An African in Spain. A half-Italian in Italy
In Alicante, I lived in Constant’s New Babylon. I designed Paradise. In Banyoles, I painted mountains under a warm winter sun. In Valencia, I tasted Spain in its Paella, sitting around a table so diverse a perplexed American came up to us and asked what brings us together. In Barcelona, I got scammed into paying £15 for two balloons. I’m still not over it.
There is a constant thrill in Spain that nudges you to go out and explore. The beaches are so close, take a dip. The mountains surround you, climb. Alicante is intimate. Its small size makes everything and everyone reachable.
For Giorgia in Italy, Bologna is small and very Italian. In a normal week, she enjoys a visit to the weekly market in the centre and an aperitivo in the evenings with friends. Bologna standing between Venice and Florence, Giorgia’s more relaxed weeks are marked with train journeys to these impressive architectural gems, and of course the cheap train tickets make it even more worthwhile.
Between Bristol, Alicante and Bologna
The Architecture Studio at the University of Alicante (UA) is strange. In the first session, we were told to become goats, following a brief introduction of the GoatMan project by Thomas Thwaites. Nobody had any idea what Javier and Joaquin, our tutors, were talking about. Following that, our first workshop was to design a machine to measure a biotope. Are we studying mechanical engineering? Then we designed a cabin for a time traveller. I am starting to understand what was required. Nothing. It is free. You either embrace the freedom it presents, or you get lost in it. I chose to embrace it. Currently, we are designing in the Metaverse. Architecture in Spain is a tug war between the physical, the virtual and the fictional, constantly driving students to unlearn conventional ways of approaching design.
In Bristol, architecture Studio is a careful balance between design and construction. It allows just enough space to be creative. As the brief is mostly to design buildings, the studio always remains within the realm of reality. There is a certain thrill in translating the abstract, which my concepts tend to be, to something tangible. This is absent in the projects in Alicante as practicality is not always a requirement.
If Studio in Alicante was one extreme, Architecture Studio in Bologna would be at the opposite end. Giorgia describes it as very practical and technical. A project’s outputs are firmly defined, requiring a coherency in the deliverables produced by the class. When contrasted with Studio in Bologna, architecture at UWE provides freedom. This tripartite comparison of Studio culture in different European universities makes evident a spectrum with technicality and rigidity on one end and conceptuality on the other. There is something to learn from each approach to design, each bringing out a different architect from within self. Architecture education, much like architecture, changes with context. Studio in Alicante reminds me of Catalan Modernism with an intense and diverse palette of briefs. In Bologna, Studio seems to take the form and order of the Renaissance, both unique in their own way.
Why A Year Abroad? …Or, why not?
Doing a Year Abroad does not come without difficulties. It takes you out of your comfort zone. Academically, you ought to get used to different design approaches, and sometimes the language barrier makes it even harder. Integration with local students becomes tricky. Thoroughly researching the universities you are considering is important; however, I also believe that with architecture, there is no wrong decision. There is plenty to learn everywhere. It all depends on what you make of the obstacles and opportunities that present themselves. I often joke to my friends about leaving stress behind in the UK when they point out that I seem much more relaxed in Spain. For me, UA was the perfect fit because I chose to prioritise enjoying my projects over my grades.
With the start of second semester, we are among the few who are staying behind. We have said our goodbyes to our friends who were here for only half a year, promising to meet in the uncertain future and promising free rent in case we decided to visit each other. I find it refreshing to start new courses in the new semester. A year abroad looks different for everyone. However, one thing stays the same. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, to put an effort in socialising and to pull yourself when things become difficult. You will learn a lot about yourself and much more about others, their cultures and experiences.
This, for me, is architecture beyond the drawing board…
Written by: Salma Magzoub
What a joy reading this post Salma! Keep writing x
Trina
Loved the article!! Great read