places of origin. We will explore these as powerful design tools that, in correspondence with others and our environment, can allow us to reflect on the decision-making processes that shape design and its implications for society.

Students dive into processes of repetition, pattern-making and movement to

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design different outputs. We do so through a hands-on, playful approach to design. Play triggers the subversion, reinvention and transcendence of the established order of things. Used in the 1960s by multiple artistic practices as a political tool to produce new ways of thinking and making, play is a powerful means to learn from the present and think of the near future whilst embracing fantasy and optimism.

Cloak of Constraied Innocence

by Argint Stefan Octavian, Melisa Bese.

Spring 2024

Intro to Design Studio II

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Spring 2024

Intro to Design Studio II

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

INTRO TO DESIGN STUDIO II PERSONA POLISHING BENCH

Professor: Arantza Ozaeta Cortázar

Student: Stefan Octavian Argint

Inspired by Pipilotti Rist’s groundbreaking video installations, our project recreated her immersive environments, focusing on themes of identity, social interaction and fantasy. Drawing from Rist’s Caressing Dinner Circle, we explored the relationship between masks, parties and hidden personas in social settings.

Rist’s use of vivid colors and dynamic visuals formed the basis of our project, transforming everyday objects into reflections of identity and interaction.

seamlessly with the moving projections, creating a cohesive visual narrative.

This exercise allowed us to delve into Rist’s artistic techniques while critically examining how contemporary art interacts with technology and science. By turning everyday spaces into immersive environments, we explored how these mediums influence human experiences, blurring personal identity with social dynamics.

We used vibrant colors, masks and party elements to create a surrealistic atmosphere that blurred reality and fantasy. Masks, central to the piece, symbolized layers of identity—each revealing and concealing parts of the self. To enhance this, we used video projection and projection mapping, integrating the visuals with the physical space to craft an immersive experience, much like Rist’s approach to blending art with human emotion and perception.

The project involved detailed projection mapping using the HeavyM program onto modified furniture such as opaque mirrors to capture visuals.

Every element, from drawer handles to mirror cutouts, was mapped to align

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Our projection touched on themes of sustainability, identity and media consumption, integrating ideas of brainwashing, fashion and beauty standards. These concepts highlighted how societal pressures shape personal identity. Futurism and psychedelic visuals metaphorically examined humanity’s evolving relationship with technology, while symbolic imagery critiqued darker themes like human trafficking.

The projection footage was sourced from personal designs, stock videos, movies and YouTube clips. A key inspiration was the Margiela 2024 Artisanal Collection film, built around a Paris robbery, influencing the exploration of fashion, identity, and social disruption within our broader narrative.

Spring 2024

Intro to Design Studio II

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Design Studio I

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO I VISUAL DESIGN

Fall 2023

Professor: Ritxi Ostariz

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

DESIGN STUDIO 1 SUBJECT FOCUSES ON THE FIRST PHASES OF THE DESIGN PROCESS: THE CONCEPT IN WHICH THE OPERATIONS OF A CONCEPTUAL AND ANALYTICAL NATURE (DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM, HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND PROPOSAL OF SOLUTIONS) HAVE A PRIORITY VALUE TO REACH A FORMAL RESULT. GIVEN THAT THEY WILL FORM A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN PRACTICE, AN ABILITY TO CONCEPTUALIZE IS ESSENTIAL IN ANY OUTSTANDING DESIGN PROJECT. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of graphic design (shapes, color, typography, imagery, composition, grids...), the course consists of developing a complete design project (in the discipline of branding) in its entirety, going through the three main phases: discover, define, design.

In the first phase, students work in teams to analyze the assigned topic until they find what makes their brand unique. In the second phase they work on this concept through synonyms and definitions of the

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concepts they found until they define the main idea of the project, thinking before sketching. The final part of the course consists of executing the look and feel of the brand through the design of the different points of contact.

Each year the topic of the projects to be carried out by the students is changed. In recent years we have worked on the visual identity of airlines, countries, regions of the world, cults or spiritual groups, and even schools of philosophy.

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio I

DESIGN STUDIO I: DONDA

Students: Ariadna Fernández Yenes, Estrella García Escribano, Nour Yacoub

In 2022, controversial artist and superstar Kanye West founded Donda Academy, a Christian private school for prekindergarten children through to 12th grade, based in California. He stated that “by using an ethic of integrity and care, Donda Academy prepares students to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators.” However, this highly unconventional institution arrived with a great deal of secrecy, backed by legal actions that required employees, parents, and students to keep any activities within the school’s closed doors confidential by signing NDAs.

against Kanye West and the institution, claiming they were fired for opposing the strange activities happening inside.

This is when some of Donda Academy’s closely guarded secrets began to surface.

Fall 2023

Professor: Ritxi Ostariz

A year after the school’s opening, two former teachers initiated a legal battle

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This branding project for Donda Academy aims to reflect the values of this one-in-amillion institution, where, if you are talented enough to pass through its exclusive doors, you earn a direct ticket to becoming the next phenomenon to disrupt the world.

“To educate the finest talent of today, and with the one and only influence of Yeezus, turn them into the stars of tomorrow.”

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

DESIGN STUDIO I: AKÉŃ LE N ẸGDÓN

Professor: Ritxi Ostariz

Students: Yara Tarhini, Sofía Arenas Pérez, Ana Isabel Santoro, Marion Vincey

Guardians of the Night: in Gun language, Akéń le n ẹgdón, is a brand identity exploration rooted in the spiritual and cultural significance of Zangbetos, mystical guardians of the Ogu people of Nigeria, Benin, Ghana and Togo. Deeply connected to their ethnic tribal culture and the voodoo religion, Zangbetos fulfil the role of spiritual guardians for their communities by performing masquerade rituals that purify their villages, while also maintaining law and order through non-violent symbolic actions, as well as preserving ancestral traditions.

meticulously crafted with raffia and palm leaves and skillfully dyed in vibrant and varied hues, come to life amid lively drumming and dancing, creating a dynamic and engaging spectacle and infusing a sense of vitality and spirituality.

The spinning motion of the mask represents Zangbeto’s qualities, becoming a symbolic expression of strength, cleansing and protection, key elements that make up the core of this visual system.

The Zangbetos’ origins date back to the 17th century when they were first summoned by the youngest son of a Badagry king who used these spectral apparitions to claim victory and secure his rule. Today, the Guardians of the Night comprise a secret society exclusively accessible to Zangbeto or voodoo devotees, acting as guardians of their communities.

One of their most important events for the protection of the community, as well as attracting tourists, is the masquerade ritual. During this ceremony, a spiritually charged atmosphere envelops the community. The vibrant costumes,

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Inspired by these symbolically and aesthetically rich qualities, the visual language designed for this project captures the essence of these enigmatic figures and their relevance to the community and culture. With the relationship between Zangbeto and the community at its core, the visual system is based on representing the protection given by the guardians that surround their communities, represented through the use of typography and color.

This visual identity reflects Zangbeto’s multifaceted nature, intertwining spirituality, cultural preservation and communal safety to create a visual narrative that honors their traditions while adapting them to a modern design context.

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

DESIGN STUDIO I: SONNENORDEN

Professor: Ritxi Ostariz

Students: Teresa Morales, Marina Guadamillas, Marta Artiach, Marieliza Alarcón

In this project, working with Marina Guadamillas, Marta Artiach and Marieliza Alarcón, we were asked to develop the branding for a cult, and we chose Sonnenorden: The Order of the Sun.

a grammatical ellipse, referencing their desire for immortality. Then we selected the cult’s triple color palette, symbolizing the members’ transformative journey. The first, dirty brown, represents the first stage when members were still in Germany, impure and bound to social conventions. The second, transitional gold, shows when members reach the island and adapt to the new lifestyle. The third, pure white, illustrates the final stage, when purity and immortality are reached. Finally, for typography, we opted for Object Sans, as it is a simple font mirroring the cult’s austerity, and is geometric, with perfect circles for the letter O, and round spaces, aligning with our logo design.

The first thing we did was in-depth research into the cult, its origins, beliefs, and lifestyle.

Sonnenorden was founded by August Engelhardt, in 1875 in Germany. Members moved to a deserted island in Papua New Guinea, far away from society, which they considered impure for being too tied to the material world and material possessions.

The cult’s beliefs included a deep love of nature and a constant pursuit of immortality and purity that could be achieved through their three main pillars: God, derived from his Christian origins; coconuts, considered a divine food with healing properties; and the Sun, regarded as the giver of life.

Once we understood the cult, we began developing basic elements of the branding.

First, we designed the logo, which consisted of three circles positioned next to the other horizontally, each representing one of the cult’s three pillars. It also evokes

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After that, we put the basic elements together to form a cohesive design system.

We built a grid, used illustrations evoking nature, and placed most of the text, and weight of our compositions at the top, as a way to symbolize God, coconuts, and the Sun, which are all located above us.

Finally, we used the design system to build a series of applications: posters, a booklet, a pamphlet, a billboard, an Instagram account and packaging for products.

Fall 2023

Design Studio I

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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Design Studio II

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO II PRODUCT DESIGN

Spring 2024

Professors: Eli Gutiérrez, Pablo Alabau, Miguel Leiro, Héctor Serrano

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

DESIGN STUDIO 2 IS AN ADVANCED, HANDS-ON PRODUCT DESIGN COURSE THAT CHALLENGES STUDENTS TO EXPLORE DIVERSE APPROACHES TO DESIGN THROUGH THREE DISTINCT PROJECTS. EACH PRESENTS A UNIQUE BRIEF, RANGING FROM SIMPLE OBJECTS TO COMPLEX SYSTEMS, PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF PRODUCT DESIGN. The course is structured around three key design philosophies.

1. Design through Behavior: this approach examines how user interactions and habits inform and shape design decisions, emphasizing the importance of user-centered design.

2. Design through Glocality: students learn to balance global trends with local contexts, developing products that resonate at both international and regional levels.

3. Design through Material: this perspective investigates the crucial role materials play in influencing design outcomes, encouraging students to consider sustainability, functionality, and

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aesthetics in their material choices.

In addition to these core philosophies, the course incorporates elements of critical design and problemsolving methodologies, equipping students with a versatile toolkit for addressing design challenges.

Throughout the semester, students engage in a comprehensive design process that includes thorough research and analysis, innovative ideation techniques, iterative prototyping, advanced 3D modelling for visualization and final product development and presentation.

By the end of Design Studio 2, students will have gained practical

Spring 2024

Design Studio II

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

experience in applying various design methodologies, enhanced their technical skills and developed a more nuanced understanding of the product design field. This course serves as a cornerstone in preparing aspiring designers for the complex challenges of the contemporary design landscape.

pollution. The objective of this project is to design a product that increases the value of the plastic panels produced by Gravity Wave. Creating a desirable and engaging product with a rich narrative and concept that increases awareness about maritime plastic pollution and its role in the climate crisis.

1 Pencil 1 Character / Design through Behavior Behavior as a starting point for designing an object. We will start from fictional characters, then we will focus on a single object as a pencil to represent them.

Offline and Alive / Critical Design In the ever-evolving landscape of digital connectivity, social networks have woven a complex web of interdependence that shapes our lives in unprecedented ways.

Gravity Wave / Design from a material For this project we will collaborate with Gravity Wave, a company with the objective of cleaning up maritime plastic

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The objective is to design a collection of objects that encourage the responsible use of social media, raising questions about our addiction to them.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring 2024

Design Studio II

DESIGN STUDIO II: ANOTHER ROUND?

Professor: Pablo Alabau

Student: Candela del Barrio

The objective of this project was to rethink the current landscape of digital connectivity through the scope of social networks.

The main goal was to understand social media addiction and the allure of constant connectivity to design an object that showcases and raises questions about the issues that convert humans into mere users.

was not about the game typology, but the environment, what keeps the players playing.

This project began with extensive indepth research into the daily problems that society faces with social media.

Aiming to create a multi-meaningful object to address different key issues, social isolation, cognitive development disruption and communication issues were brought to the table.

Focusing on the value of genuine human interaction, I drew inspiration from an era where social networks were nothing else but real situations.

Reflecting on the saying “old is better”, I realized that board games once served as simple and effective means to focus, engage, connect and share knowledge through genuine interaction.

By exploring different board game alternatives and how they could match with the product, I noticed the solution

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During the ideation phase, I developed a concept of a phone case with a compartment to place and hide tokens from opponents. Its morphology is intended to encompass the meaning of real interaction. Designed in such a way that if the player decides to use the phone while playing, the tokens will fall out and they will lose the game.

For prototyping, I experimented with different shapes, mechanisms and components to maximize the tokens’ capacity, while maintaining a lightweight and simple design. Initial prototypes were made from MDF to test the scale, dimensions and the rotary mechanism.

The final version was 3D printed using two different filaments: a flexible one for the base and a rigid one for the support.

Another Round? sheds light on when and where is the best scenario to use social media. The design, apart from being a solution, acts as a metaphor: using your phone during the round might signify more than just losing the game.

Spring 2024

Design Studio II

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio II

DESIGN STUDIO II: EL FARO

Students: Gaétan Bauné, Maximilian HabsburgLothringen, Mauro García Santamaría

Our project revolves around the innovative use of Gravity Wave’s recycled plastic material, a unique product created from discarded fishing nets collected from polluted marine environments. This 1m by 1m panel exemplifies the potential of recycling to transform environmental waste into valuable, sustainable products.

but also aims to redefine perceptions of plastic. Traditionally viewed as a pollutant with a short lifespan, plastic can, through innovative design, be transformed into a durable, valuable product. By showcasing the potential of this recycled material, our project underscores the possibilities of sustainable design and the importance of shifting attitudes towards plastic use.

Spring 2024

Professors: Héctor Serrano

Our exploration began with an in-depth analysis of the material’s properties. We discovered that the surface pattern of the panel becomes more pronounced when illuminated, enhancing its aesthetic appeal. Leveraging CNC machine tools, we developed a technique to bend the material without the need for internal structures, resulting in panels that appear to float and exhibit a striking visual effect.

This design approach not only highlights the material’s unique characteristics

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Our objective is to demonstrate that recycled plastic can be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, challenging the conventional view of plastic as a disposable resource. Through our project, we aim to add value to recycled materials, promoting their use in creating long-lasting, impactful products. This initiative not only addresses environmental concerns, but also contributes to a broader movement towards sustainable design practices.

Spring 2024

Design Studio II

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio II

DESIGN STUDIO II: KIRI TABLE

Students: Isabel Peña, Isabel Sánchez, Kayla Vinh

The KIRI Table was developed by Isabel Peña, Isabel Sanchez, and Kayla Vinh through innovative experimentation with recycled plastic materials. This project was part of Gravity Wave’s initiative to reinvent the life cycle of ghost fishing nets by transforming them into plastic panels. The goal was to create a desirable and engaging product that not only serves a functional purpose, but also tells a compelling story.

By doing so, we aim to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the oceans and its connection to the ongoing climate crisis.

The plastic panel was cut precisely with the CNC machine. Our next step was to experiment with kerfing methods to form our desired shape and develop a locking mechanism to stabilize the table. A key aspect of our design process was our commitment to creating zero waste. We aimed to extract maximum value from the materials provided, ensuring that every part of the plastic sheet was utilized. The lock, key and table were all cut from a single piece.

2023-2024

Professor: Eli Gutiérrez

Our inspiration for the Kiri Table came from the idea of taking a stiff, solid object and reintroducing the fluidity and movement associated with the ocean. To achieve this, we employed Kirigami techniques: the art of cutting and folding paper to add dimension. This approach led us to conduct numerous tests using paper and cardboard, allowing us to explore a series of alterations that could transform a simple flat board into a more complex shape.

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Moreover, we collected the shavings produced by the drilling process and conducted several experiments to repurpose them. This resulted in a separate project where we melted the shavings to create an organic, translucent piece we molded into a lampshade. The Kiri Table is a testament to how we can design for the future by using materials from the past, showcasing the potential to create beautiful and creative pieces while promoting sustainability and innovation.

2023-2024

Design Studio II

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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Design Studio III

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO III SPATIAL DESIGN

Fall 2023

Professor: Igor Bragado

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

THIRD YEAR DESIGN STUDIO RESPONDS THROUGH SPATIAL DESIGN, IN REAL TIME, TO URGENT ISSUES THAT SHAPE THE WORLD TODAY. WITH THIS, THE STUDIO POSITIONS ITSELF AGAINST THE IDEA THAT ARCHITECTURE[F][G] IS NECESSARILY SLOW, METICULOUS, COSTLY, AND DISCONNECTED FROM LARGER SOCIETAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. Each year, students engage in a hyper-narrow spatial situation of their choosing taking place at the moment in Madrid. The studio emphasizes making visible the conditions which make ordinary environments possible, articulating with this that an important task for the discipline is to measure and unveil material relationships that were not evident before. Marshalling the architectural tradition of “learning from,” students use standard architectural representation tools to draw the broader political, economic and urban contexts which shape space across different mediums.

During the first half of the semester, students represent a broad (often global) choreography of objects, technology, media and bodies manifested in the

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case study of their choice. This task is accompanied by first-hand research, interviews and stakeholder engagement.

During the second half, students change particular dynamics within the analyzed system and predict how design will trickle down through the environment they have unveiled. Their proposals emerge as critical positions which can either accelerate, decelerate, solve or expose the issues at hand.

In the past, students have: •

•

Studied Pilar Rubio’s private jet energy consumption patterns and proposed new –healthier– territorial extraction models for airplane fuels.

Analyzed Hermes’ Himalayan Birkin bag’s crocodile skin and diamond production and proposed

Fall 2023

Design Studio III

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

•

•

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ways to upcycle territories of suffering into new and celebratory stores which recycle soon-to-be obsolete Hermes infrastructures in order to manufacture synthetic bags, holding the company to account for its lack of transparency.

Studied the growing infertility amongst the population of Madrid and proposed architectural strategies to overcome the environmental factors behind the problem.

Traced the impact and evolution of the colour pink across clothing, makeup, and drugs; recognizing that

•

the color itself is an ‘amplifier’ they developed a strategy for responding to the excess produced by fast fashion through a clothing recycling plant that merges the aesthetics of theme parks with efficiency of factories.

Examined the cyclical nature of the fat reduction industry which operates much like a revolving door.

With the increasing normalization and popularity of such procedures, they speculated on a squishy inflatable pop-up drive-through automated fat-reduction facility that responds to the projected demands.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall 2023

Design Studio III

DESIGN STUDIO III: CEPSA ISLAND

Professor: Igor Bragado

Student: Justina Basombrío, Clara García

Cepsa Island is a groundbreaking initiative designed to address two critical environmental issues, CO2 emissions from private jets and coastal erosion due to climate change. By integrating advanced technology in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production with innovative coastal defense strategies, Cepsa Island represents a forward-thinking solution for both aviation and environmental sustainability.

infrastructure designed for efficient fuel production and distribution.

Private jets, while providing convenience, significantly contribute to CO2 emissions.

However, using SAF could reduce these emissions by up to 80%. Cepsa, a global leader in SAF production, currently utilizes crop residues and used cooking oils to create this eco-friendly fuel. The Cepsa Island project aims to enhance this effort by combining SAF production with coastal protection.

Situated off Spain’s Costa de la Luz, between Huelva and Cádiz, Cepsa Island will feature a private jet landing area and an executive terminal. The island will house a cutting-edge SAF production facility that not only supplies fuel but also helps protect the coastline from rising sea levels. The island’s elongated shape enhances its ability to shield the coast, with a two km landing strip and

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The island’s design emphasizes sustainability through the repurposing of aviation materials. Engine oil will be converted into concrete blocks, runway asphalt into coastal roads, aircraft tires into artificial reefs, and fuselages into coastal structures. This innovative reuse of materials minimizes waste and supports sustainable development.

The infrastructure includes hangars for private jets, a combined factory and executive terminal to promote transparency about SAF production, and a port for cargo operations.

Additionally, wind turbines and solar panels will ensure that the island operates with minimal environmental impact, underscoring its commitment to sustainability.

Cepsa Island is envisioned as a scalable model, with plans to expand along the Spanish coast. Each new island will be tailored to local needs, potentially excluding features like private airports where not needed. This expansion aims to protect vulnerable coastal areas and promote broader SAF adoption, setting a new standard for sustainable luxury travel and environmental stewardship.

Fall 2023

Design Studio III

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall 2023

Design Studio III

DESIGN STUDIO III: ACCELERATING PINK

Professors: Déborah López, Hadin Charbel, Igor Bragado

Students: Alejandra Gabián, Ana Sánchez, Alejandra Olaguibel

Accelerating Pink is a design project aimed at addressing the environmental impact of pink, particularly within the realm of fast fashion, while maintaining its playful and vibrant qualities. The project explores how pink, a color often associated with overconsumption and ecological harm, can be reimagined through sustainable design. Numerous ecological catastrophes around the world have resulted from the pollution caused by excessive use of dyes and synthetic materials, especially in the fashion industry. For example, the Citarum River in Indonesia, often called the world’s most polluted river, has been heavily contaminated by textile dyes and chemicals from garment factories. This instance highlight the widespread environmental damage caused by overconsumption and the unsustainable production of textiles and colors, including pink.

role in the recycling and manufacturing process. A roller coaster connects these buildings, not only offering a unique transportation method, but also enhancing the user experience.

The project focuses on developing an innovative city concept that celebrates pink in a fun yet eco-friendly way. The city, located in Plaza de España, Madrid, is designed as an interactive space where visitors can witness sustainable practices in action, particularly in the context of recycling textiles and plastics.

The city’s layout revolves around seven distinct buildings, each with a specific

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The recycling process begins with the collection and separation of plastic and textile waste in the first building. The plastic is melted and shaped into small pink balls, while textiles are shredded into confetti-like strips. These recycled materials are then transported to other buildings for further processing.

In addition to recycling, the project incorporates a bioengineering laboratory that produces sustainable pink pigments using bacteria. The dyed fabrics are inspired by the work of artists Christo and JeanneClaude, known for their large-scale fabric installations. The final product serves as both a visual spectacle and a reminder of the environmental impact of overconsumption.

Ultimately, Accelerating Pink aims to offer a new perspective on sustainability by showing that ecological responsibility can coexist with creativity, convenience, and fun. The project concludes by encouraging visitors to reflect on the environmental consequences of fashion consumption

Fall 2023

Design Studio III

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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Design Studio IV

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO IV STRATEGIC DESIGN

Spring 2024

Professors: Clara Llamas Davide Fichera

Coordinator: Andrea Caruso

IN THE STRATEGIC DESIGN STUDIO, WE APPROACH STRATEGY AS A COHESIVE RESPONSE TO COMPLEX CHALLENGES. OUR PROGRAM OFFERS FOURTH-YEAR STUDENTS A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM FOCUSED ON CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING AND COLLABORATION, EQUIPPING THEM TO LEAD IN STRATEGIC DESIGN AND INNOVATION. WE CULTIVATE THE SKILLS AND MINDSET NEEDED TO NAVIGATE COMPLEXITY, ENVISION ALTERNATIVE FUTURES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ASK BETTER QUESTIONS.

Our approach is human-centered, collaborative, interdisciplinary and iterative. It involves research, prototyping and structured activities utilizing visualization methods to design experiences that meet the needs of businesses, users and other stakeholders.

Students work individually and in teams to develop and validate new service systems while learning essential theories and principles for tackling serious problems.

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The class is divided into two main parts, each loosely following the four stages of the Double Diamond or Framework for Innovation: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.

1.

PART ME focuses on students creating their identity as designers—exploring selfknowledge, values, aspirations, and how these shape their personal brand.

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

Design Studio IV

Conclusions:

2.

PART WE is a collaborative project with a real-life client, where students apply strategic design tools and methods while excelling in collaboration, selflessness and purposeful work.

Strategic Design is our vehicle for change, and the studio is rooted in empowerment.

We not only provide technical proficiency in human-centered design, service design, qualitative research, systems

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thinking, and business design but also aim to instill an entrepreneurial spirit that drives positive change.

IE’s diverse student body fosters a rich environment for creative exploration and critical thinking. Students tackle real-world challenges such as improving the waste footprint of a global company like Tetra Pak or exploring new direct-to-consumer opportunities for accessory brands like Eastpak.

PeterPak proposal by students Malak Tawakol, Franz Von Baumbach, Fernando López, Sebastian Segares.

2023-2024

Service journey: Shoe Sole Industry

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio IV

DESIGN STUDIO IV: PROJECT ME

Student: Carlos (Charlie) Loaiza

In Project Me, I had the opportunity to apply design strategies to create a personal brand that reflects who I am as a creative professional. The goal was to develop a refreshed LinkedIn profile, presented as a five-minute elevator pitch.

This project pushed me to dig deep into self-reflection and combine it with theoretical learning, using tools like a life canvas, empathy map, visual mood board, and persona to shape a compelling story about my journey and my work.

project —who am I as a designer?

I would label myself a creative and designer— even though I hate labels.

Yet in addition to that, I would also say that I am inspired by my unexplainable pursuit of experimentation, given that somehow I always look at my life and work through unique and weird ways.

As a designer, I am passionate about transforming ideas into narratives, and I love exploring areas of work that others might be too afraid to even look at. My eye for detail allows me to see solutions beyond what is expected, but most importantly I thrive on bringing creativity to life. My experience ranges in regards to mediums, industries and clients - but I’m mostly dedicated to crafting designs that leave a long-lasting impression!

Spring 2024

Professors: Clara Llamas Davide Fichera

At the heart of my personal brand is my Ikigai[h]: with the use of my art, design, and creativity, I will create methods to foster social justice and tools to bring positive change to the world, focusing on the benefits to humanity and the environment. This idea drives my approach to design and fuels my passion for making a meaningful impact through my work.

This helped me answer one of the most important questions of this

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One philosophy I developed during this project is: “You will never be able to escape from your mind as much as your heart. So it is better to trust them both and listen to what they have to say.”

2023-2024

Design Studio IV

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

“ You will never be able to Escape from your mind as much as your heart. So it is better to trust them both and listen to what they have to say”

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring 2024

Design Studio IV

DESIGN STUDIO IV: PROJECT ME

Professors: Clara Llamas Davide Fichera

Student: Ilona Liechtenstein

Project Me challenged us to apply the usual methodologies used in service design, typically used for businesses and organizations, to our personal lives and career paths. It was an introspective journey that used tools like life canvases, empathy maps, visual mood boards, and persona building, all of which helped us better understand what we really want from life. This exploration revealed that, despite the primer financial and capitalistic focus that often drives career decisions, many of our actual desires were more personal and unexpectedly humble. For many of us, these realizations shifted our perception of career planning, making it feel less daunting and more attainable.

sense of clarity and direction that many of us didn’t expect to find.

The project culminated in crafting a service plan for our own live pathways, with the final deliverable being a fiveminute elevator pitch to a LinkedIn profile that reflected our newly clarified career ambitions. The exercise forced us to think deeply about the steps we need to take in our careers to achieve those goals, providing a

I have since chosen to focus my semester-long BA thesis and portfolio on this industry, and I am now applying to jobs with a clear sense of purpose.

Ultimately, while the project may receive a grade, the true measure of its success will be seen in how fulfilled and happy we are in our chosen careers in the next decade and further.

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Personally, this class gave me the confidence to articulate, for the first time, my own professional aspirations.

I finally expressed my passion for pursuing a career in biodesign, (bio-) materials, fabrication technologies, and sustainable innovation. Initially, the idea of narrowing my focus and updating my public LinkedIn profile to reflect this direction felt overwhelming, but it was a crucial step in aligning my personal and professional identity. Over time, this shift has made it easier to discuss my career plans openly, whether with family or strangers, reinforcing my commitment.

2023-2024

Design Studio IV

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

Profile research on firms & people I am interested in who are in a similar path than what I aim for

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring 2024

Design Studio IV

DESIGN STUDIO IV: PROJECT ME

Professors: Clara Llamas Davide Fichera

Student: Bárbara Hernández

In Project Me, students took on the challenge of applying design thinking principles to create a personal brand, culminating in the creation of an updated LinkedIn profile presented as a 5-minute elevator pitch. This innovative project allowed students to harness the power of design-informed strategies and apply them to themselves, transforming their self-presentation in a professional context. The end result was not just a profile update, but a carefully curated personal brand that reflected their skills, values, and unique experiences.

them to see patterns and themes that could inform their personal brand narrative.

The design process for this project centered around visual storytelling and self-reflection.

Students incorporated a variety of tools typically used in design, such as the life canvas, empathy map, visual mood board, and persona. These tools were used to gain a deeper understanding of their personal and professional identity, and how they wished to be perceived by others, especially in a career-oriented space like LinkedIn. The life canvas, for example, encouraged students to map out significant experiences and turning points in their lives, enabling

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Similarly, the empathy map allowed them to step into the shoes of their target audience—potential employers, colleagues, or clients—and think about what these people might want or need from someone in their field.

The use of a visual mood board helped students conceptualize the look and feel of their brand, identifying colors, fonts, and imagery that aligned with their professional persona. The persona creation exercise helped them articulate who they are as professionals, not just in terms of their skills but also in how they solve problems, communicate, and bring value to their field.

By applying these design tools to themselves, students were able to gain a fresh perspective on personal branding.

This process led to a more thoughtful, deliberate approach to self-presentation, allowing them to effectively communicate their personal and professional story in a compelling, design-driven way.

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Design Studio IV

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“I want to have a fulfilling job in the field of design that lets me have an impact in the world, whether it is small or large scale, in a creative way. I’m interested in living a content and relaxed life in a small town, independently but close to my family, which give me a sense of belonging.”

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COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

VISUALIZATION AND REPRESENTATION TECHNIQUES MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS 1 TYPOGRAPHY, LAYOUT AND PRESENTATION MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS 2 DESIGN NARRATIVES 1 HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITIQUE

FIRST YEAR

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

VISUALIZATION AND REPRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

Spring Semester 2024

Professor: Francesco Maria Furno

This course offers first-year students an immersive exploration of the creative process and the power of visual communication. Through a series of handson projects, students develop a strong foundation in graphic design principles, learn to represent abstract concepts visually and gain practical experience with both physical and digital design techniques.

packaging, and accompanying booklet.

The project challenges students to make complex design decisions and produce a realistic product that could be showcased and sold in an urban art gallery.

The course is centered on two major projects that provide students with opportunities to experiment, innovate and showcase their creativity.

•

1. Editorial Design Project In the first project, students work in teams to create a fanzine, a self-published underground publication. By choosing a topic that interests them, students are encouraged to develop a compelling narrative and translate it into a visually engaging design. The project emphasizes storytelling, concept development and the creation of a cohesive visual system that effectively conveys a specific message.

2. Art Toy Design Project The second project involves the individual or pair-based design of an art toy.

Students begin by selecting a theme, such as Alice in Wonderland or Gods and Myths, to inspire their creative process. They then conceptualize and design a unique art toy,

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Key Learning Outcomes Through these projects, students will develop the following skills:

• •

• • •

Creative thinking: the ability to generate innovative ideas and solutions.

Visual communication: the power to convey messages effectively through visual elements.

Graphic design principles: a solid understanding of fundamental design concepts, such as typography, color theory, and layout.

Technical proficiency: practical skills in using design software and tools.

Problem-solving: the capacity to overcome challenges and find creative solutions.

Collaboration: the ability to work effectively in teams and contribute to a shared goal.

By the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of design projects that demonstrate their creativity, technical skills and understanding of the principles of visual communication.

Spring Semester 2024

FIRST YEAR

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

FIRST YEAR

MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS I

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Andrea Caruso Jorge Penadés

The final results of Materials and Applications I is the exhibition “Mould Operandi”.

At the heart of “Mould Operandi” lies the collective efforts of young designers, who, in collaborative groups, delved into a comprehensive examination of diverse materials – such as wood, cardboard, metal, plaster, and clay.

Inspired by the methodology of artist Richard Serra, each student meticulously explored the chosen material with a rich tapestry of 25 verbs, uncovering the inherent essence of each substance.

Building upon their initial experiments, students had to apply their findings to the creation of a unique mould designed for the glass blowing. Under the guidance of master artisan Diego Rodriguez at the renowned Real Fábrica de Cristal in La Granja, Segovia, and tutored by Andrea Caruso (Ciszak Dalmas) and Jorge Penadés, more than 30 glass pieces were blown and finished, as a result of

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controlling different parameters such as material composition, temperature modulation, viscosity, and states of matter. The artisans at the Real Fabrica de Cristal finally refined the pieces through various cold processing techniques.

As the moulds, crafted from diverse materials, were subjected to the intense heat of the glass-blowing process, some emerged undamaged, while others bore the scars of their trials. This exhibition aims to unveil the complete journey of experimentation, not merely showcasing the final glass pieces but also presenting the very tools that played an integral role in shaping the creation process.

As these unique pieces find a home in the factory’s exhibition spaces, a strong partnership forms between IE University’s Design Faculty in Segovia and the local glassmaker. “Mould Operandi” shows the school’s strong dedication to promoting the students’ work and is a testament to how hands-on learning can change how we think about design.

Spring Semester 2024

FIRST YEAR

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

THIRD YEAR

TYPOGRAPHY, LAYOUT AND PRESENTATION

Fall Semester 2024

Professor: Ritxi Ostariz

The graphic language and typography course, part of Design Narratives, will provide students with a series of audiovisual, graphic and computerbased knowledge and techniques so that they can effectively and efficiently communicate the work they do, structuring a coherent and sensible discourse in which they explain the concepts, analysis of the approach and elaboration processes that have led to the result. For this reason, teaching will focus on typography, editorial design and layout, the limitations and opportunities of each format and medium, along with audiovisual presentations and analysis of success stories and best practices.

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In addition to the corresponding theoretical classes where students learn the basic and advanced concepts of the use of typography (character anatomy, paragraph anatomy, spaces, sizes, grid and composition, etc.), they develop a complete book design project from start to finish, including printing under professional standards.

Each semester, the topic of the book is changed (operas, novels, essays...) leaving the students free to choose the author or title to design.

Fall Semester 2024

THIRD YEAR

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

THIRD YEAR

MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS II

Fall Semester 2024

Professors: Lucas Muñoz Muñoz, Javier Pérez Contonent, Luis Alberto Fernández

IE University worked with Lucas Muñoz Muñoz on a material research project conceptualized and designed by the Madrid-based designer: M15, a tool for design education on materials and applications which aims to contribute to a greater good for the creative community and the planet through the common effort of students, professors and the institution.

M15 is a territorial research that aims to create an open catalogue of processes and material possibilities out of what the project calls informal sources of material (ISMs): constant residue material flows produced out of specific places. Any given human

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activity creates a leftover, and from a creative lens it can become something new. The challenge assumed within this academic project is mapping those in Madrid and reclaiming, upcycling, repurposing and finding new value for them, then creating a catalogue of this and opening it to the world.

Fall Semester 2024

THIRD YEAR

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

FOURTH YEAR

DESIGN NARRATIVES I

Spring Semester 2024

Professor: Saskia Bostelmann

Throughout this course students navigated into different aspects of narrating their own story. Design is about stories. Visual, spatial and objectual narratives. It’s not just storytelling, but a broader conceptual aspect of a designer’s body of work. Design is an ample, inclusive and generous scenario, in which all typologies converse and interact with each other. Every student has their own set of characteristics. The purpose of this course was to understand each complex individual and help potentialize their own particular combination of skills, emotions and conceptual interior proceedings which are exteriorized through the diverse projects.

To achieve this we delved individually and collectively into diverse practical exercises and assignments, using traditional sketching as an important daily tool. The course´s intention was to provide visual and written creative techniques to enhance diversity, helping all students interpret their core nature and drivers, building the confidence to pursue their own design manifesto and transmit their personal conceptual universe. The aim of the course was for every student to recognize their own design vocabulary. We dealt with the importance of self-recognition and the power of visual information;

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translating ideas into the imaginary by understanding and using semiotics in terms of constructing meaning via visual and/or objectual representation.

Goals Even at an early stage, mapping one’s world and work helps to potentialize where each student’s particularities and personal sources form their strengths and where each would like to be situated as a designerWritten concepts and abstracts of students’ work were relevant for each of them to construct their own narrative scenario by visualizing their own projects from different angles, forming connections and generating their intricate story, which culminated in a design journal that was built progressively using Miro board throughout the course, accompanied by their first designer´s manifesto, which, as I like to say, will be the first of many, just ready to be iterated and evolve throughout their professional life.

The course was concluded with 37 completely diverse virtual book issuu journals, a sketch book and visual (video) and written statements that summarize through images, words and movement each student as a unique designer.

Spring Semester 2024

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THEORETICAL SUBJECTS

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITIQUE

Spring Semester 2024

Clara Zarza García-Arenal Area Coordinator

The Bachelor in Design’s History, Theory, & Critique courses are distributed throughout the four years of our program to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the intellectual and historical foundations of the rich and multifaceted world of design. As such, it is an essential area of study that explores the evolution of design across various disciplines, contextualizing how social, cultural, political, and technological factors have shaped design practices. Through critical engagement with key theories and sources, students develop an informed perspective on the role design has played in shaping both societal norms as well as individual behaviour and experience throughout time.

This area of study introduces students to major historical movements in design, from the early industrial revolution to contemporary design trends, allowing them to trace the progression of visual and material culture while rooting these practices in broader intellectual and historical processes. Students explore the work of influential designers and thinkers, examining how design has both responded

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to and influenced national and global shifts in art, technology, and society.

Research, critical analysis and argument building forms a central component of this area, encouraging students to develop a critical lens on design processes and outcomes. They learn to question established social and cultural norms and assumptions, proposing new, innovative solutions. This critical approach fosters a deeper understanding of the potential of design to enact positive change, both at the individual and societal levels.

By integrating historical context, theoretical frameworks, and critical analysis, the Design History, Theory, & Critique courses equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills to not only create impactful designs but also contribute meaningfully to broader design discourse.

With these courses our Bachelor seeks to prepare students to engage with the design world not just as practitioners but as thoughtful, reflective professionals who understand the broader implications of their work in a rapidly changing world.

Spring Semester 2024

THEORETICAL SUBJECTS

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UNDERGRADUATE THESIS: BACHELOR IN DESIGN

THESIS PROJECTS

Undergraduate Thesis

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

THESIS PROJECTS

2023-2024

Taryn Mead Area Coordinator

THE UNDERGRADUATE THESIS COURSE IS THE CULMINATING COURSE IN THE BACHELOR OF DESIGN PROGRAM, PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND INSIGHTS GAINED THROUGHOUT THEIR ACADEMIC JOURNEY. THIS CLASS ENABLES STUDENTS TO DEVELOP AN ORIGINAL, RESEARCHDRIVEN DESIGN PROJECT THAT ADDRESSES A SPECIFIC CHALLENGE, THEME, OR QUESTION WITHIN THEIR CHOSEN DESIGN DISCIPLINE.

Students showcase their creative abilities, technical skills and conceptual thinking through a comprehensive design solution that integrates research, experimentation, and execution.

Throughout the semester, students work closely with an Academic Tutor with professional expertise in their project interest area to develop and execute a comprehensive research and design project. Each student follows a structured process, starting with initial research and concept development. This phase includes identifying a design problem, conducting

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background research and defining the objectives of the project. Emphasis is placed on both contextual understanding and innovative approaches to the problem, whether addressing real-world issues or speculative design scenarios.

The next phase involves prototyping and iterative design development.

Students create sketches, models or digital prototypes to test and refine their ideas. Regular critiques and feedback sessions with faculty, peers and industry professionals help students refine their concepts, ensuring their designs are

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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functional, aesthetically compelling and aligned with their research goals.

As students move toward the final phase, they focus on the final presentation and artifact of material or visual value. This includes producing the final version of their design project and preparing all necessary deliverables such as documentation, a written research report, as well as a final material or visual artefact that showcases the process and final outcomes. The thesis culminates in a final defense presentation and exhibition, where students present their

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projects to a panel of faculty and design professionals, defending their work and demonstrating its relevance and impact.

This class fosters independence, creativity and professionalism, preparing students for successful careers in design or further academic pursuits.

The Undergraduate Thesis is not only an individual achievement, but also a reflection of the student’s growth, capabilities, and potential as a designer.

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

RECONSTRUCTED MODERNISM

Professors: Clara Zarza García-Arenal Taryn Mead

Student: Carlos (Charlie) Loaiza

The following thesis, Reconstructed Modernism, explores the intricate relationship between the cultural whitewashing and historical misrepresentation fabricated by the so-called Western world, alongside the popularity of Modernism in contemporary society. By shedding light on the improper representation and misunderstanding of classical antiquity, the thesis looks at how the misrepresentation of cultural productions of the past were manufactured to suit the ideological needs of the Euro-American Modern Movement.

open new paths for contemporary design through the design of a “bookobject” for Reconstructed Modernism.

The thesis seeks to deconstruct puristic narratives by revealing their foundations, built upon flawed assumptions of what can be understood as Western values.

Furthermore, the research highlights the scarcity of discourse being translated and targeted within the realm of design, as well as solutions surrounding this topic, thus presenting an opportunity to contribute newer directions from a design perspective.

Through a revisionist exploration, the project uncovers a troubling narrative in which the modern world is presented as inherently pure, perpetuating a deceptive perception of Classical Antiquity as a result. This misrepresentation has had profound social, aesthetical, and cultural implications that have shaped core ideologies deeply embedded not just in the world of design but in the contemporary narrative that shapes the present.

The thesis proposes a shift (not only regarding aesthetic choices, but regarding the mentality and canon cemented by modernist values) as well as a reflection of contemporary design ideologies. The project itself emphasizes the ideological constructions that exist behind aesthetics, which are particularly long-lasting in the case of Euro-American Modernism. By transcending existing limitations and opening avenues for reimagining the 21st century, the project navigates toward a new framework, informed by a critical understanding of historical narratives and a commitment to reflective creation. This project advocates for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to design, challenging fabricated biases of history.

By employing speculative design practices alongside revisionist studies, the project aims to illuminate the longlasting impact of these ideologically shaped narratives, and in light of it,

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2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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CALYPSO RIDDIM

Professors: Ruxandra Iancu Bratosin Taryn Mead

Student: Raissa Paty

This thesis addresses the impact of globalization on culture, which has led to a decrease in engagement with local cultures.

A popular medium of globalized culture is video games. There has been an increase in widespread access to these games, with approximately 3.2 billion gamers globally in 2023. (Adopting a user-centered design approach, the project focuses on the historical reflection of culturally significant events in an underrepresented community, specifically the historic and often underrepresented traditions of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. Through the medium of a video game, the objective is to preserve and enrich awareness and enhance the representation of these cultural practices.

The importance of cultural preservation and representation in a digital realm highlights the active representation and preservation of culture that contributes to increased cultural diversity, understanding and empowerment in identity, fostering creative expression and innovation. The implications of this research extend to the development of strategies for future research and the creation of culturally enriching video games. By leveraging digital platforms, this project aims to counteract the homogenizing effects of globalization, offering a promising avenue for the continued preservation and celebration of diverse cultural traditions in the digital age.

2023-2024

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MEMORY SHELLS

Professors: María Esteban Casañas Taryn Mead

Student: Mariane Meshaka

Even after the end of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the symbolic divisions established by military barricades remained in Lebanon’s architectural, political, and social landscapes. The lack of a comprehensive and holistic approach to collective memory and the government’s failure to engage in a national dialogue has hindered Lebanon’s progress towards reconciliation, fostering a climate of unresolved grievances, mistrust, and sectarian narratives. These unresolved tensions have reinforced the degradation of Lebanese society along sectarian and religious divisions to this day, overshadowing the Lebanese national identity. However, the October 2019 uprising marked an unprecedented moment of national unity in which people came together regardless of political or religious affiliations. Leveraging the feelings of cross-sectarian unity brought on by the October 2019 uprising, Memory Shells offers a means of reconnecting postwar younger generations to lost national belonging in the hope of constructing collective memory in the long term.

Located on the former Green Line that separated Muslim West from Christian East Beirut, the Egg, an abandoned cinema, was a strategic occupation point for snipers during the conflict. During the five months of the October 2019 protests, the Egg was reappropriated and re-programmed by protesters, transforming it from a ruined abandoned structure to a vibrant social hub. With its symbolic and historical significance to the Lebanese people and with several threats to its existence, the Egg (also known as the Dome) has become symbol of resistance, revolution, and reclamation in Beirut, making it the optimal platform for reconnecting postwar generations to lost traditional crafts and memories, reclaiming lost national cultural tools. By rehabilitating the Egg, Memory Shells aims to reimagine it as a place for intercommunal interactions and heritage preservation to facilitate collective memory rebuilding in the long term.

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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NATURAL SPLENDOUR

Professors: Taryn Mead

Student: Ilona Liechtenstein

In response to the pressing need for a reduction of carbon emissions as outlined in the forthcoming Paris Climate Agreement, this project proposes a novel design approach addressing both environmental concerns and cultural ties. Titled Natural Splendour, the design proposal aims to reinvent Christmas decoration by substituting traditional incandescent and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs for bioluminescent materials.

fungi Panellus stipticus. Through exploration and a Do-it-Yourself experimentation approach, a tangible prototype, embodying geo-mimetic[m] design principles to maximize light distribution, is developed.

The design process includes distinct phases of understanding the organisms, exploring their optimal living conditions, establishing a material maintenance protocol and the creation of a functional, symbiotic design.

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Using an Organism Driven Material Design methodology, the study dives into the potential of bioluminescent lighting solutions through the case studies of three living organisms: the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri; Saccharomyces cerevisiae, French saison yeast with extrachromosomal Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) containing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP); and the

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The proposed outcome seeks to maintain the festive charm we associate with Christmas, whilst significantly reducing light pollution, carbon emissions and energy bills in cities. Natural Splendour showcases the potential of using living materials in urban design, offering a more regenerative approach to address contemporary reduction challenges without placing limitations on current cultural expectations.

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

SEND IT?

Professors: María Esteban Casañas Taryn Mead

Student: Elina Lehmkuhl

This thesis is on Freeriding, a discipline within skiing that has been increasingly popular in the last few years partly due to one of the most infamous ski competitions in the world; The Freeride World Tour.

Through external and internal pressures, many experienced skiers well versed in off-piste skiing, mountain safety and risk assessment are venturing into the steeper and uncontrolled areas to try their hand at freeriding. However, many of these expert skiers are making poor decisions in elevated risk. Risk could be defined as the outcome probabilities being specified (Weber et al, 2009). In this case, the outcome is triggering an avalanche.

Despite all warnings, skiers will take a leap of faith and play with their lives. In the last three seasons (2020-2023) there have been an unfaltering number of fatalities due to avalanches, most prominently in Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

time. This topic has become increasingly problematic for various reasons. Climate change and weather extremities have created persistent weak layers in the snowpack, making it more prone to triggering. Additionally, with social media’s desensitization of ski publications, where the context is removed, as well as any prior risk assessment, and with the influx of tourism post-Covid, there has been an incredible pressure on the ski industry to come up with quick solutions and build bigger lifts at higher altitudes. With the increased accessibility to more avalancheprone terrain, fatalities are rising. My intended audience is the community of skiers that enjoy participating in or watching Freeride. Through data visualization and video, the thesis aims to draw attention to the urgent need for effective communication strategies that engage viewers both intellectually and emotionally through contextualizing media and using real-life scenarios so that the community can foster a deeper understanding of the intertwined issues of decision-making dynamics and changing environments, thereby promoting responsible practices and possibly change regulations around mountain safety.

Although high-tech avalanche gear keeps improving and developing every season, it has been used as a tool to go off-piste rather than a last resort. It is unfortunate to need to use it because that means someone is under an avalanche with only 15 minutes survival

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2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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2023-2024

Undergraduate Thesis

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REIMAGINING THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Professors: José Antonio Ávila Taryn Mead

Student: Agnieszka Widziewicz

Reimagining the Textile Industry: Embracing the Diversity of Native Plant Fibers, addresses the unsustainable nature of the current textile industry, emphasizing its environmental and socio-humanistic challenges. The global preference for certain fibers like cotton has led to their forced cultivation in nonnative environments, therefore requiring excessive irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Furthermore, production often takes place in underdeveloped countries where regulations on human rights can lead to exploitative practices such as forced labor.

while determining the optimal conditions for their integration into the textile lifecycle.

It focuses onthe positive ecological impact of natural and local fiber processing, proposing methods which bolster environmental responsibility. Europe is a leading exporter of blackberries, as they are native to the region.

However, the process of regular pruning, which is necessary for fruit production, generates substantial agricultural waste in the form of discarded stems. This presents an opportunity to source these unused raw materials directly from European growers and potentialize central textile production in the region. Such localization not only fosters a more empathetic relationship with extile workers but also deepens consumers’ connections to the garments produced within this process,s

This project advocates for a broader use of diverse fibers native to specific regions and promotes localizing their production processes nearer to the source of these raw materials. The textile industry’s current narrow focus overlooks many potential plant sources. This initiative explores using fibers from blackberry stems, which are indigenous to Europe and well-suited to its climate. These plants thrive without the need for irrigation, fertilizers or pesticides, thus having minimal environmental impact.

Adopting a do-it-yourself ethos, the project investigates the characteristics of blackberry stems, evaluating their textile potential,

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This project cultivates a renaissance in textile production that respects and harmonizes with the environment rather than exploiting it for human commodities. By fostering a local supply chain, itnot only maintains an ecological balance, but also enables a sustainable cultural practice within textile manufacturing. It also serves as a model that can be replicated globally with other native fibers, potentially leading to a more integrated and responsible textile industry.

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BACHELO ARCHITE STUDIES [UNDERGRADUATE]

00 01 02 03

INTRODUCTION DESIGN STUDIO COURSE HIGHLIGHTS THESIS PROJECTS

OR IN ECTURAL

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

BAS

BACHELOR IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES

2023-2024

David Goodman Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

OUR BACHELOR IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES (BAS) IS THE FIRST STEP ON THE PATH TO PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, BUT THERE’S MUCH MORE TO THIS PROGRAM THAN ACCESS TO A SINGLE PROFESSION. ARCHITECTURE ENGAGES DESIGN AT ALL SCALES, AND IT SOMETIMES HAS JUST AS MUCH TO DO WITH ASSESSING WHETHER A BUILDING IS ACTUALLY NECESSARY THAN WITH THE DESIGN OF A BUILDING ITSELF.

Our program therefore must comply with two overlapping obligations: we need to prepare future architects to practice with imagination, responsibility, and technical innovation. And we also need to prepare architects willing to think outside the conventionally understood boundaries of the profession, and to approach architecture as a rich and broad discipline, one that includes, but is not limited to the built environment. The work you see here illustrates our commitment to both of these obligations, and to the notion

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that when combined, these approaches help shape a new kind of architect, ready and able to work in different professions, but with a strong grounding in the discipline of architecture.

Design Studio forms the heart of the degree. It’s here that we integrate the technical, historical, urbanistic and experimental aspects of the curriculum.

Much of the work in this section comes from our design studio sequence and is also grounded in a culture of making and experimenting, shared across programs.

2023-2024

BAS

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DESIGN STUDIO

Design Studio

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO INTRO

2023- 2024

Romina Canna Coordinator, Design Studio Sequence

DESIGN STUDIO, A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF THE ARCHITECTURE STUDIES PROGRAM, CONSISTS OF A SEQUENCE OF NINE COURSES. HOUSED IN A STUDIO SPACE THAT IS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL STUDENTS 24/7, DESIGN STUDIO IS WHERE DISCIPLINARY AND PRACTICAL TOOLS ARE TAUGHT, EXAMINED, AND APPLIED.

This engagement spans a broad spectrum of topics, from conceptual to pragmatic issues, forming the foundation of architecture as both a science and a practice. The sequence is structured around a series of keywords that direct the Design Studio agenda throughout a student’s education, progressively introducing layers of complexity to the diverse aspects of architectural thinking and practice. The goal of Design Studio is to present the student with problems of increasing complexity and a growing sense of engagement with social concerns. Additionally, at each

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step of the sequence, a certain element of the assignment must be provided by the student: the program, site, or research question, emerging from student analyses, proposals and active participation. This proactivity on the part of the student is intended to develop our graduates’ entrepreneurial spirit and abilities; our students learn, even in the very first semester, that the architect’s job is not merely to translate a need expressed by others into built form, but rather that they may be fundamental in the processes of articulating and advocating for the needs themselves.

During the first year, within the conceptual framework of FOUNDATIONS, students embark on their architectural education by grasping the fundamental principles of the discipline. In the first semester, under the title Idea and Form, and in the second semester, under Form and Material, students delve into exploring the anthropology of everyday life and architecture as an interface for social relations. In the Second Year, under the overarching theme of USES, the design studio explores architectural conditions shaped by the interaction between the subject and various external factors.

Beginning with the topic of Experience in the first semester and progressing to Program in the second semester, students concentrate on how users engage with and respond to external conditions and demands, whether these are created or imposed. Upon entering their Third Year, and framed by the concept of ENCOUNTERS, students first engage with the material realm in the first semester, exploring the notion of Technique as a trigger of the design process. In the second semester, they shift to the concept of The Existing, addressing a significant

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aspect of contemporary architectural practice and discourse, and engaging with current social, cultural and material conditions. In the Fourth Year, students explore ENGAGEMENTS as the framework to drive their design process. In the first semester, they investigate the concept of Aggregations, scrutinizing the relationship between parts and the whole across various scales. In the second semester, they concentrate on Territory, addressing a scale that necessitates an advanced set of tools for intervening in urban conditions while interacting with a new array of agents and agencies. Finally, in the Fifth Year, the concluding stage of the sequence, the theme of APPLICATIONS encompasses two key components. The first semester is dedicated to Alternative Practices, which, while not entirely part of the Design Studio sequence, integrates elements from it to explore diverse fields of action and practice for architects. The year concludes with a second semester studio titled Synthesis, where students develop a comprehensive project that consolidates their entire educational journey by applying insights and skills gained from previous explorations.

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Design Studio

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Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 1

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 1 Professors: Elena Pérez Garrigues, Juan Cabello Arribas, Óscar Valero Sáez

Coordinator: José Vela Castillo

REIMAGI(NI)NG THE DOMESTIC SPACE An anthropologically oriented approach to Design Studio

that perceives and manipulates it, to the embodied actions that result from this relationship with the object, to the interactions with the other inhabitants of a domestic environment, the complex spatial relationships thus created ultimately help students to construct a rich and multilayered architectural space for everyday life. The innovative studio sequence proposes that students begin the process of design as a process of discovery in a very intuitive way from the very first minute. By avoiding creating an authoritative voice by stating what architecture looks like or how it should be designed, and instead allowing students to discover it for themselves, the studio helps to build a critical voice from within.

Design Studio 1: Idea and Form, is the first studio in the sequence of design studios in the Bachelor of Architecture program and is taught in the fall semester. It is followed and complemented by Design Studio 2: Form and Material in the spring semester.

The course is framed as an anthropology of the everyday oriented studio under the general concept of “Reimagi(ni)ng the Domestic Space.” Beginning with a domestic object chosen in relation to the students’ own memories and desires, and through an extensive hands-on process based on constant drawing and model making, students end up developing a highly experimental design for a domestic environment of their own.

The studio begins with students actively turning their senses to the minimal acts of everyday life, both in relation to the objects that populate it and to the body that inhabits it in a meaningful way. In a sequence that moves from a simple domestic object, to the body

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The studio is framed by a series of theoretical lectures that help students understand the conceptual reference network of the proposal, ranging from the extended phenomenological tradition (embodied space) to include performative and anthropological approaches, but also from related fields of art and design. Of course, architecture also provides conceptual support without being the center of the constellation.

Fall Semester 2023

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 1

DESIGN STUDIO 1: A STEEL AND WOOD KNIFE

Professor: Elena Pérez Garrigues

Student: Anika Racho

A knife and the memory of my grandfather using it. This is what triggered the design process for the whole semester. It is an ordinary knife, but charged with emotional meaning.

He used to sit in the same corner of the kitchen every morning. He used this knife to cut the fruit he always had for breakfast, small pieces of which he handled to me. A sharp metal cutting edge tied to a wooden handle, aged but still in shape. The smell of freshly cut fruit wafted through the kitchen. There were dozens of other knives in this kitchen, but he used only this one.

tried flipping them and positioning them together or separately in the space until I had collected some different possible combinations that would make the spaces work together.

By handling, drawing, and manipulating the knife (cutting, peeling, scraping), different spatialities were first discovered, then explored, in search of three remembered or desired spaces associated with the knife. And with me.

The three spaces that emerged were a welcoming space, a nesting space and, surprisingly, a pornographic space. After confirming the identities of the spaces, I

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While playing with many possibilities, the three of them fit perfectly into a vertical tower structure, with the Welcome Space at the base of the base of the Nest Space and the Pornographic Space at the top.

From there, I had to propose a domestic space on a site condition. Close to a river, in an island part at the end of a forest, the final proposal transformed the tower-like previous aggregate of the three spaces, into a complex horizontal composition. The users, myself, an ornithologist and a film director interacted to create a new domestic environment shared by the three, where both privacy and shared communal areas were provided. The materiality, like the knife, was divided into wood and steel.

Fall Semester 2023

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 1

DESIGN STUDIO 1: SEDIMENTAL DOMESTICITY

Professor: Juan Cabello Arribas

Student: María Urrutia

Sentimental Domesticity takes an abstract approach to defining domestic spaces, emphasizing the interaction between a design and its surroundings.

The project is the result of a thorough development process which began with simple orthographic drawings of an everyday object, following diagrams that interpret how the article interacts with one’s body and its movements.

Subsequently, I developed various models to express these movements in order to define three key spaces within: Overexposed, Concatenated and The Nest—further developed through more drawings and model making. Additionally, I worked with maps of constellations combining these three concepts, evaluating how each amalgamation could transmit different narratives.

the layers of sediment accumulating near the hills, hinting at the presence of a former river. I was also fascinated by the interplay of different landscapes— such as the sediment, the depression where the river once flowed, and the grassy slope—that naturally created distinct thresholds and spaces, each with its own identity, much like the domestic spaces I had been developing.

Afterward, I shifted my focus from the domestic space design to incorporate a fictional site inspired by the geographical elements of areas near the river of Segovia. What intrigued me most were

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In my final design, my goal was to seamlessly integrate the three domestic spaces in a way that mimicked the experience of moving through the sediment layers and transitioning across the varied thresholds of the site.

Each space was designed to evoke the sensation of passing through these natural shifts in terrain, with the architectural form adapting to the unique programmatic functions of each area. Through this approach, I aimed to capture the dynamic relationship between the site’s evolving landscape and the domestic environments within it.

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio I

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The final model, crafted through an iterative process of oscillating between plan and section, was key to achieving the desired sense of motion and flow.

This approach allowed me to create a kind of architectural poetry—an abstract

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space evocative of a ruin, imbued with a sense of mystery and incompleteness.

Its unfinished quality invites the viewer to project their imagination onto it, envisioning what could be, and encouraging an ever-evolving narrative.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 1

DESIGN STUDIO 1: FRAGMENT TO FUNCTION

Professor: Óscar Valero Sáez

Student: Nour Iskander

This project centers on reimagining a living space for the cohabitation of three distinct individuals, using a process-based approach. The design methodology begins with the selection of a specific object, carefully chosen for its symbolic and functional relevance to the interactions between inhabitants. This object was deconstructed and reimagined, providing the foundation for the spatial design.

translated into architectural elements.

The spatial design focused on creating zones that reflect the individuality of each inhabitant while encouraging interaction and shared experiences. The project’s guiding principle was to ensure fluidity between private and communal areas, allowing for personal retreat and collective activities. The design achieves this by incorporating flexible layouts, movable partitions, and multi-functional spaces that can adapt to changing needs.

The deconstruction phase involved breaking down the object into its essential components, analyzing its forms, functions and the emotional connotations it evokes.

This analysis paralleled the examination of the needs, personalities, and relationships of the three inhabitants. Each part of the object became a metaphor for various aspects of shared living—privacy, community, and adaptability—offering insights into how spaces could be configured to balance these contrasting needs. The deconstructed elements were studied for their material properties, shapes, and how they interact, influencing the architecture’s form and organization.

The reimagination phase was where the findings from deconstruction were

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Materiality and light play critical roles in this design. By using materials that reference the object’s textures and properties, the space evokes a sense of familiarity and connection to the design process.

Natural light is strategically introduced to enhance the quality of the spaces, fostering both comfort and energy efficiency.

Ultimately, the project aims to create a harmonious living environment that respects the individuality of each person while fostering a sense of community.

The process-driven design, rooted in object-based inspiration, leads to a unique, adaptable space that evolves with its inhabitants’ needs and interactions.

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DESIGN STUDIO 2 Professors: Maxon Higbee, Óscar Valero Sáez, José Vela Castillo

Coordinator: José Vela Castillo

Design Studio 2: Form and Material continues and deepens the architectural explorations begun in Design Studio 1: Idea and Form in the fall semester.

in an existing food market, and finally at the scale of a community kitchen in the same existing building. But unlike Design Studio 1, where the student first constructed the site of intervention as an abstract yet emotional narrative, Design Studio 2 jumps into the existing complexity of the city from the start.

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Design Studio 2

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In Design Studio 2 the starting point is architecture itself, understood as an interface for social relations. Thus, the original individual body-object connection with the domestic space explored in Design Studio 1 is now extended to a broader, multi-person social interaction mediated by an architectural aggregate. First in the form of an abstract architectural machine that enforces a more than two-person interaction, then at the larger scale of a commercial interface

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Thus, the entire year, understood as a continuum, moves from the intimate small scale and personal memory to the social (and socially constructed) space, and from the scale of the object to the larger scale of the city and the social dynamics of the collective. In sum, the student will move through all architectural scales, in each of which the bidirectional yet complex

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interaction of the individual/collective and the single architectural piece/ urban environment will be intimated.

Finally, the conceptual framework for the studio semester is twofold: on the one hand, it focuses on exploring the experiential as well as the social modes of production of architecture, engaging both the individual body and the collective, the private and the communal in the charged environment of a food market. On the other hand, it is an in-depth exploration of the physical and material conditions of architecture, from the basic assemblage of construction elements to the intervention into the existing.

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This comprehensive framework also allows students to thoroughly explore the poetic dimension of architecture, its critical capacities and its ability to signify and create meanings that can provide an experiential and symbolic engagement with places and cities.

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DESIGN STUDIO 2: NEW INTERVENTION IN MERCADO DE LOS MOSTENSES Professor: José Vela Castillo

Student: Kesaria Kerashvili

This project, New Intervention in the Mercado de los Mostenses, is an architectural initiative aimed at fostering intergenerational connections within a communal kitchen space. The design envisions creating a platform for interaction between the elderly and youth in the heart of the Mercado de los Mostenses, a historically significant site in Madrid.

contemporary elements with respect for the existing architectural fabric of the Mercado de los Mostenses. The project highlights a series of sectional drawings, elevations, and plans that articulate the spatial arrangement, showing how the intervention sits within the larger market and neighborhood context. The design carefully addresses circulation and the relationships between different programmatic areas, ensuring fluid movement and meaningful interactions.

The elderly contribute their knowledge, traditions and culinary skills, while the youth bring energy, curiosity, and modern techniques, facilitating a unique exchange of wisdom and cultural practices.

This communal kitchen is not just a physical space, but a social and cultural bridge. It is designed to encourage the passing down of traditions, particularly through food. The interaction transcends simple cooking: it builds relationships, fosters mutual respect and encourages emotional exchange. In this culinary space, food acts as a means of both nourishment and storytelling, preserving traditions and enhancing the social fabric of the community.

The design details reflect the thoughtful integration of the kitchen within its historical context, balancing

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In summary, this architecture project envisions a communal kitchen within the Mercado de los Mostenses, designed to foster interaction between the elderly and young people, creating a space for intergenerational connection.

The elderly share their knowledge, stories, and recipes, while the young bring energy and modern techniques, cooking for and with them.

Through this exchange, traditions are passed down and a deep sense of community is nurtured. The space encourages collaboration, learning and mutual respect between generations, using food as a medium for building relationships, preserving culture and enhancing social cohesion.

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Design Studio 2

DESIGN STUDIO 2: LUMINOUS PARASITES

Student: Malak Kamel

The Luminous Parasites project redefines the Mostenses Market, transforming it from a traditional market into a vibrant community hub centered on food, connection and shared experiences. By introducing large, triangular structures that break through the market’s walls and floors, this intervention creates multifunctional spaces that invite both vendors and visitors to interact in new ways. These sculptural elements serve as more than just lighting fixtures; they are the heart of a reimagined community kitchen, where the line between commerce and communal activity is blurred.

accommodate essential programs like cooking, storage, and communal eating areas. Each structure houses kitchens where food is not only prepared for sale but shared, turning the market into a dynamic space for learning, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Visitors are encouraged to gather, cook together, and share meals, creating a lively social atmosphere that fosters community bonds.

Spring Semester 2024

Professor: Óscar Valero Sáez

The luminous parasites function as immersive environments that

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The intervention’s focus on light and warmth transforms the market into an inviting, multi-sensory experience.

The warm glow of the triangular lamps enhances the natural energy of the market, turning it into a welcoming environment where people feel at ease

staying longer, engaging with one another and partaking in shared activities.

What was once a purely transactional space has now become a place for interaction, learning and connection.

This transformation breathes new life into the market, making it a destination not just for buying and selling, but for building relationships. The luminous parasites’ striking design integrates function with aesthetics, creating an intimate space where everyday life intersects with artistic expression.

In summary, Luminous Parasites evolves the Mostenses Market from a traditional commercial setting into a modern community kitchen. The project bridges the gap between functionality and social engagement, transforming the market into a place where food and culture unite, enhancing both the spatial and human experience.

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Spring Semester 2024

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 2

DESIGN STUDIO 2: TRANSFORMING TRADITION

Professor: Maxon Higbee

Student: Natalia Gallardo Pérez

The objective of this project is to reimagine and transform the existing building, the Mercado de los Mostenses, through a thoughtful architectural intervention that enhances the functionality of the market while prioritizing user experience. The core concept is to preserve the market’s essence—its cultural and communal significance— while introducing strategic changes that address the needs of its patrons.

provide access to the second floor and the rooftop without requiring entry into the market itself. These stairs also include some wider steps, which can function as seating, offering visitors a new way to experience the market from different perspectives.

The process of developing this architectural solution began with a local approach, focusing on a single area of the market on one floor. This allowed for a deep understanding of the dynamics in that specific section. Gradually, the idea expanded to encompass the entire building, transforming the original concept into a full-scale approach that impacts every part of the market. This phased development ensured that the final design was both comprehensive and rooted in practical, user-centered considerations.

The most significant alteration involves lowering the ground level, effectively raising the market structure. This change facilitates a more dynamic circulation system that accommodates multiple pathways. The design extends throughout the entire building, incorporating external stairways that

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In response to the large number of elderly visitors to the market, the design incorporates bridges that connect different sections of the first floor. This feature is intended to improve accessibility, enabling individuals to move through the space more easily and efficiently, reducing the effort required to reach their destinations.

Inspired by Le Corbusier’s concept of roof gardens, another key aspect of the project is the introduction of a green roof.

This rooftop garden provides a space for visitors to relax, dine and socialize, offering a peaceful retreat within the bustling market environment.

In conclusion, this intervention balances modernization with tradition, ensuring that the Mercado de los Mostenses remains a vital and beloved part of the urban fabric while adapting to contemporary needs. The project prioritizes functionality, accessibility, and aesthetic appeal, creating a market that serves its community more effectively.

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Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 3

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DESIGN STUDIO 3 Professors: Wesam Al Asali, Ara González Cabrera, Camila Aybar Rodríguez, Antonio Cantero Vinuesa

Coordinator: Wesam Al Asali

Design Studio 3 delves into the realm of architectural experience. It builds upon DS1’s focus on the theoretical and contextual understanding of architectural ideas and forms, as well as DS2’s exploration of the social and psychological aspects of architecture.

DS3 seamlessly weaves together the threads of form and material to create a tapestry of immersive experiences.

engaging in thought-provoking discussions about their use, materials, and scale. Building upon this knowledge, we then embark on the design of a house and studio for a craftsperson in Segovia. By drawing inspiration from the vernacular architecture and exploring connections with nonarchitectural forms of making, we aim to establish innovative methods of design that embrace resource consciousness and sustainability.

The concept of experience raises intriguing questions: experiences of what, by whom A and how can they be narrated. These questions propel us beyond our individual perspectives as designers, urging us to consider the experiences of others: users, buildings, supplies, and materials. DS3 embarks on an exploration, delving into the study, research, and communication of these diverse experiences.

To unravel these experiences, the studio first focuses on experiencing existing spaces as static entities (building as a noun) and the design process of creating new spaces (building as a verb).

We closely examine the vernacular architectural elements in Segovia,

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The studio unfolds through four transformative workshops: 1. Elements: this workshop focuses on constructing narratives of existing conditions using architectural drawing tools.

2. Moments: in this workshop, we delve deeper into the elements studied and explore their potential narratives through experimental compositions.

3. Stories: the third workshop aims to design a new space where artisans can live, work and showcase their creations to the public.

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4. Confections: the confections workshop could be understood not only as the elaboration of new documents, but also as an opportunity to reassemble the course work in a final search for coherence. Bringing together the visual precedents studies and the stories will necessitate the creation of a confection.

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Design Studio 3

DESIGN STUDIO 3: LEVITATING FRAMES

Student: Malena Gronda Garrigues

When I first saw the site, I realized that the view was incredibly appealing. It was a pity that it was covered by a stone wall and could only be seen from the stairs above.

way, the main gallery floats and levitates to allow the view and passage; I wanted the bottom part to be coherent; thus, I created smaller, hanging platforms of different sizes.

Fall Semester 2023

Professor: Ara González Cabrera

My initial action was to dismantle the obstructive wall and extend the pathway with a floating platform, serving as a mirador. To preserve the captivating view and harmonize with the natural path of the surrounding houses, I introduced a floating element that transforms into a gallery area, offering a picturesque view of the Segovian countryside.

Underneath, hidden by the floating platform I decided to conceal the actual living place for my client. In the same

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Instead of walls, I wanted these light tubes hanging on to these platforms, just like the Fujimoto transparent house.

Structurally, the design posed a significant challenge due to the numerous hanging elements. I addressed this by creating two retaining reinforcement walls that blend seamlessly with the surrounding buildings, providing support for the main platform and the hanging platforms.

To further bolster the thin elements,

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I incorporated bracing elements for additional support.

One of the most important parts would be the ground floor. The ground floor is defined a lot by its surroundings; you have the mountain in the back coming in and the ceiling from above at different heights. The underground area is the void left by the surrounding structures and would, therefore, be the studio where my client works, defined by carvings for couches and tables going into the wall; it’s a creative space that allows the client to reach the limits.

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Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 3

DESIGN STUDIO 3: REQUIEM FOR A RUIN

Professor: Antonio Cantero Vinuesa

Student: Marta García Salamanca

Requiem for a Ruin unfolds as the narrative of an artist inhabiting the remnants and skeletal frame of what was once Calle San Valentin 24—a testament to the ephemeral melody of decay and creation, symbolizing the juxtaposition of death and life. Amidst the echoes of time, a garden emerges: a resilient response to architectural decay.

Between these two coexisting entities—the ruin and its garden—the artist defines his space using grid platforms, harmonizing with the lingering vestiges of the past.

observers to become participants in the evolving artwork, breathing life into a delicate membrane sustained by collective presence—a space where the artist performs his own life. Within this vital membrane, the air itself weaves the structural tapestry of existence. In this symbiotic relationship between air and structure, the house stands as a reminder of the artist’s journey. The membrane, woven from collective breath, encapsulates the soul of the building, preserving the memory of the artist who embraced impermanence. Yet, should the air cease to weave its ethereal tapestry, the membrane dissolves into an atmosphere of eternal memory.

Acknowledging the inevitable end, he crafts a house that embraces its mortality, a living canvas that will crumble in harmony with his own passing. From its inception, this house is conceived as an ephemeral masterpiece, contemplating its inevitable decline alongside the artist.

A house destined to die with the artist, becoming the artwork of a lifetime.

Within this living space, a public space blurs the lines between art and artist, transcending its physical form. It invites

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As this last breath resonates, the house undergoes a metamorphosis into a ruin—the culmination of art, the artist, and his house. Amidst the architectural echoes of the ruin, a garden emerges, perpetually preserving its soul. Requiem for a Ruin. Ode for its Garden.

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Design Studio 3

DESIGN STUDIO 3: THE LINK

Professor: Camila Aybar Rodríguez

Student: Michaela Závacká

The Link is a bridging element between urban and nature, designed to blend into its environment and to resolve issues on the existing site. The site has a height difference of 10 meters from the north street to the park in the south and the project serves as a transition element between city and natural landscape.

is higher and the lower one goes the lower sequence of the frames occurs, connecting the floors by the busyness of the level one is standing on.

The client of this design is an artisan in Segovia who wants to attract residents and tourists to his creative space. The design is developed by researching windows and other small elements around Segovia, by creating maps and diagrams to understand how small details influence our daily life. The influence of the window study is visible in the materiality and the form used for this project: frames and wooden beams.

Three floors are distributed in an atmospheric sequence, from public to private as the visitors ascend from the street to nature. Each floor has its program and function, starting from the top where one can buy handmade products of the artisan. In the upper floor the density of frames

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On the second floor, people are welcomed to create their own ideas. This floor as a workshop area is also connected to existing houses on the site. In necessary occasions the workshops can take place inside.

The project is not only reacting with the house by using its internal rooms, moreover, the frames are penetrating the walls of the house and creating the external atmosphere inside. This sublet symbiosis is connecting all the elements on the site.

The last floor is directly connected to the park and is an open area where one can sit and enjoy the privacy of the structure.

Once in the park looking at the design, it is hard to distinguish the building from its surroundings.

The main idea is a sequence, threshold and transition, where openness and connection to nature create beautiful space for art.

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Design Studio 3

DESIGN STUDIO 3: FLOW

Student: Sophia Kluijfhout

This project creates a studio and living space for an artisan at the edge of Segovia’s historic Jewish quarter and greenbelt. Drawing inspiration from Segovia’s iconic cobblestone streets, the design extends the city’s textures into the site. By reimagining the form of cobblestones, they are transformed into a radical, sculptural surface that maintains a strong visual and material connection to the historic streetscape. These stones appear to cascade from the existing walls, flowing into the park to form a dynamic public path and threshold space, bridging the natural and urban environments.

Beneath this surface, a private, cave-like space creates a hideaway for artisans and pottery kilns. The existing building on the site is preserved and renovated to include an exhibition space, private residence, and public studio. The street-level entrance subtly integrates into the city, with the rooftop providing access to the top-floor exhibition space and park. The middle floor houses the private residence. In contrast to the street-level, colorful arches on the park level break boldly through the historic façade, welcoming artists into a shared studio and reflecting the vibrant creative atmosphere within.

Fall Semester 2023

Professor: Wesam Al Asali

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Design Studio 4

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DESIGN STUDIO 4

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Wesam Al Asali, Camila Aybar Rodríguez, Ara González Cabrera, Antonio Cantero Vinuesa, Juan Cabello Arribas, Cem Kayatekin

Coordinator: Wesam Al Asali

DESIGN STUDIO 4 EXAMINES THE NOTION OF PROGRAM IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. IT BUILDS ON DS3’S IDEAS ON HOW THE MAKING OF ARCHITECTURE SHOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE MULTIPLE EXPERIENCES IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND HOW DESIGNING ITSELF IS AN EXPERIENCE OF EXPLORING THE USE OF DIFFERENT TOOLS OF CREATIVE AND SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH. DS4 developed these tools by complexifying the conditions of the project in terms of site, program, and restriction. In simpler terms, while DS3 was an introduction to how to research for and strategies for your project, DS4 was the arena to develop these skills in more complex architectural settings.

The word Program has its etymological root in the Greek word Prógramma, which derives from Prógrapho (I announce writing or drawing). Therefore, an architecture program is a proclamation of one’s own idea, expressed in concepts, diagrams, texts and images. However, how to reach this proclamation imposes multiple questions: what does a program

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for an architectural/urban project entail?

How to deduce a program? What research and creative techniques help propose a program? How to negotiate, challenge, and add to the existing and adjoining site programs? What does it mean to add a program to a city? These questions challenge the conventional understanding of a program as a list of spaces that they need to translate into buildings. These questions also required examining three elements: the conditions of the programs; the conditions and restrictions relating to the site; the requirements of material sustainability understanding in both architectural and urban settings.

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To unpack these elements, the Design Studio examined the future of architectural learning spaces. The Design Studio also designed a program for its future Creative Campus.

project also paid special attention to the use of materials and the operational and embodied carbon footprint of the building. As such, the course was divided into five main activities.

We studied the current conditions of spaces for learning and teaching at IE School of Architecture through discussions, interviews and observations of your own and other studio spaces.

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After that, we worked on extending our school into a new campus in Segovia.

We aimed for a campus that responds to the multiple relationships between the University with the city. Finally, the

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Workshop 1: Evaluating Current Learning Spaces Workshop 2: Campus Expansion in Segovia Workshop 3: Defining the Future of Architectural Learning Spaces Workshop 4: Programming the Creative Campus Workshop 5: Designing the Creative Campus.

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 4

DESIGN STUDIO 4: THE RUIN CAMPUS

Professor: Ara González Cabrera

Student: Sophia Kluijfhout

Reimagining Ruins: A Campus of Growth and Decay

allowing adaptable areas to grow using more temporary materials for beams, floors and partitions.

My project rethinks the concept of a ruin, using construction and destruction as tools for learning to create a regenerative environment that fosters collaboration between nature and built spaces.

Rather than a stable, finished project, it is designed as a process in constant transformation, utilizing growth and decay to adapt to changing needs of both the students and the ecosystem.

At its core, the design features a durable double-walled concrete structure that contains permanent functions such as storage and bathrooms.

These functions activate the site and combine in different ways to characterize the various programmatic spaces in the campus. This provokes a diversity of spatial conditions while

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The campus is not only a wall, but also a path, connecting the existing campus to the Creativity Centre. Along it is a journey of contrast of openness and enclosure, integrating various programs and learning opportunities inspired by the characteristics of the site, and the state of the wall. There are also private, formal learning spaces and open public areas that foster community connections using materials ranging from concrete and wood to textiles, a dynamic experience is created.

Overall, the campus evolves with its users, transforming from a bold, plain intervention into a vibrant, layered space, continually activated by the interaction of built and natural elements.

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 4

DESIGN STUDIO 4: CREATIVE CRESCENT

Professor: Wesam Al Asali

Student: Aisha Rahmanová

This project is about a wall being the creative campus and an environmental device to sit in the site and be inspired by Segovia’s existing typologies. It is to think in section, it rethinks our architectural definition of walls. How do we redesign a wall to accommodate program?

because in the walls are spaces for the flora to grow and inhabit as well.

It minimizes excess space use and development while also being an environmental device in itself. It offers Segovia a new creative walk that feels familiar. It focuses on the integration of locals that exist in the site and the city with IE students by facilitating connections within the path and walls that give access to both parties and allows them to interact with each other, the campus and the site. It also maintains the students’ privacy at certain areas. The walls are strategically designed to take advantage of the surrounding site, allowing the entrance of light and sun, making use of the water from the river and following natural topography curves. It doesn’t take from the site, but rather gives in return, and is an environmental device

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It can be temporary and potentially decompose into the site when abandoned.

These green walls become habitats for local plant species, creating a micro-ecosystem that evolves over time, further enriching the environmental quality of the site. The project embraces sustainability not only in function but also in materiality, as the wall can be constructed using biodegradable or locally sourced materials, ensuring it leaves minimal impact when its purpose is fulfilled. Its potential for temporary use adds a layer of flexibility to the design, allowing the structure to eventually decompose and reintegrate into the natural environment, leaving no permanent trace.

This cyclical relationship with nature mirrors the historical layering found in Segovia’s built environment, where the old and new coexist in harmony. Ultimately, this project serves as an architectural statement about how the built form can enhance human interaction, environmental responsibility and cultural continuity while respecting and enriching the landscape it inhabits.

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 4

DESIGN STUDIO 4: INTERSECTIONS

Professor: Cem Kayatekin

Student: Marta Freire

Intersections is a project centered on the concept of a floating campus, designed to blend public and private spaces. The campus structure features public areas both above and below the central building, which houses the core spaces for students. This design creates a series of horizontal and vertical intersections. Horizontal intersections facilitate the junction of various activities and courses, while vertical intersections manage differing levels of privacy.

This open environment is possible due to the creation of separating walls that can be tucked into a main structure that also incorporates lockers and benches, maintaining openness while offering privacy when needed.

This design encourages collaboration by allowing students to observe and be inspired by each other’s work.

The campus’s unique form was developed from intersecting rectangles, carefully calculated to optimize the spatial layout for all the activities taking place in a creative and collaborative environment.

This new campus sits on the north side of the river next to the current campus and can be accessed by the existing park or by the northeastern side of Segovia, helping to activate this area of the city.

The ground floor features the main entrance, a public lecture hall and a Fab Lab. The first floor includes a versatile space for art exhibitions, and a public library, cafeteria, and gym. The second floor contains the studios and classrooms, with minimal separation to enable a large, open studio environment.

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The partially accessible roof connects public spaces to the exhibition area.

The building also features several plazas that serve as interaction points between students and the public, with courtyards placed to separate different functional areas and to bring light into the interior spaces.

The key materials of this project include steel, glass, perforated corten steel plates and terracotta-colored concrete. The building’s design incorporates sustainable elements, such as a bio-swale system that channels rainwater from the roof to support plant growth in the courtyards.

Finally, this campus design effectively illustrates the essence of intersections by not only fostering intersections among students, but also between the public and academic worlds.

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 4

DESIGN STUDIO 4: THE MIDDLE PATH

Professor: Antonio Cantero Vinuesa

Student: Michaela Zavacká

The Middle Path project, a creative campus, represents intersecting two different ideas and finding their limits: the idea of artificial and idea of nature in relationship with humans. The limits of the environment, the differences of materiality and special conditions, the opacity of these two opposites, sustainability… In other words, the design is trying to find the common ground of these concepts, while cancelling the conventional view on both, by observing not only the site, moreover, the user and its behavioral patterns.

removed based on the site condition and user needs. It creates an open invitation for students, professors and public to be creative executors of their environment in which they interact.

The materiality is trying to make the design fluid and connected to Segovia’s stone houses and nature of the site. This connection is created by reflective mirrors that are on the exterior layer of the walls and are translating the environment. That is, the artificial walls are naturalized by the refection[q]. From the interior, one can find themselves in uncovered stone space divided only by curtains, with open windows and nature reaching in, by air flow and light string roof resembling tree canopy. The different levels of light and dark, are aiming to represent the opacity of materials and their behavior.

Moreover, to create tension in the sequence, the level of heights changes to uphold the anticipation for a user.

The project’s main idea is connected to research on artificializing nature and naturalizing the artificial; it is an active exploration of how the artificial can possess qualities of nature and vice versa.

The project is a complex path system, a threshold connected to a sequence of anticipations, where coming from a built environment to a natural one, one can find something in- between.

The sequence reveals modularity and flexibility of the design, how each space can be moved, substituted or

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The manmade elements of architecture are always based on nature and the aim of this project was to capture the essence of this close relationship by building an unconventional and immersing experience.

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 4

DESIGN STUDIO 4: CLIMATE INSTRUMENT

Professor: Juan Cabello Arribas

Student: Omar Khattab

Climate Instrument is a visionary project situated in the heart of Segovia, connecting the historic city with its surrounding natural landscape through a dynamic and multifunctional structure.

Positioned across the Eresma River, this project serves as both a bridge and a vibrant creative campus, fostering interaction between students of IE University and the residents of Segovia.

These spaces are dedicated to the students, providing them with a stable environment for learning and creativity.

Additionally, the structure includes communal areas such as cafes, a gym, and dormitories, which are designed for use by both students and locals, further strengthening the bond between the university and the city.

The structure is composed of large steel platforms, carefully assembled to create varying levels and atmospheric conditions. Some platforms are accessible, inviting people to explore and engage, while others serve as structural supports. The accessible platforms host free, temporary programs, offering a flexible space where students and the local community can introduce new activities and events, ensuring the space is always evolving.

Interspersed between these platforms are translucent masses encased in steel frames, housing fixed programs like classrooms, studios, art rooms, a library and essential facilities.

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The entire structure is a climate instrument, a term that reflects its responsive design. When it rains, the steel platforms transform into a large, immersive instrument, producing a soothing sound as raindrops hit the surface. This feature highlights the project’s harmonious relationship with the environment, making the experience of being in the space unique and engaging.

More than just a building, Climate Instrument is a flexible framework that adapts over time. It is a reprogrammable structure, capable of serving different purposes as the needs of the community evolve. This timeless quality ensures that the project will continue to inspire and connect people for generations to come.

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Design Studio 5

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DESIGN STUDIO 5

Fall Semester 2023

Professors: Romina Canna, Maxon Higbee, Santiago Pradilla Hosie

Coordinator: Romina Canna

DS5 CENTERS ON THE CONCEPT OF TECHNIQUE AS THE PRIMARY DRIVER FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL STRATEGY. BY EMPHASIZING AND IMPLEMENTING TECHNIQUE BOTH AS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND AS A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE, THE STUDIO CHALLENGES STUDENTS TO PRIORITIZE MATERIAL PROPERTIES, MATERIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MATERIAL MANIPULATION AT THE OUTSET OF THE DESIGN PROCESS. This approach shifts the focus away from the more commonly prioritized design process triggers of site, program, or user considerations already explored in previous design studios, thereby adding a new layer to the students’ skills and disciplinary tools.

To this end, during the first two weeks, students immerse themselves in the graphic and material deconstruction and reconstruction of a built case study. This process aims to explore the concept of technique, understood as a method for executing specific tasks guided by a precise

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intentionality, through direct engagement with an architectural project. By redrafting documentation across various scales— ranging from the overall project to 1:1 details—and subsequently constructing models that address both the project’s integral approach and specific fragments highlighting the techniques employed, students gain insight into the motivations, conditions, logistics, and constraints associated with the utilized techniques.

Subsequently, driven by conversations, content and lectures about recycling, repurposing and sustainability, students

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are required to physically and conceptually disassemble the case study to transform it into a new project, prompted by a new site. This process of re-siting necessitates adaptation and negotiation with the new conditions, leading the students to consider fundamental changes in both the dynamics of the site and the case study, which is now reexamined in terms of its formal, spatial logics, and primarily, the techniques underlying its design strategy.

In a sequence that progresses from the case study to their own projects, students become deeply engaged in

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understanding technique as a means rather than a solution, a material inventory as a motivated decision rather than a response to external factors, and the design process as a continuously evolving series of decisions.

With a strong emphasis on a handson approach—guided by material engagement, model making, and mockup production—DS5 aims to immerse students in the notion of technique as a trigger for the design process, rather than merely as a solution to the material aspects of architecture.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio 5

DESIGN STUDIO 5: STRUCTURING HISTORY

Students: Thomas de Campos, Valentina Ortiz, Richard Pinch, Wyatt Waters

This project draws inspiration from the Merola Tower in Barcelona, seeking to emulate its architectural logic, particularly in the use of wood.

Rooted in a meticulous analysis of Segovia’s mountain peaks, seven key reference points are identified, serving as the genesis for the project’s form and structure. The morphosis of this architectural endeavor is thus intricately

linked to the natural topography, echoing the fluidity of the Rio Acebeda and encapsulating the essence of the monumental aqueduct that channels life-giving water from the mountain to the cityscape. It surrounds the aqueduct respectfully without taking protagonism, yet it activates its historical trajectory by making the user experience the water canal from a closer perspective.

Fall Semester 2023

Professor: Santiago Pradilla Hosie

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Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 5

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 5

DESIGN STUDIO 5: CAMINO DE SEGOVIA

Professor: Maxon Higbee

Students: Lieve Scheij, Carlos Codert, Carlee Smith, Sofía Méndez

A project about transformation and relocation, bringing a studied project; the Field Chapel in Boedigheim to Segovia and transforming it to fit its new context.

A key element from the case study project are the louvers, these have been kept as the cladding for the transformed project, but now, instead of acting as an instrument of light, they are used for the physical compression of space.

This is done in order to add a dynamic element that can be felt as one moves down the project, placing an emphasis on the space as a transition. Within the double-layered hanging system, the spaces below the stairs become the covered, quiet/resting spaces. The number of steps therefore influences both the height and length of these resting spaces and determines the activities that take place there; lying down, sitting, or coming together.

The Field Chapel in Boedigheim (Germany) was designed and executed by the students of the Illinois Institute of Technology. The task of the design was to create a place of spirituality; an interdenominational chapel as well as a space that welcomes hikers and cyclists who appreciate a rest stop that has a sense of beauty.

The new site is located in the old town of Segovia, on top of the existing historic wall, and along the religious pilgrimage of Camino de Santiago. The wall provides the city with a clear separation from city and nature; a recurring transition along the entire pilgrimage. The project therefore sits within this transition and provides people with spaces to rest and come together while on this long journey.

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Both the case study and new project are spiritual spaces that act as a rest stop on a walking path. The new project provides a resting space within the transition from city to nature. The historic wall of Segovia acts as a key marker of this transition.

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 5

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Design Studio 6

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 6

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Romina Canna, Elena Pérez Garrigues, Santiago Pradilla Hosie

Coordinator: Romina Canna

DS 6 IS DEDICATED TO EXAMINING THE CONCEPT OF THE EXISTING. AT ITS CORE, THE EXISTING SPACE ENCOMPASSES PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS, EACH CHARACTERIZED BY INHERENT RESISTANCES THAT ARISE FROM THEIR ESTABLISHED NORMS AND RULES

These resistances may initially appear as constraints that are both imposed and seemingly inevitable. However, we view this resistance as a catalyst for radical transformation through disciplinary tools, using architectural intervention as a means to reconfigure the existing rules. Within this framework, the primary objective of the studio is to investigate two dimensions of the existing: first, an exploration of a program that necessitates a critical understanding of contemporary and emergent conditions influencing urban, cultural, and social relationships; and second, an analysis of an urban and architectural context that is burdened with outdated social, formal and functional conceptions, as well material realizations.

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The studio starts by addressing the various challenges faced by contemporary cities and societies, including immigration, newly emerging pandemics, and an aging population among others. The approach begins with an in-depth examination and strong engagement with a particular population impacted by one of these phenomena. In this context DS6 aims to develop an architectural narrative that is responsive to the specific and often overlooked needs and conditions of a specific demographic group.

This narrative will be grounded in the tangible demands and circumstances that are frequently neglected within mainstream architectural discourse.

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Design Studio 6

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

Concurrently, students will engage with an existing structure that was conceived under highly specific conditions, including bespoke site placements, material compositions, and programmatic considerations.

Key considerations guiding the development of the work include adaptability, the reutilization of resources, the reconfiguration of existing infrastructures, and the interplay between programmatic needs and desires, materials and livability. These factors, among others, will serve as critical drivers in our approach.

With the support and expertise of professionals in the field, including

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NGOs, government officials, UNHCR and other relevant institutions, as well as through engagement with complex urban contexts, the studio aims to highlight “the existing” as a central focus within the discipline and the current practice of architecture.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 6: AQUATICA: ELDERLY CARE CENTER Professor: Santiago Pradilla Hosie

Student: Cassian Otfinowski

Working with Encounters + The Existing, we were instructed to create a residential space with an additional X program, targeted at the demographic profile of the elderly here in Spain. This space was to be designed in the current Palacio Mansilla located in Segovia, Spain.

had to account for those when designing the residential spaces of my center.

Learning about various rehabilitation processes, I found hydrotherapy was the best exploration strategy. Not only did it benefit all stages of recovery, but it gave me a unique opportunity to utilize the attraction of water with my rehabilitation center. This led to me implementing multiple hydrotherapy pools on the lower floors of the building as my X program.

However, I felt like I could do more with the pools. So as a final strategy, I incorporated a full-size 25m lap pool on the -2 floor. This space is separate from the hydrotherapy pools for the residents. This design strategy allowed me to introduce community into my project. It allows the public of Segovia to come to the center, and gives the rehabilitating elderly a chance to connect with their family and friends.

This ultimately provides a way to enrich the rehabilitation process for the user.

“Approximately 50,000 hip fractures occur in Spain every year and cost more than 2.5% of total health expenditure. One year after a hip fracture, 25% of Spanish patients will have died, and 60% will have limited mobility or other dysfunction”.

After initial research into the elderly demographic in Spain, this quote prompted me to focus my design on a specific user profile and create a rehabilitation center for those who have suffered from hip fractures or injuries.

There are various levels of recovery when dealing with hip-related injuries, and I

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Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

DESIGN STUDIO 6: REMEMBERING SEGOVIA

Professor: Romina Canna

Student: Hatem Tarhini

The elderly in Segovia undergo difficulties that are left behind the scenes and unhandled. An issue this project aims to tackle is the elderly in Segovia with dementia. The prompt for this project proposed a reconstruction of the Palacio Mansilla, a mediaeval building situated in the center of Segovia. Hence, I decided to tackle the dementia problem by reconstructing the Palacio Mansilla into a dementia day and residential center.

The strategy for this project is divided in two, focusing on organized systems and recognizability to ensure a facilitated circulation. The first strategy allows for the organization of programs.

public entrance) was centered towards a low-dementia day center while the two floors above ground (private entrance) are tailored towards high-dementia elderly who need a residential area to stay in.

The Palacio Mansilla is situated on a slope which divides the building entrances; one being on the ground floor (a private and narrow street) and the other on the -2 floor (public and wider street). After researching dementia and finding that it encompasses low and high forms, it was decided to divide the floors with the activities that each user is capable of doing.

As you can see, the bottom last floor (more

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However, an issue with modern dementia day centers is isolating high dementia elderly, therefore this project allows for the intermingling of both low and high dementia sufferers by designing a floor in between for a united TOGETHER space where the two users can enjoy multiuse activities. The top floor is designed for management and administration purposes. The second strategy involves making the interior space more recognizable for the two elderly users by using the existing Segovian architecture to shape spaces which guide the elderly through a better understanding of the building. One can see how the existing Segovian Arches (colored in black) will be extruded/arrayed to interact with the three architectural elements; ceiling heights, partition divisions and floor levels, defining the spaces to facilitate interior circulation.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

DESIGN STUDIO 6: ECHOES OF TOMORROW

Professor: Elena Pérez Garrigues

Student: Sofía Rojas Morales

Spain is one of the fastest-ageing countries in Europe, and there is a lot of prejudice toward seniors that leads to social isolation and health decline. This project strives to decrease social isolation amongst this age group and connect them with each other and the rest of the community through technology-related programs which can be beneficial for their strained physical and cognitive abilities and can allow them to be more independent, while still connecting people from different generations and in different life stages. These programs include a genius bar for all those who wish to improve their skills, media content creation, AR/VR immersive experiences, hybrid meeting rooms, and more. The project welcomes users of all ages wishing to learn, teach and create while connecting with their community.

tool to not only close a generational breach and prevent isolation but also make their lives easier, especially in a time when they cannot longer rely on their full abilities.

There is this preconception in our society that older generations are somehow locked into the past and just did not join the tech era. This project challenges that notion and sees introducing technology to seniors as a

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Moreover, the project takes place in the historic 12th century Palacio de Mansilla in Segovia. Though rich with layers of history, the palace is quite a fragmented building and not accessible to everyone. Therefore, the design strategy strives to let the original structure shine while introducing a sub-structure that blends into the building, with moveable locally sourced iron sheet and recycled polycarbonate panels to add dynamism and adaptability to the space, along with vertical-moving platforms (with the help of hydraulic pistons) that connect all floors and allow any user to navigate freely through the five stories.

This substructure is not seen as a parasite, as the new attacking the existing, but rather as the new merging with the existing and bringing out the most potential of the space while still celebrating its historic significance.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 6

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Design Studio 7

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 7

Fall Semester 2023

Professors: Marcela Aragüez Escobar, Fernando García Pino, Enrique Jerez Abajo

Coordinator: Marcela Aragüez Escobar

DESIGN STUDIO 7, AGGREGATION, LOOKS AT THE YEAR’S KEYWORD, ENGAGEMENT, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF HOW THE CITY AGGREGATES DIVERSE LAYERS AND SCALES TO FORM AN ACTIVE AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING ORGANISM.

The course particularly focuses on the design of collective housing and its relationship with the city. To this end, students work around the boundaries of different architectural scales, aiming to knit the domestic realm with its neighborhood. The course seeks to engage students in questions related to the way we inhabit the city collectively, and how we can delineate the balance between density and open space that is needed for a neighborhood to become lively and functional. We focus on the notion of ‘urban polyvalence’ as a conceptual and practical tool to provide solutions to a currently ‘sick’ urban area.

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During the 2023 Fall term we worked in an area in Canillas, a neighborhood of the Hortaleza district in North-East Madrid, in need of healing and profound transformation. The assigned area is currently the subject of controversial urban planning on the part of the public administration, raising protests, confusion and anger among its community. Students worked in groups during the first quarter of the course to provide an urban diagnosis of the place, and then define a series of actions that would start healing the area.

Such actions define the connections between the site and its immediate,

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

heterogenous context, as well as a main user and programs to integrate in the site, and the definition of built and unbuilt areas. The individual work focused on the definition of a design strategy for a collective housing project that integrates a range of scales from the public realm of the neighborhood to the private atmosphere of a living room. The goal was to assess the balance between coexistence and independence in a community, and how the city becomes an active part of the domestic realm. Finally, in coordination with Construction Systems and Applications 4, students developed

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a detailed definition of a sector, paying particular attention to the construction of a façade system and the delineation of an environmentally sound project.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

DESIGN STUDIO 7: IN NATURE WE TRUST

Professor: Enrique Jerez Abajo

Student: María Suárez-Pumariega Blanco

The project focuses on revitalizing an underutilized urban area by enhancing movement and connectivity, drawing inspiration from surrounding green spaces. The initial site analysis revealed that while the neighborhood has essential amenities like schools, hospitals, and markets, it lacks vibrancy and movement, leading to a decrease in urban flow and visitor attraction.

design also incorporates new pathways that connect different areas of the site, integrating public programs on the ground floor and distributing them according to privacy needs and connectivity.

The project began by exploring two adjacent parks: a linear park designed for movement and transition, and Parque de Pinar del Rey, a large green space offering a refuge from the city’s density.

The design aims to merge both concepts, extending the existing paths and creating varied experiences for users as they navigate through the site. The central goal is to create an adaptable building that evolves over time, responding to the needs of its users while integrating seamlessly with the natural landscape.

The project utilizes the existing topography and vegetation as a foundation, replicating these elements on higher levels to respond to sunlight and neighboring structures. Vertical elements mimic the existing landscape while contrasting with it, creating a dynamic interplay between the natural and built environments. The

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The building’s form adapts to the surrounding urban fabric, with varying heights and setbacks creating new plazas and interactions with adjacent structures. The design encourages movement through and within the building, with the ground floor remaining public and the upper levels offering a mix of private and semi-private spaces.

Three housing typologies were developed, flexible family units, larger apartments for couples with increased privacy and adaptable units for the elderly, which emphasize shared spaces and connection to the outdoors. The building’s structure is designed as a modular system, allowing for flexibility in space use and privacy. Vegetation plays a key role, cascading down the facade and integrating with the building’s form to enhance biodiversity and sustainability.

In conclusion, this project reimagines the urban space as a living, adaptable environment that grows and evolves, much like a tree.

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

DESIGN STUDIO 7: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME

Professor: Fernando García Pino

Student: Jaime Sánchez-Lozano García-Salmones

This project addresses a variety of crucial urban and architectural issues, promoting social interaction while optimizing existing conditions. Through a multilayered analysis, the project targets key urban, housing and sustainability strategies to remedy urban inefficiencies and propose innovative solutions.

these urban pockets to maximize available land for development. The strategy seeks to use small, unutilized urban zones as catalysts for social and environmental transformation, creating micro-public spaces for communal activities. This is done by creating vertical urban streets which contain programs and activities.

1. Urban Strategy: By analyzing the circulation of pedestrians and density in the city, the project identifies underutilized pockets that can be activated to optimize urban performance.

These pockets serve as focal points for increasing social engagement and urban vitality. Despite not being part of the given site, they were an essential part of the project development and addressing the analyzed urban conflicts.

2. Housing Strategy: A co-living approach is central to the design, with an emphasis on flexible shared spaces that encourage social interaction. The plan introduces modular housing units that can be adapted to various needs, featuring a detailed floor plan and arrangement of flexible co-living spaces.

3. Pocket Strategy: The intervention focuses on densifying and optimizing

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4. Masterplan Strategy: The project scales the pocket interventions into a broader urban masterplan that introduces green spaces and parks.

This plan fosters pedestrian movement and ecological restoration, creating a network of sustainable and socially vibrant areas. The effort of densifying the pockets, leaves the rest of the site open for a park development which will improve the expanse of the urban realm.

5. Sustainability Strategy: Environmental, social, and economic sustainability form the core of the proposal. It incorporates innovative systems to ensure ecological efficiency while promoting economic development through green spaces and co-living frameworks. The project’s environmental impact analysis includes extensive tree planting, carbon absorption and energy-saving measures.

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

DESIGN STUDIO 7: THE PEAKSIDE OF BEING

Professor: Marcela Aragüez Escobar

Student: Arianna Chow Sze Ai

The Peakside of Being emerged as a response to the observation that in Canillas, Madrid, people were watching from their windows rather than engaging in public spaces. This highlighted the absence of accessible leisure infrastructure.

Leisure had become a privilege, limited by the availability of spaces for communal gathering. This project seeks to remedy that by creating public spaces where people can reconnect through leisure and community activities.

communal hubs of the project. The roof was designed with multiple functions: its topography directed water into gardens, rainwater pits helped manage runoff, and pollination roofs contributed to environmental sustainability.

Three key user groups were identified as the romantics: the first home, the newlyweds and new families, and the empty nesters—each representing significant life milestones. These milestones were then translated into courtyards, with each courtyard reflecting the specific needs and experiences of its users. For example, the backyard courtyard is designed for childhood memories and play spaces, serving as a dedicated area for children of new families.

The site’s significant topography informed the massing strategy, where sloping roofs were used to connect varying heights.

The spaces between the masses were transformed into courtyards, acting as the

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Each residential unit was structured through a gradient of diminishing intimacy. Areas closer to the hallways were more communal, while spaces deeper within the unit became increasingly private. This privacy was further emphasized through subtle changes in height within the homes. Flexibility was key, with non-load-bearing partition walls allowing for easy expansion of units, enabling them to grow as families evolved.

The hallways acted as semi-public spaces, where furniture could be moved in and out to extend the living area into communal zones. This adaptability fostered interaction among residents and transformed the hallways into shared spaces that could be reshaped to suit the needs of the community, ensuring that leisure was both accessible and central to everyday life. The Peakside of Being surrenders to the romantics and to the slopes of Canillas.

Fall Semester 2023

Design Studio 7

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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Design Studio 8

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 8

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Amaia Sánchez-Velazco Lola Domènech Oliva

Coordinator: Marcela Aragüez Escobar

DESIGN STUDIO 8, TERRITORY, LOOKS AT THE YEAR’S KEYWORD, ENGAGEMENT, FROM A TERRITORIAL SCALE, ONE THAT NOT ONLY ENCOMPASSES MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS, BUT ALSO SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL SYSTEMS.

The course particularly focuses on the delineation of a masterplan in which a so-called building infrastructure is inserted with the aim of causing an impact at a metropolitan level beyond its built boundaries. Students seek to understand the territorial scale as one that is affected by different parties, and that must be managed over short-, medium- and long-term planning.

They learn how to plan between infrastructural components, open fields, inherited ruins and existing urban networks, and how to implement a system that ensures the production of

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sustainable environments in the long run. The goal of the course is to propose a comprehensive urban regeneration project taking into account values of reuse, sustainability, energy efficiency, new economies, new models of mobilityaccessibility and new urban strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change.

In short, it is an opportunity to generate a new urban environment that should enhance the value of the existing cultural and environmental heritage.

This year we worked on the island of Zorrotzaurre in Bilbao, a site with a

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 8

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

deep industrial character in need of profound regeneration. Students worked in groups during the first half of the course. Weekly reviews were organized with a town hall format to collaboratively build up a critical analysis of the site.

Based on this analysis, groups came up with a masterplan that responded to the architectural, urban, landscape and infrastructural contingencies identified with the critical analysis. The masterplan included a precise distribution of programs, a reasoned ratio between open and built areas and a circulation network for pedestrians, cyclists, public

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transport and private vehicles. Finally, the second half of the course was devoted to an individual development of an infrastructural building or a series of buildings in relation to the previously delineated masterplan. The building was meant to work as a catalyst for the regeneration of the island, as well as an innovative scheme shaped out of sustainability, energy efficiency, resilience, inclusiveness, accessibility, functionality and biodiversity.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 8

DESIGN STUDIO 8: ZORROTZAURRESKO

Professor: Amaia Sánchez-Velasco

Student: Jaime Sánchez-Lozano García-Salmones

This project focuses on the adaptive reuse of an industrial warehouse on Zorrotzaurre Island in Bilbao. The project transforms the building into a vibrant public space while preserving its industrial character.

workshops and event venues. These flexible spaces can be easily reconfigured to host various cultural activities, fostering interaction and engagement within the community. The design integrates open and semi-open spaces to promote fluid transitions between indoor and outdoor environments.

The intervention emphasizes creating a multifunctional space for community activities, public engagement, and cultural programs.

Main Objectives: Adaptive Reuse of a Single Industrial Building: The project centers on converting the existing warehouse into a public facility that supports cultural, social, and commercial functions. By retaining the building’s core structural elements, the design highlights its industrial heritage while adapting it for modern use. This approach reduces the need for new construction and ensures that the historical value of the structure is preserved.

Public and Cultural Space: The interior of the refurbished warehouse is designed to accommodate a range of public programs, including exhibition spaces,

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Waterfront Activation: One of the key strategies of the project is to activate the island’s waterfront, transforming it into a lively public area. The warehouse’s adjacency to the water is leveraged to create outdoor terraces and gathering spaces, enhancing public access to the shoreline. This intervention not only revitalises the building but also strengthens its relationship with the natural landscape, promoting social and recreational activities along the waterfront.

Sustainability and Structural Strategy: The design incorporates sustainable strategies such as natural lighting and ventilation, significantly reducing energy consumption. The structural elements of the original warehouse are retained, with minor interventions that introduce lightweight materials and

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 8

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

modular systems to improve flexibility and usability. The project uses timber and steel, chosen for their sustainability and minimal environmental impact.

By focusing on the adaptive reuse of this single warehouse, the project

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contributes to the revitalization of the island as a dynamic public space.

The proposal balances industrial preservation with contemporary design, offering a community-focused cultural hub while respecting the historical identity of the site.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 8

DESIGN STUDIO 8: WOOD ON WOOD

Professor: Lola Domènech Oliva

Student: María Suárez-Pumariega Blanco

This project aims to transform Zorrotzaurre Island in Bilbao by breaking the rigid boundary between the urban fabric and the Nervion River. The project began by analyzing the urban morphology of nearby districts, including Abando, Deusto, Ibaiondo, and Basurtu, each characterized by distinct grid patterns and uses. Despite their proximity to the river, these neighborhoods largely developed inward, overlooking the potential of the water as a dynamic urban element.

programs. This water element also serves a practical purpose by managing rainwater collection. New structures were introduced along the waterfront to activate the river, with a focus on creating a flexible urban environment.

The main objective of the project is to reconnect the city with the river by creating a hybrid plaza that interacts with the tides, transforming depending on water levels. This central plaza not only allows for water infiltration, but also serves as a multi-functional space that could be a pool, plaza or gathering place. The master plan preserves existing historical buildings, introduces primary and secondary circulations for pedestrians and cyclists and keeps cars out of the island to prioritize human movement and connectivity with nature.

The proposal breaks the existing boundary through the hybrid plaza, and channels water into the site, regulating its flow and influencing the island’s

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A central area with an existing park and leisure programs became the focal point of the design. The layout integrates canals, programs and a pergola system to organize space and allow water movement. The pergola serves different purposes, connecting public spaces and creating paths for promenades, while the ground-level pathways and greenery guide the user through the site.

The design includes a flexible timber structure that can open or close depending on the program’s needs, integrating a café, sailing school and terrace along the river. Sustainability is a key element, with plans for solar panels, aerothermal energy, and a rainwater management system to make the structure self-sufficient.

The project reimagines the relationship between Bilbao and its river, creating a fluid, adaptable urban space that blends the built environment with natural elements.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 8

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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Design Studio 9

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN STUDIO 9

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Mariona Benedito Ribelles Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno

Coordinator: Mariona Benedito Ribelles

DS9 IS A COMPREHENSIVE STUDIO THAT INTEGRATES ENVIRONMENTAL, STRUCTURAL, AND CONSTRUCTIVE ASPECTS INTO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. THIS ADVANCED COURSE MOVES BEYOND THE INSTRUMENTAL FOCUS OF EARLIER YEARS BY EMPHASIZING A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF HOW ARCHITECTURE CAN ADDRESS FUTURE ECO-SOCIAL CHALLENGES. The studio provides a platform for students to engage deeply with issues such as social interdependence, interactions with other species, climate change, production cycles, circularity, and materiality, including their aesthetic and poetic dimensions.

In DS9, students function within a research laboratory framework where they define their own research lines, construct personalized design statements, and select relevant contexts to develop their proposals. This approach allows for a nuanced exploration of how architectural solutions can address complex and multifaceted problems.

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DS9 requires students to combine environmental, structural, and constructive elements within a single project. The integration of these aspects is essential, as students must consider how they interact and influence one another in their designs. Projects are thus inherently complex and must address a range of issues, including structural integrity, sustainability, and aesthetic considerations.

The studio involves multiple phases of design and revision. Students refine their ideas through iterative processes, incorporating feedback from regular critiques and review

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 9

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

sessions. This iterative approach helps ensure that their designs are both innovative and practical.

DS9 actively engages with inputs from various disciplines through collaborative sessions. This interdisciplinary approach enriches architectural solutions by incorporating diverse perspectives and expertise. The studio is also closely connected to Advanced Technical Studies, where projects are analyzed through their technical definitions, ensuring that designs are both conceptually sound and technically robust.

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DS9 emphasizes both the technical and conceptual development of architectural projects. Students integrate advanced technical knowledge with innovative design concepts, while also understanding the broader context of their projects. They develop a comprehensive understanding of addressing eco-social challenges through architecture, anticipate city transformations, and enhance their communication skills. Finally, DS9 aims to contribute to a positive vision for future living conditions.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 9

DESIGN STUDIO 9: THE CITY UNDER A TREE

Professor: Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno

Student: Daniela Figueroa Rozotto

The City Under a Tree aims to enhance and design new private spaces for FYCMA (Malaga Trade Fair and Conference Center) and Malaga City Hall, generating income to fund public activities for tourists, FYCMA guests, children and families. This initiative seeks to balance private and public events, attracting more people to the area and creating a versatile, year-round facility that meets the needs of both stakeholders. By blending temporary structures with fixed programs like auditoriums, the project aims to cut construction costs by reducing the need for deep foundations.

It also promotes social sustainability by involving Malaga residents in the design process. The project’s main strategy involves comprehensive research, including primary sources, interviews, and government data, to schedule daily, monthly, and yearly activities for local families, FYCMA guests, tourists, and Feria enthusiasts. As an extension of the FYCMA, this expansion will enable hosting larger events and congresses currently limited by existing facilities. The project’s location within a three to10 minute biking distance from a one km radius presents an opportunity to enhance bike paths within a three km radius, promoting

alternative transportation options like biking. This development could lead to a more sustainable environment, connecting different parts of the city and encouraging more people to access the site without relying on buses or vehicles.

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This project seeks to find a balance between temporary structures and enclosed, fixed programs such as auditoriums. This will reduce the cost of construction as the financing of deep foundations will be reduced to half and the social sustainability will be heightened as the people of Malaga will be invited to participate in the design of such spaces.

The structure becomes more than an instrument to support the interior spaces as they become the cores for environmental sustainability. The roofing system allows for the different sun orientations to have yearly benefits.

Furthermore, the photovoltaic system allows for energy storage given their south orientation. The shape of the structure also allows for rainwater recollection, which will be later used for irrigation and toilet systems all throughout the project. Finally, the height variation allows for ventilation to happen naturally.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 9

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Design Studio 9

DESIGN STUDIO 9: STICKS AND STONES

Student: Yusuf Sühan Bozkurt

Sticks and Stones is an architectural and landscape intervention that attempts to respond to both of the extreme consequences of climate change, floods and droughts through a single design strategy. Deployed within a limestone rich site in Girona, Spain, the very act of mining becomes the driver of the project through which an innately sitespecific and idiosyncratic environment is excavated. This re-duction of the site (as opposed to production) defines the intimate relationship the project and its inhabitants have to the body of water that they are situated within. A vast range of defined terraces that are the direct result of on-site stone-cutting operations are then revealed or sunken depending on the water levels of the Onyar River.

The voids that are purposefully created below ground are then utilized as an excess flood water reservoir. During drought seasons (or years), however, the negative space is given back to the community as a light/projection museum takes over the cistern walls.

Spring Semester 2024

Professor: Mariona Benedito Ribelles

A new path to the kitchen may appear once the rainy season ends.

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This ever-changing dialogue with the water and the ground is introduced as a tool for a heightened environmental awareness through which a strong sense of community may also be nurtured. A series of social housing units are organized vertically to minimize the project’s structural and environmental footprint on the site. The composition of a lightweight vertical structure and a solid horizontal foundation implies a near future where the site might take on a different purpose.

Spring Semester 2024

Design Studio 9

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COURSE HIGHLIGHTS

GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION WOOD WORKSHOP EXPERIMENTATION WORKSHOP ENTREPRENEURSHIP WORKSHOP

Fall Semester 2023 — Spring Semester 2024

Graphic Communication

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION I AND II

Professors: Maxon Higbee, Dinithi Iddawela, Óscar Valero Sáez

Coordinator: Maxon Higbee

Graphic Communication (I and II) is an initiating subject where first year students acquire a capacity to observe, envision and communicate architecture.

and technical drawings. It also lays out a conceptual framework for visual thinking and communication skills that will be instrumental for the further studies of digital representation techniques, preparing them to use these powerful tools with control and confidence.

Although students are introduced to diverse drawing systems throughout the semester: orthographic, oblique, axonometric, linear perspective, etc., the emphasis is on observation, the relationship between bodies in space framed by the perceptive eye. In short, they learn how to see like architects.

In this studio-based workshop students utilize, explore and gain fluency in the fundamental graphic skills that are necessary for the study and practice of architecture and the study of representation as a basic language for an architect. This course introduces a range of communication methodologies and their application to manual means of expression, including sketches, models

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Fall Semester 2023 — Spring Semester 2024

Graphic Communication

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Workshops

LAZO CARPENTRY WORKSHOP

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Ángel María Martín López, Alyaa Gamal, Wesam Al Asali

Traditional interlaced (lazo) timber ceilings, often referred to as Artesonado or Mudejar ceilings, are a significant architectural feature in both civil and religious buildings throughout the Ibero-American world. Flourishing between the 10th and 17th centuries, the origin of these ceilings lies in the fusion of structural carpentry and Islamic ornamental woodwork. These ceilings are characterized by their

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dual purpose: structural integrity and ornamental beauty. The craftsmanship involved spans various fields of design, including geometry and pattern-making, traditional carpentry, timber engineering, architectural design, and structural morphology. Over centuries, master carpenters have distilled these elements into specific rules of thumb, allowing them to create intricate, sky-like ceilings with both function and aesthetic value.

Students from the IE School of Architecture worked closely with master carpenter Ángel María Martín López, who leads the Carpintería de lo Blanco School in Narros del Castillo. The workshop focused on exploring traditional lazo structures, understanding their structural design, constructability, and manufacturability. It was a collaborative effort involving architects, engineers, and master carpenters. During the three-day workshop, participants produced a 2x2 meter ceiling, learning the design and construction techniques necessary to create the various pieces.

Additionally, the workshop featured a special contribution from Alyaa Gamal, a professor at the Jameel School for Traditional Arts in Cairo, whose session covered the design and drawing principles of Islamic geometric patterns.

The workshop was a valuable educational experience, bridging traditional craftsmanship with modern architectural education. Students gained a deeper appreciation for the

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complexity and beauty of traditional timber structures while also learning the importance of precision in construction.

The collaboration between architects, engineers and carpenters highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of architectural innovation. The success of this workshop demonstrates the potential for integrating traditional methods into contemporary design education, ensuring the survival and evolution of these timehonored techniques.

This workshop is the result of a threeyear collaboration between IE School of Architecture and Design and Princeton University’s Form Finding Lab. The collaboration aims to merge digital tools and fabrication methodologies with traditional building crafts in Spain. The wood workshop was conducted alongside the construction of an experimental 4x4 meter interlaced dome, built by the team. The initiative has been generously supported by Princeton’s Institute for International and Regional Studies through its Faculty Initiative Fund.

Spring Semester 2024

Workshops

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Workshops

EXPERIMENTATION WORKSHOP 3

Fall Semester 2023

Professor: Óscar Valero Sáez

“One of the most impressive things about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach is its architecture. Its construction seems clear and transparent. The music seems to be based upon a clear structure, and if we trace the individual threads of the musical fabric, it is possible to apprehend the rules that govern the structure of the music.” - Peter Zumthor Experimentation Workshop 3 explored musical notation through various graphic and spatial variations with fourth year Bachelor of Architecture students. The aim was to create a visual representation of music and time.

As a starting point, we analyzed the structure of the aria from The Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach (1741).

The aria, a simple and lyrical melody, establishes the thematic material for the entire set of variations and serves as the opening and closing piece of the larger work in a cyclical manner.

The workshop approached the score from an architectural perspective, treating it as a cross-section and attempting to translate it into the language of drawing, with the goal of revealing the harmonic patterns of the composition.

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The visualization of any form of language offers a new way of perceiving and assimilating it. In this case, music — normally appreciated only through hearing — was introduced on the visual plane, creating a form of synesthesia and revealing the spatial dimensions it occupies. The score was approached not as notation but as form, an invitation to experience.

Through practical exercises, the students created a series of graphic scores in both two and three dimensions: line drawings and three-dimensional models using delicate materials. These preparatory works served as the basis for conceptualizing three-dimensional installations or minimalist, audiovisual, time-based pieces.

The results of the workshop culminated in a curatorial process in which the students participated in the exhibition of their final designs.

The course aimed to explore the creative process in depth, encouraging students to take risks, and experiment breaking down preconceptions and stereotypes to open the way to unexpected solutions and alternative approaches to the challenges of design.

Fall Semester 2023

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Workshops

DESIGN ENTREPRENEURSHIP WORKSHOP 2024

Spring Semester 2024

Professors: Joseph Choma, Sigrid Adriaenssens, Carlos Fontales, Alessandro Beghini, Wesam Al Asali

In this workshop, students worked with Prof. Choma to design and build those clouds as folded darridarrica structures— an origami at an architectural scale. The workshop comprised a set of exercises to understand the design and development of crease patterns, the technique of folding paper, and the main characteristics of folded structures. Subsequently, students used Prof. Choma’s patented technique involving resin and textile to build scale models of their pavilion.

Wear Your Weave: Fashion, Performance, Structures 3rd Year Workshop Led by: Sigrid Adriaenssens (Princeton Univeristy) Carlos Fontales (Master Basket Maker) In this workshop, students designed woven structures as extended wearable skins. The workshop covered topics related to structural engineering, crafts, performance, and liberal arts. Students learned about bending-active structures through a series of lectures, hands-on exercises, and digital software tools.

Following that, students collaborated with master weaver Carlos Fontanels to create 1:1 scale prototypes of woven structures

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intended to function as individual and collective shelters. The workshop culminated in an exhibition-performance of the designs Tensiles: Deployable Structures for Heat Waves 4th Year Workshop Led by: Alessandro Beghini (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) In the workshop, students delved into the concept of mobile and lightweight architecture that could contract and expand seasonally, adapting to climate variations; particularly the high temperatures experienced in the summer.

Collaborating with the structural designer and engineer Alessandro Beghini, students utilized engineering tools and creative thinking to craft a tensile structure covering for the open public space at IE University’s Segovia Campus. The workshop encompassed both manual and digital tools for designing and calculating tensile structures, exploring development and construction methods, along with specific structural details. Students developed their proposals and presented them through drawings and models.

Spring Semester 2024

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THESIS PROJECTS

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS: BACHELOR IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES

Thesis Projects

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS AND HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITIQUE

Spring Semester 2024

Undergraduate Thesis Coordinator: Clara Zarza García-Arenal

History, Theory, and Critique Coordinator: Laura Martínez de Guereñu Elorza

THE AREA OF HISTORY, THEORY, AND CRITIQUE PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH RELEVANT HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE OF PAST AND PRESENT ARCHITECTURES, HELPING THEM DEVELOP A CROSS-CULTURAL, CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT OVER TIME.

Over the first four years of their degree program, students learn how architecture shapes different ways of seeing and experiencing the world, serving as a spatial tool of power and authority.

Covering the entire span of architectural history, from prehistory until the rise (and decline) of star architecture and the development of an ecological worldview, a sequence of five subjects reveals how the world emerged as an interconnected space and shows the role architecture played in this process. Students learn the history and theory of architecture, engaging in the discourse of the discipline

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through reading and writing. The subjects include lectures, discussions and workshops, with evaluations based on both an exam and a written assignment.

A significant challenge is helping students understand that writing is a craft: a skill requiring practice and time.

One main goal of the area is to support the preparation of the undergraduate thesis, the first independent project of academic rigor that all students must complete before graduation. Guided throughout the thesis development by individual meetings with an Academic

Spring Semester 2024

Thesis Projects

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Tutor and group sessions with the undergraduate thesis coordinator, students are expected to master a small body of specialized scholarship, conduct in-depth research and write a substantial text presenting an original analysis and interpretation of a topic. In preparation for this work, the course Alternative Practices: Research Methods, taken in the previous semester, instructs students on the methodologies and tools of discursive language in architecture and introduces the basics of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods of research in

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architecture and related disciplines.

By equipping the students with research instruments as part of the design process, the area of history, theory, and critique prepares them to demonstrate intellectual competency in addressing the complexities intrinsic to architecture.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Spring Semester 2024

Thesis Projects

THE ROLE OF IDEOLOGY IN THE DESIGN OF HOMES

Supervisor: Laura Martínez de Guereñu Elorza

Student: Roché Smith Rabie

With the birth of modernist ideology, an opportunity arose to embrace a new way of living. After the Second World War, many felt the need for change in literature, art, and, most importantly, architecture, with modernism providing the framework for this transformation. In South Africa, the acceptance of modernism as the ‘architectural style of the future’ varied across the country according to each of the province’s political standings and colonial ties. While architectural modernism’s relationship with the legislative capital of Pretoria has been extensively studied, the same intensity of research does not hold true for Cape Town and the Western Cape province. This study aims to respond to that absence.

case studies were chosen. The case studies were selected from the pages of the Architect & Builder magazine as well as the magazines compilation book series Home Building Ideas: Architects’ Plans for Southern Africa, accessed from the archives at the National Library of South Africa in Cape Town. The 12 cases were chosen from a pool of thirty, due to the unique experiences they created for the occupants as well as their recognition as houses of merit by historians during personal interviews.

These case studies reveal the varied use of architectural elements to create separation within the home, particularly between the domestic servant and the family, adhering to Apartheid by laws.

South African politics and legislation during this era is not without its complications. As Apartheid[t] was present in every fiber of life, it is undeniable that architecture too played a part in the further development of the Apartheid ideology. Therefore, architects practicing from 1950-1975 in South Africa had to work within various ideological and legislative constraints. To understand whether these constraints influenced how architects worked for their clientele—for white clients versus for themselves—twelve

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Whether the architects behind the built projects supported the regime is not the focus of this study. Instead, it aims to understand the extent to which these architects were able to design livable and inclusive single-family homes for themselves and their clients while adhering to Apartheid laws. The relevance of this study is therefore not purely historical, as the study will reveal the influence and power that architects and therefore architecture has over social, cultural and even political environments.

Spring Semester 2024

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Spring Semester 2024

Thesis Projects

BLOOMING TRAILS

Supervisor: Marcela Aragüez Escobar

Student: Daphné Fournel

Blooming Trails: Unraveling the Impact of Tourists on Kyoto’s Urban Complexity

opportunities within the city which can encourage a deeper engagement with the urban landscape, as well as fostering social interaction and communication.

The Philosopher’s Path, known in Japanese as Tetsugaku no Michi, is a roughly 2 km walking trail located in a of Kyoto. It is lined with approximately 400 cherry blossom trees which connects a series of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, creating an appeal for international tourists, as well as forming part of a national identity, almost fundamental to domestic tourism in Japan.

It serves as a microcosm of the dynamics between the tourist massification and the blend of abundant cultural features within the modernizing city of Kyoto.

This study of the Philosopher’s Path aims to shed light on how tourism affects the transformation of the urban landscape and the interplay of the dynamics between local and tourist infrastructure.

Mapping techniques and other on line records were used to produce an analysis supported by extensive background research on the context of Kyoto and Japan. The aim is to broaden the discourse on the effects of mass tourism on the urban fabric, while raising key hypotheses of urban dynamics which aim to be applicable to other contexts of cities with similarly important touristic affluence.

The interplay between local and tourist infrastructure has provided

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Shops, cafes and restaurants are tourist infrastructures which work as transitional units into the highly private part of the home, and relates the house to the street.

Parking lots create pockets within the urban setting which reflect on various socioeconomic factors of the neighborhood and its interaction with the rest of the city, highlighting disparities in the importance of certain infrastructures and shapes directionality of motion along the path.

Small-scale infrastructures (vending machines, benches, etc.) create moments of pause along the urban landscape, and have different levels of permanence/impermanence affected by seasonality and temporality.

The study further suggests that urban environments and their infrastructure should be understood through a matrix of interrelated factors rather than fixed, opposing concepts, and that the concepts of what is considered for the local and the tourist has a great amount of nuance.

Spring Semester 2024

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Thesis Projects

PROPERTY, ORDER, & PUBLIC ACTION

Student: Daniela Figueroa Rozotto

Described as the largest illegal settlement in Europe, the Cañada Real is home to more than 8,000 people of seventeen nationalities, with 2,800 children. Despite the 14-kilometer settlement being divided into six sectors with different urban qualities and demographics, residents have been able to organize themselves, create a unified identity, and simultaneously advocate their rights before the four different municipal authorities. Selforganized communities such as the Cañada, also commonly known as informal settlements, prominently display the inequalities—social, economic and physical—linked to the process of urbanization. Serving a crucial function by offering low-income housing, especially when the formal housing market fails to meet demand adequately, these settlements, in a

spatial sense, can be seen as isolated urban segments or areas within a city.

Using an anthropological approach, the paper will analyze themes in literature about self-organized communities, redefining concepts like property, order and public action, using them as lenses to look through and understand the urban and architectural conditions in the Sector V of the Cañada Real. This will be done through field work, and such findings will be later presented and mapped throughout the paper.

The aim is to demonstrate that Cañada Real, like many other self-built communities, does not conform to the key characteristics that define a city. It seeks to show that only by conducting more studies with a human-centered perspective on such communities can we overcome the negative stereotypes often portrayed by the media.

Spring Semester 2024

Supervisor: Gregorio Astengo

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INTRODUCTION MASTER IN ARCHITECTURE MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MASTER IN BUSINESS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

[GRADUATE]

MASTER PROGRA

AMS

Master Programs

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

GROUP WORK IN REAL LIFE CASES

2023-2024

Cristina Mateo Associate Dean, IE School of Architecture and Design

The featured capstone projects from the Master in Real Estate Development (MRED) and Global Master in Real Estate Development (GMRED) and the Venture Lab projects from the Master in Business for Architecture and Design (MBArch) showcase students’ group work based on real life cases. These proposals integrate social, environmental, and economic sustainability solutions, focusing on practical and professional applications.

They culminate in presentations to external experts, reflecting industry standards.

The capstone project serves as a comprehensive academic and intellectual endeavor, marking the culmination of the academic program.

Students, with the guidance of a tutor, develop a proposal for a real estate project that demonstrates their acquired knowledge and ability to address

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complex problems. These projects are presented to a panel of experts who evaluate their quality, coherence, feasibility, sustainability, and innovation.

The MRED program focuses on sites in Madrid, while GMRED students collaborate remotely on international projects in C40 cities, reflecting the global nature of the contemporary real estate market.

In the Master in Real Estate Development, we have selected final projects from five different sites in Madrid, characterized by the following: • Revitalization of urban areas, promoting cohesion and aligning with global sustainability goals.

• Transformation of office spaces into cutting-edge innovation hubs designed to foster collaboration, creativity and sustainable growth.

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Creation of mixed-use developments that integrate education, culture and community spaces, enhancing local engagement and revitalizing neighborhoods.

In the Global Master in Real Estate Development we have chosen two projects from one of the C40 Reinventing Cities: Bologna. These projects were selected for their holistic approach to urban design, financial structuring and regulatory compliance, all under sustainable principles.

Regarding the Master in Business for Architecture and Design, we have selected projects from the Venture Lab. The Venture Lab acts as a dynamic incubator for creativity and entrepreneurship. Students, often professionals from the AEC sector, showcase their ventures in a marketplace

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format, pitching to a jury of experts and presenting their innovative ideas to peers and faculty. Additionally, students work in teams to develop ventures aimed at addressing pressing issues within the built environment. This year, the selected projects include an urban design consultancy focused on transforming flood-prone areas into thriving spaces, along with a digital platform designed for individuals managing construction activities without formal engineering knowledge, providing essential resources to improve quality and timelines. Another notable initiative emphasized a humancentric approach to client engagement in architecture and design, bridging the gap between architects and clients to ensure seamless collaboration.

MASTER IN ARCHITECTURE

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

Introduction

BEYOND LICENSURE

The Master in Architecture (MArch) combines the rigorous training required to achieve professional licensure in Spain and the European Union through an international, entrepreneurial and sustainable approach.

The program is organized in three semesters, with the Thesis Project Module the core subject throughout the academic year. Design courses are combined with technical coursework and management lessons to learn how to integrate the latest sustainable technologies, construction systems, structural strategies and building codes into innovative designs.

We aim at understanding how we can do more with less harm. The building sector is responsible for producing a great amount of waste and pollution, and we are running out of time to revert the current climate emergency. Is it possible to think about the architectural profession in renovated terms so that its harm is minimized while keeping up with disciplinary innovation?

In the first edition of the Master in Architecture at IE University, students worked intensively to provide responses to the above question. During the first term, and in parallel with the development

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of the thesis, students reflected on the reuse of an existing building in Madrid’s city center. The second term integrated the Design Management Module, which is not only centered on understanding how to run a firm, but also how to structure a future career around one’s own abilities and interests. These courses complemented the Thesis Module, which focused on developing an urban and architectural intervention for circular living at the Brainport Smart District in the Netherlands. The Thesis Module has been developed in collaboration with Thesis Chair Ben van Berkel and his team at UNStudio. A three-week workshop in Amsterdam granted our students the opportunity to work on their projects at the UNStudio headquarters alongside a program of site visits, lectures and meetings with experts and representatives of the intervention site.

After an intense ten-month period, our students produced an exciting array of design responses on how to produce more sustainable, just and innovative spaces to live and work, while questioning the role of the architect in today’s professional practice in ways that challenge disciplinary conventions, shapes, programs, and paths.

2023-2024

Marcela Aragüez Escobar Director, Master in Architecture

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

LIVING WITH FOOD

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: Catarina Gill de Barros Leonel

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino

Living with Food is a community-driven project aiming to bring the roots of what we eat closer to us. With the growth of cities, agriculture is pushed to the sidelines, increasing the distance it takes for food to get to our plates. This has several repercussions, including increased carbon and food waste.

The motive of this project is to show how integral food is to everyday life on so many scales, and intentionally designing to integrate this crucial layer back into the way we live. Food is the general term used in this project, but it represents more than just something we consume. Food is something that grows and we cultivate. Food is something we prepare, cook, bake, together or individually. And most crucially, food is something we share.

This project, developed in the portion of the master plan of the Brainport Smart District being realized by UNstudio in the Netherlands, is the perfect opportunity to seek an improved way of living in and out of cities. The theme

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of circularity is heavily discussed and encouraged as a starting point to many conversations on ways of living.

The architecture proposed in this project is centered on the driving force of community. The spaces created focus on igniting community relationships, using the dining table as the meeting point for many opportunities of conversation, greatly valuing the in-between condition.

The choice of bricks and ceramic was intentional, so as to allow the architecture to create unique spatial conditions, while providing a level of self-structure, but also to bring the concept of living back to its roots, back to earth. The materiality of this project is not hidden, but instead used to define its character. The methods of brick construction are techniques that have been used for centuries and respects the founding principal of this project, which wants to revive the positive aspects of an almost forgotten culture such as community-grown foods, markets and the friendly neighbor.

2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

BSD EARTH + LAB

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: Elvan Z. Gürbüztürk

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino

Given the Netherlands’ legacy of innovation and a global need for research and development to reach a circular lifestyle, an opportunity arises in the masterplan proposed by UNStudio: seamlessly implementing a network of innovation into the residential scheme that aims to contribute to solving contemporary sustainability crises.

As part of the network that is to be called Brainport Smart District, Living Lab(s), Earth+ Lab extends from a lowerdensity residential area on the southern portion of the site, outwards towards the proposed agricultural land to extract a new kind of value from the productive landscape. The branching scheme works as a research facility to explore all aspects of research that can be extracted from the soil. It creates a living laboratory where innovative agricultural practices, soil health monitoring and biodiversity enhancement strategies are tested and refined. The modular units allow a variety of schemes to host related programs in a manner that can expand or shrink as need be. A building module of 10 by 15 meters guides the geometry of the proposal.

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These modules make up the main artery of the building, onto which additional building wings made of smaller modules can attach themselves. Earth+ Lab is an aggregation of six full modules and two wings. The extensions to the residential units, the incubators, are homes for users engaged in the research to reside in, from students to academics, where they can live in an active state of experimentation and test the research that is being carried out in the facility.

All construction is elevated from the ground to impose as little damage as possible and implement a reversible construction scheme. The space under the facility acts both as a public realm where BSD residents can engage with the research on a daily basis, as well as the sampling grounds for the facility above. This initiative not only contributes to the local and global knowledge based on sustainable living but also fosters a sense of community and shared responsibility towards the environment.

It further proposes the integration of a new kind of user and ownership of the land through the introduction of researchers, academics and students.

2023-2024

MARCH

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

BAUBOTANIK

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: Fran García Cruz

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino This project reimagines the garden city as a living, breathing blend of the built environment and nature, dissolving the hard boundaries typically found between urban development and natural landscapes.

Located in the greenbelt between the expanding cities of Helmond and Eindhoven in the Brainport Smart District, the intervention draws inspiration from takkenril, a traditional Dutch technique similar to hedge laying. Takkenril involves creating living fences by interweaving and training bushes to form continuous, self-sustaining barriers. Much like this technique, the city is designed as a seamless gradient, where architecture and nature are intricately woven together. Starting with a more structured street anchored by a public building with amenities, the urban fabric gradually transitions into park-like clusters of dwellings that feel as though they have naturally grown out of the landscape. Elevated platforms connect these elements, allowing the built environment to hover above the ground, preserving the ecosystem beneath and letting nature thrive undisturbed.

At the heart of this blend between architecture and nature is the integration of Baubotanik structures. These living systems, much like takkenril, are made by guiding and intertwining trees to form

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load-bearing structures. Over time, these trees grow and become integral parts of the architecture, blurring the lines between what is built and what is naturally occurring. The Baubotanik elements not only provide a functional structure but also represent the project’s deeper philosophy: buildings here are not fixed, static objects but grow and evolve with nature. As with the living fences of takkenril, architecture becomes an extension of the ecosystem itself, reinforcing the idea that humans and nature are co-creators of the urban fabric.

The ecological and experiential benefits of this blend are profound. Baubotanik structures, like the living fences, are resilient, self-healing, and naturally sustainable. They enhance biodiversity by providing habitats, improving air quality, and contributing to the carbon cycle. As these living structures grow, they change with the seasons, creating a dynamic sensory experience for the city’s inhabitants. By borrowing from the takkenril technique and pushing its principles to an architectural scale, the project establishes a new model for urban development—one that nurtures both human and ecological well-being, offering a city that is alive, evolving and deeply connected to the natural world.

2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

PLANTAE

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: Franka Dučić

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino

Plantae, Living with Nature in the Future is a residential neighborhood that embodies a bio-based approach to architecture, integrating lessons from the Dutch relationship with nature and its productive landscapes. Dutch paintings reveal a historical synergy between people and their environments, illustrating a life sustained by the land through food, income and building materials. This understanding prompts a contemporary urgency to view plants as renewable resources essential for future architectural practices and the future of Brainport Smart District.

The project emphasizes using low embodied-carbon materials and modern prefabrication methods, enabling structures that are easy to install and adaptable over time. By focusing on biogenic construction, Plantae promotes the cultivation of hemp, reed, wheat and cattail directly on the rooftops of the residential units and their surrounding landscape, creating buildings and their structural materials that harmonize with the environment. These natural fibers, sourced from crops on rooftops and the surrounding land, not only fulfil

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construction needs but also foster a sense of community through collaborative growing efforts.

Plantae residential units represent a pioneering step towards a post-carbon future, advocating for a new building paradigm that addresses environmental and social crises. Utilizing regenerative materials such as hemp, straw and timber, the project ensures that the carbon captured during growth surpasses the embodied carbon produced in their lifecycle. This shift from conventional building methods —often extractive and damaging to natural landscapes—toward sustainable practices promises a harmonious coexistence between humans and plants.

Through prototyping sustainable hemp and timber-based construction, the project aims to scale these solutions from the Brainport Smart District to broader European contexts. This residential initiative invites a reimagining of the land and building rooftop use, fostering agriculture-based economic renewal while respecting local ecosystems and heritage. In doing so, Plantae is a vision for the future of living with nature.

2023-2024

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

A PLASTIC METABOLISM

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: Javier Madero Girod

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino The greenbelt between the expansion of Helmond and Eindhoven has inspired paintings and witnessed the development of industry. They ask us to question how we approach urban development. In response, we must explore circular practices to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency by recycling and repurposing materials in a closed-loop system.

This project explores circular urban development, focusing on plastic waste upcycling as a key strategy. Plastic waste presents a significant opportunity for upcycling in urban environments.

With 40% of plastic consumption attributed to single-use packaging, and construction being the second-largest consumer of plastic, there is immense potential to reduce the construction industry’s plastic footprint by upcycling waste into building materials.

The project proposes an evolving building system that builds itself over time using upcycled plastic materials. A single unit of this facility can process nearly five million kilograms of plastic per year within a 700-square-meter footprint, growing progressively alongside community development. The phased development strategy begins by establishing a grid

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and main structure, then adding plugin elements and extending the grid as needed. The building expands along a growth axis and evolves to accommodate mixed uses over time.

The building design places the facility at the community edge near important circulation routes. The ground floor houses the main recycling and production spaces with the eastern side facing an urban street and the western side opening to a central park. The structure incorporates locally produced prefabricated plug-in elements at various scales, allowing for flexibility and adaptation.

This approach to waste upcycling integrates with urban development, creating a facility that evolves with the community while promoting resource efficiency and circularity. It provides construction materials for surrounding development, adjusting to demand fluctuations and the potential to transition to community cultural and public spaces as development is completed. Ultimately, this project demonstrates how circular practices can offer an opportunity for new approaches to waste treatment and urban development for more sustainable and engaged communities.

2023-2024

MARCH

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

MARCH

HARVEST HAVEN

Thesis Chair: Ben van Berkel

Student: María Fé Montenegro Cerna

2023-2024

Thesis Director: Fernando García Pino

Harvest Haven envisions a self-sustaining community that addresses critical global challenges with a primary focus on food production, water shortages, and CO2 emissions. By integrating food and energy production into the urban landscape, the project aims to blend within the Brainport Smart District masterplan and align with the concepts of sustainability and circularity.

Inspired by the concept of a house inside a greenhouse, the design presents a hybrid building that merges residential spaces with sustainable agricultural practices and research facilities. Key features of the design include indoor vertical farming, aquaponics and water harvesting systems, all aimed at enhancing local food production and environmental stewardship.

The building’s architectural layout features an atrium-like center that functions as a local market for vegetables grown on-site.

Strategic voids and double-height spaces

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within the building improve ventilation and create optimal conditions for plant growth. The multifunctional facade not only supports food cultivation, but also generates solar energy and manages water resources effectively.

Located on the edge of the urban master plan, the design emphasizes permeability and a seamless integration with the surrounding landscape. The ground floor is designed as an open, productive space that merges public and residential functions, featuring gardens and communal areas that foster community engagement.

In summary, Harvest Haven seeks to create a resilient and self-sustaining environment that meets the needs of its inhabitants while positively impacting the broader community. The project underscores the importance of food production and natural resource management through innovative architectural and sustainable solutions.

2023-2024

MARCH

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MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

Introduction

FROM PROJECT TO INTERVENTION

Academic Directors: Carolina González-Vives Flavio Tejada

This project addresses a realistic intervention in the city from multiple perspectives, integrating a strategic vision and the best urban proposal, made viable from financial and legal standpoints. The proposals are based on a comprehensive understanding of goals, parameters and needs. The urban context analysis includes the city’s planning framework, connectivity and social and environmental aspects, complementing the analysis of the real estate market and competitive environment, which seeks to identify products and typologies applicable to the specific case. Additionally, legal due diligence is performed, covering regulatory analysis and the structure of land and building ownership.

Defining the design framework is crucial to optimizing assets and improving their impact on the existing city and real estate area. This includes the program (proposed products and uses), architectural

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principles, benchmarks (national and international), digital frameworks and global sustainability strategies.

The financial strategy assesses the business’s feasibility, with proposals for land acquisition, investment strategies and an economic-financial model that includes timelines and funding sources.

From the perspective of model management, teams design a corporate strategy for developing and financing the project, apply project and construction management principles, develop a marketing strategy and define ESG objectives and KPIs for real estate development.

The results of all this work are presented to a jury of external experts, generating innovative and forward-thinking proposals focused on creating value and improving the city.

MRED full-time teams focus on sites in Madrid, where students reside during the program. These include buildings, plots, and brownfields currently under consideration by developers and public authorities. In contrast, GMRED targets global locations to match the international scope of the program, with students collaborating remotely from around the world.

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The capstone project is a multifaceted assignment that culminates the academic experience of the programs and reinforces the professional orientation of our Masters in Real Estate Development.

Once students acquire the theoretical foundations and tools used in real estate development and urban construction, the capstone allows them to apply these skills to a real and feasible case.

MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: FERRO VERDE Tutor: Marta Colás

Students: Charles Mestdagh, Ximena Ortiz Reinoso, Panagiota Soulioti, Camilo Morales, Basilio Diaz, Caroline Schön, Gonzalo Perusquia Barrutieta, Irene Echeverri Jaramillo

Ferro Verde is a mixed-use district with a 56,000 sqm green corridor at its core, linking the neighborhoods of Delicias, Méndez Álvaro, and Metales. The former train tracks, once dividing communities, will be transformed into an urban oasis, preserving railway heritage by restoring the existing station. This vibrant new

hub in southern Madrid will feature over 1,000 homes, retail spaces, a venue, a sports center, a hotel, and retrofitted ADIF offices and museum. Designed to become a city landmark, Ferro Verde will improve quality of life, promote biodiversity, and establish itself as a cultural center.

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MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: PRADILLO CULTURAL HUB Students: Daniela Mejía, Marcos López Fernández, Srdana Milovanovic, Felipe França, Holger Preisler, Juan David Peña, Po Wah Yeung, Renzo de Guzmán

The Pradillo Cultural Hub is a mixeduse development in Madrid’s Ciudad Jardín neighborhood, designed to revitalize the area by integrating education, culture, and community spaces. The project consolidates three plots into a 4,251 m² area, combining a design school, student housing, an exhibition hall and retail spaces.

It prioritizes sustainability through

energy-efficient features such as solar panels and rainwater harvesting, promotes community engagement through public courtyards and cultural events and showcases architectural innovation. Financially, the project targets a six-year holding period, with a 16.37% IRR, leveraging €69 million in equity, a €38 million loan, and generating €72 million in profit.

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Tutor: Daniel Fletcher

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MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: RE[SPIRE] Tutor: Jorge Sena

Students: Karen Bruning Iglesias, Sarah Dababneh, Pedro María, Nicholas Christopher Saye, Sara Stochnialek, Evangelina Kordoni, Priscilla Oduro- Frempong

Re[spire] is transforming the former IBM head office in Madrid into a cuttingedge innovation hub, designed to foster collaboration, creativity and sustainable growth. Offering a dynamic mix of offices, flex-living units, and retail spaces, it creates a vibrant ecosystem where new ideas and solutions thrive. Re[spire] embodies the power of inspiration, where diverse ideas are exchanged

and innovation is born. With a focus on sustainability, the project integrates sustainable practices such as a leased façade, reducing its environmental impact while driving technological advancement and inter-tenant collaboration. More than just a building, it’s a forward-thinking environment where innovation, sustainability and creativity shape Madrid’s future.

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MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: THE EUPHORIA Students: América García Tejeda, Thore Alisch, Thomas Vignelles, Valentina Gaviria, Valeria Tovar, Morgan Lea Liggan

The Euphoria is an innovative Business Improvement District (BID) in Villaverde, Madrid, designed to create a thriving healthcare and innovation hub. It aims to integrate advanced medical services with a vibrant community atmosphere, offering a dynamic mix of residential, coliving and office spaces. By enhancing local infrastructure, connectivity, and sustainability, Euphoria will transform

Villaverde into a center for healthcare innovation, research, and economic growth. The project capitalizes on future developments like the Oria Innovation Campus and Madrid Nuevo Norte, positioning itself as a catalyst for long-term urban revitalization and community well-being.

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Tutor: Pedro García Carro

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GLOBAL MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: IL NODO Tutor: Jorge Sena

Students: Celma de Almeida-Lavradio, Alberto López Suárez, Khalid Balghonaim, Rabah Arbid, Lagnajeet Paikaray, Rosalind Griffin

The Il Nodo project is a visionary sustainable and inclusive development in Bologna, guided by a Triple Bottom Line framework. This project revitalizes the 93,800 sqm Ravone-Pra area, promoting urban cohesion and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At its core is a commitment to circularity, emphasizing the efficient use of resources, eco-friendly construction,

and low-carbon mobility solutions. Key components include a public-private sale agreement, the P3 Foundation and cutting-edge water reuse technologies. Il Nodo also establishes strategic partnerships across student housing, retail and fitness sectors, while supporting impactful social initiatives such as Cultivating Recovery and the 8 to 80 City, ensuring a balance of innovation and community well-being.

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Master Programs

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GLOBAL MASTER IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT: THE GIUNTURA Students: Juan Carlos Corrales, Mia Minic, Stefanie Kingtiger, Manu Mallikarjun, Andrea Palmer, Felipe Schucman

The Giuntura Life Science District is a transformative project with a creative and bold corporate structure aimed at revitalizing a post-industrial area of Bologna. Leveraging Bologna’s legacy in medical research, it envisions a mixed-use urban area fostering health, well-being and sustainability. Divided across north and south plots, the district combines short-stay residencies, retail and transport infrastructure on the

north side with a health innovation and senior living hub on the south. Notably, the south side repurposes historic buildings into a life science R&D center and a gastronomy hub. This integration promotes social vibrancy, active lifestyles and an ecosystem supporting zero-carbon operations and biodiversity enhancement.

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Tutor: Jorge Sena

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MASTER IN BUSINESS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

VENTURE LAB

Much like a pentagram-based musical composition, the lab prioritizes freedom within a framework of three guiding principles. Firstly, students must identify a problem related to the built environment, broadly defined to include aspects like furniture design, industrial farming logistics or construction material production.

Although other fields may offer valuable lessons, they are not the focus. Secondly, the ventures are required to innovate not only in their outcomes—such as projects, products or services—but also in their business models. This dual emphasis on value creation and unique business approaches sets the ventures apart from conventional (project and outcomefocused) practices in the built environment industry. Thirdly, the ventures must aim for impact and sustainability, defined as the capacity to enhance the life or status of a well-defined entity—be it a community, a region, or a specific market—through tangible improvements. This angle is tailored to each team’s project, and its definition of success is open to discussion.

Beyond these rules, two limits guide the process: students must work within a regional market they are familiar with and cannot base their ventures on technologies they do not fully understand.

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We prefer to under-promise and overdeliver, which helps to prevent ventures from becoming unfeasible or overly reliant on external tech.

The lab begins by letting students form their own teams based on their interests, complementary knowledge, regional and cultural backgrounds and chemistry.

Supported by a network of mentors with expertise in architecture, business design, built environment innovation, and construction, teams navigate their ventures like drivers in a cockpit, with guidance and resources tailored to their needs.

The lab’s structure comprises thematic blocks, each featuring focus weeks for intensive work, alongside periods for serendipity and cross-pollination. Initial blocks focus on problem identification and framing, market understanding and stakeholder analysis. Subsequent blocks delve into customer insights, value proposition, business model design and final venture development.

In the concluding days, students present their projects in a marketplace format, pitching to a jury and showcasing to peers, guests and professors. We are NOT an incubator, nor an accelerator. The lab’s goal is not to produce investable companies immediately, but to offer, above all, a risk-free academic environment for experimentation, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and exploring how the built environment can better serve society. Last year, our 35 students achieved significant recognition in the global IE Entrepreneurship Prizes, including second place in the IE Sustainability Awards.

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The MBArch Venture Lab is a dynamic workshop-based learning platform where the insights and skills gained from the Master in Business for Architecture and Design converge. This risk-free educational workshop invites small teams of three to four students to engage in the creation of a company project focused on the built environment.

Introduction

Academic Director: Jerónimo Van Schendel Erice

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Master Programs

FLOW

Students: Carolina González Garza, Calina-Elena Griguta, Daniela Leaño Casas, Antoine Yannieh

Flow is an urban design consultancy that transforms flood-prone areas into thriving, sustainable spaces. Through a streamlined five-phase approach, we provide services that reduce costs, mitigate risks and enhance development potential. Flow collaborates with municipalities to create tailored designs, secure funding, oversee construction and offer ongoing support. By utilizing advanced tools

such as GIS, data analysis and flood simulation software, we deliver flexible, data-driven and efficient solutions.

Our expertise in international climate funds ensures financial accessibility for budget-conscious municipalities. With comprehensive services, cutting-edge technology and a streamlined process, Flow transforms vulnerable areas into safe, vibrant urban communities.

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Tutors: Joseph Pistrui, Jerónimo van Schendel Erice, Ren Yee, Borja Gómez Martín

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Master Programs

TUNNE

Students: Florencia Mastropierro, Tomás De Col Navarro Grau, Isabela Morais De Medeiros Dias Melo, Paulina Zambrano Kane

Tunne is an innovative digital platform transforming client engagement in architecture and design by prioritizing a human-centric approach. Our mission is to bridge the gap between architects and their clients, fostering seamless collaboration and continuous feedback to ensure every project aligns with the client’s vision. We provide architects and designers with cutting-edge tools that

enhance communication and streamline workflows while empowering clients to take an active role in the design process. With Tunne, we aim to redefine architectural collaboration, setting a new standard for co-creation and client satisfaction in the industry.

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Tutors: Joseph Pistrui, Jerónimo van Schendel Erice, Ren Yee, Borja Gómez Martín

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Master Programs

SIMPUILD

Students: Samah Zaatari, Ahmad Madani, Mohammad Alghafis, Moataz Al Mulla, Ekaterina Selivanova

Simpuild is a digital platform tailored for indie builders in Saudi Arabia: individuals managing construction activities without proper engineering knowledge. These users often struggle with quality, budget and timelines due to lack of access to reliable information.

tools to achieve near-professional results quality work with minimal overheads and affordable expert consultations when needed—all for free!

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Tutors: Joseph Pistrui, Jerónimo van Schendel Erice, Ren Yee, Borja Gómez Martín

Simpuild’s added value lies in simplifying complex construction processes to equip indie- builders with essential knowledge,

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Our user-centric platform also ensures unbiased guidance and features a digital marketplace with product comparison.

Revenue is generated through commissions on materials, consultations, and advertising paid by suppliers.

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Master Programs

CICERONE

Tutors: Joseph Pistrui, Jerónimo van Schendel Erice, Ren Yee, Borja Gómez Martín

Without Cicerone: 2023-2024

Customer Journey:

Students: Andrey Perminov, María Cabanelas Castelo, Julia Getschko, Adedayo Karunwi

With Cicerone:

Cicerone revolutionizes second-hand home searching experience. We offer a one-stopshop solution for home seekers and stand on the buyer’s rather than seller’s side.

Our three-tiered approach—free AIdriven meta-search, comprehensive property reports, and personalized human assistance—empowers buyers to make informed decisions, mitigate risks, save time and find their true

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home. A unique blend of AI-technology coupled with human expertise eases the process, widens the range of available opportunities and delivers unparalleled support throughout the entire process.

Cicerone unlocks the hidden potential of older properties and promotes sustainable urban development.

Experience a seamless, stress-free journey to your ideal home with Cicerone.

D-LAB FAB LAB CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES PROLOGUE MAGAZINE A YEAR IN THE LIFE

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D-LAB

INTRODUCTION EL PEÑASCAL SCHOOL APPLIED ARCHEOLOGY: COCA SAN PEDRO DE LOS PICOS CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL 2024 CAB IE SEGOVIA CAMPUS SCANNING

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INTRODUCTION TO D-LAB 2023-2024

Romina Canna D-LAB Director

THE D-LAB (DESIGN LABORATORY) IS A LABORATORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN BASED AT IE UNIVERSITY IN SEGOVIA, SPAIN. FOUNDED IN 2013 AS A RESPONSE TO THE HIGHLY REGULATED ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION IN SPAIN, THE D-LAB SERVES AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN PEDAGOGY AND PRACTICE. Working across disciplinary and practical tools and considerations, the lab aims to circumvent becoming either an isolated design studio or a mere replica of a professional office. This connective nature of the d-Lab is amplified by the challenges of relating to specific urban and rural contexts with demanding sociocultural and economic circumstances usually unaddressed by administrative and professional frameworks.

Over the course of the academic year, students from the design and architecture undergraduate programs at IE University work in collaboration with faculty members to deliver design solutions for clients within

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the public realm, such as public schools, town halls, non-profit organizations and civic associations. With an intense process that includes design conception, community engagement, construction detailing and fabrication and assembly, the d-Lab constitutes a distinctive framework for alternative learning in architecture and design education. In doing so, the d-Lab ultimately operates as a platform to relate and engage through architecture and design practice with local contexts that are otherwise marginalized by designed related disciplines.

The d-Lab method of working and learning translates into a series of relations

Image: Students helping to build the wooden bench for El Peñascal.

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between the disciplinary knowledge provided in the study plans of the Bachelor in Architectural Studies and the Bachelor in Design, and the realities of urban and rural contexts with specific client desires, unattended demands, limited financial capacities, and an often-constraining regulatory framework. Such relations between pedagogy and practice result in a distinct method that links the otherwise highly segregated environments.

The d-Lab shortens the distance between the academic and the urban reality by proposing to operate in context. Our method is then put into practice by following a series of tightly connected

steps with constant interaction between students and social agents, to shape a design response that goes beyond the production of a mere physical object. By pairing user demands and community needs with material testing and iterative experimentation, the d-Lab method delivers social infrastructures that naturally blend into the city with an inherently public outreach.

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EL PEÑASCAL SCHOOL

The El Peñascal Elementary School is located in one of the most popular neighborhoods of the city of Segovia; La Albuera. While the school building was renovated some years back, the schoolyard was left unattended as an extended area of grey concrete. This led to a pattern of students congregating primarily around the perimeter of the space, looking for edges and corners to develop some activities during the breaks, and leaving most of the open area empty. The project aims to revitalize the schoolyard by activating its various areas through a diverse program layout.

It outlines three distinct patios: one dedicated to games, another to sports, and the last to cultural activities.

In the games patio, the only one completed to date, the design incorporates traditional games like hopscotch, chess, and mazes. This approach highlights the schoolyard as a playful, interactive, and

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educational space, equally important as the classrooms. Additionally, one side of the patio, which previously functioned only as a merely practical and basic boundary between the concrete and the orchard, is being transformed into a welcoming gathering area. A continuous wooden bench will provide seating to trigger social interactions while also serving as a trellis for climbing plants from the orchard, enhancing both usability and aesthetic appeal.

This bench was designed and crafted entirely by the d-Lab team using the woodworking facilities at the FabLab. Throughout the process, students received training in machinery operation and the intricacies of woodworking. For the final installation, a group of students, parents, and teachers collaborated, combining their skills and interests to foster a sense of community dedicated to enhancing the children’s experience at the school.

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APPLIED ARCHEOLOGY: COCA

Coca is a small town in the province of Segovia, home to 1,741 residents, that has been significantly impacted by ongoing population loss. Coca faces declining economic vitality due to a lack of employment opportunities and entrepreneurial initiatives, coupled with limited social, cultural, and recreational options. However, its rich history reveals a once-thriving city within a larger region. Throughout centuries, the town has been shaped by Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians, each leaving their unique mark on the land. Despite its rich archaeological, industrial, cultural and natural heritage, the town lacks a strategy to leverage its assets to reinvent its present and tackle the pressing challenges it faces. Youth migration and declining birth rates worsen each year, while tourists typically stay only briefly to visit the castle at the town’s entrance.

The d-Lab, in collaboration with other schools at IE University and a diverse range of national and international partners, proposes a strategic project aimed at revitalizing the town by focusing on two key

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user groups. This initiative seeks to leverage the town’s rich history to create conditions for cultural tourism while also addressing the needs of the local community.

The proposed project consists of an intervention on three scales. The first, at the territorial level, reveals, enhances, and connects the elements of heritage while highlighting their cultural significance for both tourists and residents. The second scale, at the city level, focuses on developing a public space that fosters social interaction while also establishing connections with the town’s historical and natural assets.

The third and final scale proposes repurposing an old and locally significant building: the Hospital de la Merced. Abandoned for years, this building will be transformed into a Visitors Center designed to inform tourists about the town’s history and present.

Additionally, it will serve as a vocational training school focused on local crafts, techniques and materials, incorporating new applications and technologies.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

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Praxis

SAN PEDRO DE LOS PICOS

San Pedro de los Picos is a small Romanesque church situated near Segovia’s Puerta de Santiago, one of the three historical gateways to the old city.

Once a watchtower for the city during wartime, the church was converted into a private residence in the latter half of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, this adaptation led to alterations that compromised its integrity, and after being abandoned, it suffered significant structural and architectural deterioration.

The neglect of this historically important building has sparked efforts within the local community to preserve it. The

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d-Lab is currently collaborating with a local association and national heritage authorities to prevent the church from collapsing. Their joint initiative includes assessing its current condition, exploring possible uses that engage the local community and potentially developing a comprehensive roadmap for rehabilitation.

Using state-of-the-art technology alongside traditional techniques, the d-Lab has been working to create a comprehensive documentation set of the building, which was previously absent from any archive, as well as an evaluation of its current condition.

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CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL 2023 (CAB)

In April, the d-Lab received an invitation to participate in the prestigious Chicago Architecture Biennial 2023. Titled This is a Rehearsal, and curated by the Floating Museum, the event spanned over ten locations across Chicago. The d-Lab showcased its project at the main venue, the Chicago Cultural Center, from November 1, 2023, to February 11, 2024, featuring three distinctive initiatives: the Casa de la Lectura, a social and cultural hub in the heart of Segovia’s old town; the Casetas de las Biblio de Verano, a network of six small libraries and gathering spaces in various neighborhoods; and San Pedro de los

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Picos, consisting of a comprehensive survey and documentation of a Romanesque church.

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IE UNIVERSITY SEGOVIA CAMPUS SCANNING

As part of the d-Lab’s objective to train students in various professional and disciplinary fields, this year, in collaboration with the company Evolver, students engaged in the use of scanning technologies. Over the course of a week, they participated in a workshop led by industry professionals who explained the uses and applications

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of this technology. Subsequently, the students scanned more than 5,000 m² of the Convent of Santa Cruz la Real on our Segovia campus. Data collection, processing and development were key tasks that highlighted the potential of these technologies not only as tools for gathering information, but also as catalysts for the design process.

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FAB LAB

INTRODUCTION SEMINAR: GROWING AND FABRICATING BIOMATERIALS SEMINAR: PARAMETRIC DESIGN NURTURE HUB REPLICA VIRGEN DE LA FUENCISLA ADVANCED DIGITAL FAB LAB

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INTRODUCTION TO FAB LAB A FAB LAB, OR DIGITAL FABRICATION LABORATORY, IS A PLACE TO PLAY, TO CREATE, TO MENTOR, AND TO INVENT. A PLACE FOR LEARNING AND INNOVATION.

Fab Labs provide access to the space, the skills, the materials and the advanced technology to enable anyone, anywhere to make (almost) anything.

The Fab Lab is the fabrication laboratory of the School of Architecture and Design.

It has two main locations: the Segovia campus and IE Tower, where our students and professors have access to the most advanced digital fabrication technologies, such as laser cutters, computer-controlled milling machines, 3D printers, robotic arms, and more. However, we also value conventional tools and methods, and that’s why our Fab Labs have a complete carpentry workshop, with manual and electric tools, materials for forming and casting, ceramic kilns, and much more.

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But it is not just the machines that are important, the people who operate those machines, how and why they do it, is our main concern, so one of our goals is to educate our students and professors so that they understand what each technology can do and how to use each machine in a responsible, proper and safe way. We want our students to learn by doing while they make their models or prototypes and investigate new techniques and materials.

Our Fab Labs are also members of the Global Fab Lab Network, an open and creative community of fabricators, artists, scientists, engineers, educators, students, enthusiasts and professionals located in more than 100 countries and 1,750 Fab Labs across the globe.

Our Fab Lab Rooms in Segovia and IE Tower Campuses.

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Elena Cardiel Associate Director for Fabrication and Facilities

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GROWING AND FABRICATING BIOMATERIALS

Professor: Lorena Delgado

This seminar is an introduction to the biofabrication of materials, where students have learned new techniques for developing matters for their prototypes, models and/or future products and buildings.

This course encourages research into new materialities that are closely related to art, nature and science using

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different techniques and materials such as kombucha, microgreens, mycelium and algae derivatives, among others. The students began to act as alchemical designers where they have mixed and match different substances following the philosophy of learning-by doing.

Students: Stefan Bethlen, Beatriz Díaz-Rubio, Gabriel Douin, Alejandro Escobio, Mar Merino, William Morrison, Rita Rami, Gianfranco Torres, Sondre Tostrup, Selena Abou Jaoude, Elizabeta Amosova, Tiffany Beebe, Zoé Dedieu, Lucía de la Torre, Marta Fernández Luengo, Valentina Matos, Anil Monnier, Maria Roig, Carla Rotenberg, Claire Villemeur, Jimena García, Trinity Wildenstein, Carolina Zhan Zou.

YEARBOOK 2023-2024

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2D PARAMETRIC DESIGN AND COMPUTER-CONTROLLED CUTTING

Professor: Elena Cardiel

Students: Inés Alonso, Valeria Arango, Stefan Argint, Nicole Mosora, Nilsu Ozdikicioglu, Guilherme Teixeira, Ian Torrez, Sebastian Wadman

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This seminar aims to join both parametric modeling and digital fabrication. In this course, the students have explored the possibilities of parametric design while being encouraged to research and discover new ways of making models by using digital fabrication resources and computercontrolled cutting processes,

such as laser cutting and vinyl cutting. They have practiced the philosophy of learning by doing using the facilities of the Fab Lab of the IE School of Architecture and Design.

IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

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NURTURE HUB

The Nurture Hub is a project created by BID students Rafaela Valencia-Dongo and Adelaida Balthazar. Originally conceived during a sustainability class by Manuel Quiros, this project aimed to highlight the value of biodiversity and educate students and faculty on the importance of protecting and strengthening natural food webs in IE University’s campuses.

The result was a series of wooden structures called growrooms that

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are inhabited by native plants that attract pollinators. These growrooms come together to build a living ecosystem known as the Nurture Hub, which becomes a space for education in biodiversity and interaction between IE’s community and the environment.

This project was carried out in collaboration with the Sustainability Office and the Maintenance team.

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Praxis

REPLICA OF THE GOTHIC CARVING OF THE VIRGEN DE LA FUENCISLA, PATRON SAINT OF SEGOVIA

This project is the result of the collaboration between IE University and the Cofradía de la Virgen de la Fuencisla, fostering the relationship between the University and the local communities of Segovia.

Elena Cardiel, director of IE A&D Fab Labs, was in charge of carrying out the project. The fabrication process began with a 3D digital scan of the original 15th-century sculpture. Using this as a base, six separate pieces were 3D printed and meticulously

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assembled, along with a wooden base. The figure was then sanded and polished, followed by an epoxy resin treatment to seal pores and smooth the entire surface even further. Overall, approximately 150 hours of 3D printing and almost two and a half months of patient and meticulous work were invested.

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Praxis

ADVANCED DIGITAL FABRICATION AND ROBOTICS

Professors: Japi Contonente, Julián Trotman, Gianluca Pugliese

Participants: Elena Cardiel, Lorena Delgado, Yanna Robles, Silvia García, Wesam Al Asali, Oscar Valero, Inés Quezada, Saskia Bostelmann, Evangelina Julia, Taryn Mead, Rodrigo Rubio, Matan Mayer, Juan Cabello, Pablo Alabau

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Our staff and professors had the opportunity to discover, from a practical approach, the possibilities of the use of robotic arms for additive fabrication and how to adapt the ideas and design intentions to it, as well as the incredible potential of clay 3D printing, experimenting with the material and machines. A

hands-on learning experience where participants worked in teams, to design and fabricate prototypes using state-of-theart digital tools available at the IE Fab Lab such as XL 3D Printers and Robotic arms.

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CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Chair of CSC: Manuel Pérez Romero

Lead Researcher: Ruxandra Iancu

At the Center for Sustainable Cities, we are dedicated to reshaping the future of our cities by offering bespoke consultation and expert advice at various scales, from comprehensive city-wide proposals to intricate neighborhood analysis, and even to the granularity of individual buildings with operational strategies and decarbonization plans.

knowledge. We understand that the pillars of sustainable urban development stand not only on the ground of innovation but also on the shared bedrock of understanding and expertise. To this end, we offer an array of educational experiences tailored to professionals in the field.

At the Center for Sustainable Cities, our commitment to urban transformation extends beyond consultation and strategy; it is about cultivating a community of

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Our workshops are meticulously designed to enhance skills and understanding, equipping urban planners, architects and city officials with the tools they need to drive sustainable change in their respective domains.

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IE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

1. Project: Analysis, Evaluation and Implementation of Sustainable Strategies for New Urban Developments Client: Serviland Description: The objective of this study is to establish a system for the analysis, evaluation and implementation of sustainable strategies in new urban developments, specifically in the planning and urbanization phases. However, each phase must be understood as part of an evolutionary chain, and never in isolation. For this reason, the recommendations presented here focus not only on the construction of the urbanization, but above all, on the lives of its citizens within a specific urban ecosystem.

2. Project: Enhancing Neighborhood Identity Through Citizen Participation Client: CreaMNN Description: As part of a broader research initiative, the CSC has organized various workshops and meetings with the residents of Fuencarral to develop strategies and tools aimed at strengthening the neighborhood’s identity. Specifically, we collaborated with CreaMNN to conduct workshops with a group of

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students from José Bergamín School, located in the Fuencarral neighborhood.

Through interactive activities and insightful discussions, we delved into their perspectives on community, safety, education, recreation and how they imagine the future of the neighborhood. Including their voices is essential for creating better cities.

3. Project: Seminar: Strategies and Technologies for an Urban Future.

Client: Madrid City Hall Description: The seminar explores how strategies and technological innovation have shaped cities—one cannot exist without the other.

Technology without strategy is merely a tool without purpose. The seminar is structured around the relationship between the two, examining how technological innovation and urban strategies can shape our urban future.

It is divided into three panels. The first panel focuses on strategies that promote a sustainable urban future. The second examines the role of technology in creating more vibrant and livable cities. Finally, the third panel will discuss the collaboration between academia, the private sector and the public sector to drive research and innovation for new urban solutions.

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PROLOGUE MAGAZINE Director: Yusuf Sühan Bozkurt

2023-2024

Editor: Mangaliso Ngcobo Graphic Designer: Martin Jitenski Logistic: Tristán Sartorius Victoria Rossi

Team: Roche Rabie Carlos (Charlie) Loaiza Francesca Norrington Carla Rottenberg Maria Roíg Sebastian Segares Lucía de la Torre Claire Villemeur Raquel Fajardo

Interview Production: Viviana Jacobo Amelia Motard Lucía de Pablos Camila Valencia Fiona Conlon Jasmine Sharapova Social Media: Mariane Meshaka Arianna Chow

Prologue is a student-run magazine concerned with exploring the built environment through an interdisciplinary lens. It takes an expansive view of architecture, consulting a variety of fields beyond its traditional boundaries. This approach allows for a richer and more comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping the structures, spaces and systems that constitute our world.

critiquing it. The magazine embraces a dual register combining the rigor of academic writing with the rapidly evolving, dynamic language emerging from the internet and contemporary culture. In doing so, Prologue aims to blur the boundaries between these often-separated spheres, bringing together high-level discourse with more accessible, everyday forms of expression.

At its core, Prologue seeks to map not only the diverse disciplines that inform the built environment, but also the array of voices and mediums

The magazine is led by a small, dedicated team of students from IE University School of Architecture and Design, always eager to include fresh voices and new

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@prologuemagazine

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perspectives. Prologue fosters dialogue between young, emerging thinkers and established professionals, encouraging an exchange of ideas that challenges conventional wisdom and promotes innovation in how we understand and shape the world around us.

The most recent edition, END +, delves into the sense of existential crisis brought on by the climate catastrophe and rogue capitalism.

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It explores the apocalyptic mood pervading contemporary society, where crises seem to signal not just an end, but potentially the end of all ends.

Featuring contributions from renowned figures like Lebanese architect Lina Gotmeh and British artist James Bridle, alongside a range of students, architects, artists and academics, Prologue invites readers to contemplate the future of our built environment in an age of profound uncertainty.

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Editor: IE University IE School of Architecture and Design Editorial Director: David Goodman Editorial Curator: Laura López Paniagua Editorial Assistant: Carolina Berges Editorial Collaborators: José Vela Castillo Pia Mazzanti

Design Coordinator: Francesco Maria Furno Original Design: Carlos (Charlie) Loaiza Layout: Carlos (Charlie) Loaiza, María Mustafa Printed by: Anzos, SL Content: © Texts: their authors © Images: their authors ISBN: 978-84-85669-77-6 DL: M-2526-2025

© All rights reserved.

Printed in Madrid, 2025.

First edition.

Paper: Fedrigoni Arena Smooth Extra White, 120 gramos Fonts: Montserrat Regular Montserrat SemiBold Montserrat Bold Bitcount Mono Single