Debate at COAC on teaching and professional practice in housing
On November 24, the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) held the session “Learning. Teaching Architecture, the transdisciplinary team and professional placement”, a space for debate focused on the relationship between academic training and professional practice in the field of housing.
The conference was attended by Alfons Tornero, representing Laboqueria Arquitectura, along with other professionals and teachers with a distinguished track record in social and cooperative housing, such as Arqbag and Lacol. From diverse but complementary perspectives, key issues were addressed about current work models, the commitment to the production of affordable housing and the role of architecture within increasingly collaborative and transdisciplinary processes.
During the session, the need for academic training more connected to professional reality was highlighted, capable of integrating design, construction and maintenance of buildings, as well as transmitting to future architects a critical, responsible and committed perspective on the right to housing.
The speakers, all former students of Catalan architecture schools and now teachers and designers, reflected on how the academy prepares architects to practice the profession and participate in the transdisciplinary language and work that housing production requires. They also answered questions about their current work model, the reference courses that inspired them and what they missed during their training and that they now contribute as teachers.
Among the projects that represent this way of working are the production of cooperative and social housing, as well as transdisciplinary experiences that integrate teaching and professional practice. A prominent example is La Balma, developed by Laboqueria Arquitectura in collaboration with Lacol, which exemplifies a cooperative housing model rooted in the territory, sustainable and focused on people. The participating offices, Arqbag, Lacol and Laboqueria Arquitectura, are benchmarks in this field, combining research, projects and construction with a commitment to the community.
