A Decade of Architectural Design and Discovery in Madrid

Drawing from his deep familiarity with the city of Madrid—he earned his Doctorate of Architectural Theory and Design at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)—Guitart set out to create a program that would offer more than a traditional learning experience, using Spain itself as a living classroom.

Since its launch in summer 2016, the program, titled “A Cultural Campus in Madrid,” has brought nearly 100 UB architecture students to Spain for this unique learning experience built around four key components: lectures, site visits, a design studio, and weekly travel experiences. While this framework has remained consistent over the past decade, Guitart likes to continually refine the details by considering student feedback and adapting the activities to enhance their experience.

This summer, nine architecture students, including two graduate and seven undergraduate students, marked the study abroad program’s 10^th anniversary. As in past years, their work centered on two major projects designed to strengthen essential architectural skills: a sketchbook and a design project.

Nine walking tours planned by Guitart, with the collaboration of Spanish professor Israel Alba Ramis, took the students on journeys centered around notable architectural sites such as the Puerta de Toledo, Plaza de España, and historic Atocha Railway Station, among many others. Along the way, they filled their Moleskine notebooks with notated sketches of the churches, theaters, museums, government buildings, parks, markets, and various other structures that lined the routes. Their subjects ranged greatly: an 18th-century palace turned national art museum; a brutalist-style skyscraper; an Egyptian temple from the 2nd century BC, gifted to the city in the 1960s; and a residential building designed to maximize sunlight, earning it the nickname “Sunflower Building.”

Guitart describes sketching as the most basic but fundamental type of training that every architecture student should exercise regularly as a form of observing and thinking. “Sketching is an invaluable method for the cognitive eyes-brain-hand connections,” he noted. “Through sketching, students see, analyze, process, and reconstruct what they see and experience first-hand as part of an exercise that refines their capacities of observation and understanding of space.”

When Guitart began conceiving the program, he was adamant about including a design studio as a major component. “I believe that, as architecture students, they need to be exposed to the study abroad experience through their own production of a piece of architecture,” he explained. “Seeing and sketching can be strongly enhanced and complemented by a design studio, which provides the opportunity to expand their design training. The addition of a design studio developed abroad can only make their future professional portfolios stronger.”

The students’ primary design assignment challenged them to envision a new UB headquarters in Madrid on the site of their summer lodging: dormitories on a small campus provided through Guitart’s longtime connection with the Fundacion Pablo VI. “For the students to work on a site where they were staying made the most sense,” Guitart shared.

A university facility designed to promote cultural exchange was a natural choice for this group as they spent their summer immersed in that very experience—and they could draw on it directly in their designs.

The site included two conditions that were particularly interesting. It sits right in between an urban end of the city and a natural landscape, functioning as a mediator between two different areas. Also, there’s a 25-foot topographic drop, which incorporated a challenging, but potentially generative sectional condition.

Working in teams, the students progressed through the stages of concept design, schematic design, and final review. The guidelines were built to be flexible, and their proposed designs could include several options, such as an administration building, multipurpose exhibition space, classrooms, library, and complementary spaces. The project called for a total of 30,000-40,000 gross square feet of indoor and outdoor space, encouraging the students to develop both architectural and landscape solutions appropriate for Madrid’s excellent climate.

In addition to the topographical challenges, students were also required to address boundary conditions between the city itself and the Ciudad Universitaria, as well as the relationships between new architecture and the different urban contexts surrounding the site. 

The long-term value of the experience extends far beyond a single summer. By working in an unfamiliar environment, the students learn how to develop designs that respond thoughtfully to local culture, history, and architectural traditions.

Jessica Renn (MArch ‘26) shared that participating in the program strengthened her ability to respond to different climates during the design process. “I’ve gained a new perspective on how important it truly is to experience a different culture and way of living to effectively design for a community,” she observed.

They also gain hands-on experience tackling complex design challenges from concept to completion. By the time they leave Madrid, they carry home more than memories; they return with stronger portfolios, expanded perspectives, and new skills that can help set them apart as they begin their professional careers. “I believe a project designed abroad contributes to their design expertise with an unusual level and scope of work,” Guitart reflected.

Beyond the academic and professional benefits, Guitart notes that one of the program's greatest, and less tangible, rewards is the sense of community it creates. Collectively sharing such an immersive and transformative experience often leads to lasting bonds between the students. Adriana Gonzalez (BS Arch '27) remarked: "This trip has been really amazing. I will remember it fondly forever!" and Mario Aguilar (MArch '27) added: "Seeing architecture in the way both you (Guitart) and Israel have shown us makes myself want to be more detailed, more caring, and overall a better architect."

Reflecting on the growth that he’s seen in these students over the years as a result of this experience, Guitart points to a quote from Miguel de Cervantes, author of the 17^th-century classic Don Quixote: “Whoever walks much and reads much, sees much and knows much.” This is exactly what the students experience in every Study Abroad Program in Spain.