IE School of Architecture & Design Newsletter - September 2022

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time to focus on

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yes, there is a whole term ahead of us until we get to the end of 2022, but for those following the academic cycle, the year starts now. September brings excitement, renewals and resolutions, and at IE School of Architecture & Design we are ready for a new year of high expectations. Let’s take a big breath, and get back to work to contribute to the improvement of a built environment that is currently facing unprecedented ecological and geopolitical challenges.   

A new beginning comes with the opportunity of revamping the principles that drive us together at IE A&D. With an ever-growing school, upcoming new bachelor and master programs, and important additions to our faculty cohort, we are set to take on the challenges contribute to the forefront of the architecture and design discussions globally. Our relevance stands in the capacity of our community to engage with the pressing issues currently affecting the disciplines in an around the built environment.  

Three main aspects will be of particular significance for our teaching and learning activities this year. First, a hands-on approach to climate emergencies will continue to star in the curricula of all our programs. Conversations, actions and projects to define plausible solutions for a short- and long-term future are posed as the top priority in our contribution to society. Second, we will continue to profit from our global identity to create knowledge for a wide array of contexts and realities in cities and communities beyond our immediate realm. Finally, we strive to master the combination of academic rigour and intellectual innovation. As radical thinker Cedric Price would say, architects and designers should have the capacity to imagine an inhabitable future hitherto thought impossible, a better one that is yet to be created.  

Let’s make the most out of this new year, and enjoy the opportunities for personal and professional development that lie ahead of us. We are ready. 

Marcela Aragüez

Assistant Professor at IE School of Architecture and Design

Sou Fujimoto

@ Hay Festival 2022

The 17th edition Hay Festival in Segovia enjoyed perfect weather and an overflow capacity crowd to hear the words of renowned Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto as he talked about nature and architecture. Born in Hokaiddo, where he was surrounded by forests, Fujimoto looks for inspiration in nature and continually strives for balance between built an natural environments. He presented three projects: the recently completed House of Music in Budapest, the “l’Arbre Blanc” or White Tree housing in Montpellier (France), and the planned new learning center of Paris l’Ecole Polytechnique. His brief presentation was followed by a conversation with Dean Martha Thorne in which Fujimoto advocated for an integration of nature and buildings and the creation of spaces that allow people to find private, special spaces as well as spaces for connection and communication. When asked about the concept of sustainability, he expressed the need to keep studying and evaluating the many components of sustainability, including materials, present and future uses of buildings, where and how materials are produced, etc… as “everything is connected” in his view.

Watch for an interview with Fujimoto on UrbanNext coming soon! 

Building bridges with the

Real Estate community

IE A&D is looking to build relationships with the real estate community from the private and public sectors involved in city-making. To do this, it is important for the School to actively participate in events and conferences where our faculty can share their latest projects. 

IE A&D will actively participate in the ULI Young Leaders Autumn Study Tour,  which will take place in Madrid at the end of September. They will visit and hear from School faculty, about urban regeneration peojects, in which they have been involved from inception, such as Madrid Nuevo Norte or Renazca. 

At the end of October, faculty in the School will also participate in two conferences: the IE Real Estate Forum in Madrid and The District in Barcelona. 

These are great opportunities for future students and professionals to know the School's direct impact on current urban transformation projects.

Stay tuned to our events.

Upcoming new program:

Sustainable Project

Leadership

The School of Architecture and Design, with Jon Blasby, Director of Castiel Consultants, at the helm, has developed a new 14-week program titled Sustainable Project Leadership for those involved in different aspects of the built environment and wanting to quickly up-skill.

The Built Environment sector is always facing challenges, but as the industry emerges from a global pandemic there seems to be one topic at the top of many people's agendas. Witnessed through natural disasters, made tangible through better data, and aided by a shift in perception of the population, every organization in the sector is asking themselves how they can contribute to more sustainable projects and in turn, society and environment.

True, the conversation around sustainability is not new. However, the pressure for a more holistic approach is demanded which incorporates the new knowledge that is developed every day. As the sector evolves the traditional discipline of the Project Manager must become more influential in addressing sustainability in the built environment and redefining project delivery to promote a positive impact and requires a new type of Project Leader. 

Watch for more information on our website and join us in spring 2023.

New Faces at IE A&D:

Wesam Al Asali

IE A&D is pleased to welcome Ph.D. Wesam Al Asali as our new Assistant Professor for the current academic year 2022-2023. Wesam will not only teach Design Studio to second year students of the Bachelor in Architectural Studies, but he will also continue to develop his research activity.  

He is interested in the overlap between computational and construction technology and its application in different geographies, and this interest spans to different disciplines such as history and ethnography. Wesam advocates for a more inclusive practice in which architecture plays a leading role in contributing to solving current societal issues such as refugee housing and climate change. 

Wesam has recently moved to the historic city of Segovia where he is enjoying the best of the city while being close to nature. He recommends the book Dakakeen wa Bayien Zaman (Damascene Professions: Shops and Merchants of the Past) by Syrian artist Khaldoun Chichakli; Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb, from their album P.U.L.S.E; and the Spanish film También la Lluvia (Even the Rain). 

Join us welcoming Wesam! 

Bachelor in Design:

Welcoming new Adjunct Faculty

During the last year, our Bachelor in Design has experienced an exponential growth. This rapid growth together with the new trends in the sector require constant evolution and thus, new incorporations to our faculty. 

This year, we are glad to welcome Rebeka Arce, expert in art direction and brand identity, and founder of Arce Studio; Ainhoa Garmendia, product design engineer with a focus on sustaibility; Andrea Santamarina, artist and designer of objects that transcend functionality to communicate different values; Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, co-founders of Space Popular, a research-driven architecture, design and media studio that explores the future of spatial experience; David Díez, art director who focuses on the search of beauty using photography and geometry as the main languages; Gabriel Hernández, architect and researcher interested on the overlap of architecture, art, design and the environment; Lala Herrero, creative director expert in strategy experience, marketing and communication and with broad international experience in the fashion industry. 

Welcome to IE A&D!

Get inspired by

One Thing

Bachelor in Design student Carla Rotenberg’s innate curiosity pushed her to seek inspiration from the designers she admired most through “One Thing”. 

This project started last January as a visual experiment by which international creatives can share that book, place, recipe, object, … that inspires them the most. The only rule is that they cannot share their own work and the objective is to share different points of view and influences in the creative process with other designers. 

Among the 47 different publications so far, we can find films, coffee pots, and shoes among others.  

Have a look at her Instagram 

Towards a more democratic and competitive city

October 4, 7pm CEST

IE Campus Madrid

IE A&D looks forward to welcoming the new students of the sixth edition of the Master in Real Estate Development and the second of the Global Master in Real Estate Development. 

This year, to mark the occasion, we will welcome Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, economist and public administrator. 

Peñalosa will share his view about how a good city can be an effective means to construct equality and inclusion while fostering well-being and generating competitiveness. 

If you wish to attend this event, please, send an email to IESchoolAandD@ie.edu to find out more details. 

Main trends in Real Estate:

Connecting the dots between Europe & the US

October 13, 5pm CET

Online

IE School Of Architecture and Design and The Counselors of Real Estate - CRE present a series of webinars led by experts from both organizations. We will discuss Issues related to the rise of hybrid work after the pandemic, the crisis of affordable housing, and the importance of ESG from a holistic perspective. 

The first one will occur on October 13th at 5pm (CET). Elvira Muñoz, Academic Director of the IE Diploma in Strategic Interior Design, and Cassandra Francis, CRE Member, will be discussing: "Hybrid work drains cities propelling reinvention to stave off devaluation."

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