Vocation is one of the determining factors taken into account by students when choosing their university studies. However, when the students start their studies, in their first year, they will find a series of basic subjects that barely motivate or stimulate them. In the specific case of mathematics, the problem is aggravated when many of the students already begin the first year showing rejection towards this subject. The lack of motivation for mathematics also affects the subject of physics because “the role of mathematics is to be the language of physics”. The EXPLORIA project proposed by the CEU Cardenal Herrera University is a potential solution to this problem. The objective of this project is the implementation of STEAM learning (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) in the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture at CEU Cardenal Herrera University through the EXPLORIA project. This article focuses on the activities carried out in the subject of physics in the Degree in Fundamentals of Architecture, corresponding to the part of mechanical engineering in order to show that through the realization of different challenges, we can develop creative products, new buildings with their logos and storytelling, as well as connect with the rest of subjects. For its development, students must use everyday objects within their reach, such as forks, spoons, knives, shoes, etc., to build an object or structure that must remain in a “creative balance” and this will serve as an inspiration for new buildings. These new creations are evaluated by an architecture team who fills in a rubric to evaluate the creativity and originality of the products. The number of students included in this project was 24 and the participants’ age ranged between 18 and 20 (similarly distributed). At the end of the work, an anonymous ad hoc questionnaire was carried out to show the students’ assessment of the new teaching methodology and the challenges developed in the subject of physics.

Purpose: City planning and construction have embraced circular economy principles, converting them into various indicators. Particularly in the European context, the question “what architecture for circularity?” is answered with policies focusing on techniques, materials and disassembling construction. This paper analyzes a new approach to sustainable design and explores the concept of Km0 architecture. The objective is to demonstrate the design strategies of a contemporary architecture based on local resources and knowledge, an architecture that works with the shortest possible loop in circularity, i.e. with the cycle that consumes the least amount of energy.Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents two ways of understanding sustainability in architecture: the first as a result of policies and the second associated with the design and innovative-based New European Bauhaus initiative. Within the scope of this last understanding, the authors analyze three cases on the Spanish Mediterranean coast that have recently received media attention and prominence. The selection responds to a specific climate adaption through a certain typological and functional diversity of the works.Findings: The studied cases exhibit a more equitable and cost-effective circularity based on the time factor, have long life-cycle designs and serve as repositories of cultural identity. Km0 architecture reduces emissions using local resources and mitigates environmental conditions by combining traditional and modern design strategies.Originality/value: This paper fulfills an identified need to study the local understandings of the built environment that would ensure a more fair and inclusive European green transformation.

The teaching experience carried out in the optional subject Digital Projects (Department of Architectural Projects, School of Architecture and Design, CEU Cardenal Herrera University) proposed the application of a transdisciplinary methodology for an immersion in an expanded architectural culture. The course consisted of a contest for students through a development in ten project phases linked to other professional fields. Implicitly, the transdisciplinary condition of the course required a new teaching methodology that operates within the diversity of levels in today's world. Horizontal collaborations, external views and other relations between the students and the teacher were implemented. The proposed teaching model allowed the consolidation of an open and participatory work space, adapted to the demanding and exciting professional career of the future graduate. La experiencia docente analizada en el presente texto se desarrolló en una asignatura optativa vinculada al área de proyectos arquitectónicos. Dentro de las asignaturas de cuarto curso, esta clase daba continuidad a la enseñanza de proyectos mediante la inmersión en un cultura arquitectónica ampliada, tanto en las referencias y conocimientos impartidos, como en los procesos e instrumentos empleados. El curso consistió en la realización de un concurso de arquitectura, mediante un desarrollo pautado en diez fases de proyecto ligadas a otros ámbitos profesionales.

The productive terraced landscapes of terraces suffer, nowadays, a gradual abandonment. With the loss of production, they drag a good part of the memory of the place and the heritage of its inhabitants into oblivion. This article presents a journey through the identity of these territories, from their origins to the resurgence of their social claim. As a conclusion, the paper presents two exemplary landscaping projects: the Pedra Tosca Park by rcr arquitectes and the Landscape Regeneration of the Garraf landfill, by the Batlle i Roig arquitectes team together with Teresa Gali-Izard, both in Catalonia, Spain. These two proposals, reinterpreting the terraces, show new ways of looking at these places, with actions that remake terraces, adjusting perfectly to the existing landscape, but proposing a way of projecting its future towards a new identity of the landscape.