CUArch students had another busy week with two day trips in just three days, this time to the Spanish cities of Poblet and Girona. On Sunday April 6th, students were accompanied by Sophia and Jordi Portal. Jordi, as well as being Architectural Theory professor, is also a practicing architect here in Spain. And he just so happens to be the head architect working on the restoration of a Cistercian monastery in Poblet. Jordi led a detailed tour of the monastery and enlightened students on both its architectural history and its future. Once the tour concluded students went to a group lunch to try the Catalan delicacy calcots, which are similar to onions, but much much sweeter, (and delicious might I add!).
On Tuesday April 8th, students were accompanied by Sophia and Yoel to the city of Girona. There, students learned a bit about the architectural history of the city. A majority of the day, however, was spent on the final board of the semester. This time students worked in groups of 4 to 5 on boards nearly one meter tall! This was definitely an exercise of not only analysis, but strategy and group discussion as well. The board was done on site with one of the most challenging aspects being lack of a vertical surface to work on, but with some strong communication skills and quick thinking, all of the teams completed the assignment well. (Pictures will follow soon!)
Once the boards were completed students and teachers had the privilege of another group lunch complete with authentic Spanish cuisine. After that the tour of the city continued with a visit to Eiffel Bridge and Girona Cathedral.