ETSAB Summer School 2026

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Full program

The Barcelona School of Architecture ETSAB-UPC, a top-ranked global institution with roots dating back to 1775, serves as a preeminent hub for architectural training, research, and urban discourse.

From July 6th to 17th, 2026, the school opens its doors for an intensive Summer School program that coincides with a historic moment for the city. As Barcelona celebrates its designation as the UNESCO-UIA World Capital of Architecture and honors the centenary of Antoni Gaudí, the ETSAB campus becomes a “living laboratory” where students engage with the most pressing challenges of the contemporary built environment.

The program is structured around a diverse series of parallel modules that bridge rigorous academic research with hands-on professional practice. The ETSAB Summer School provides a unique platform for international exchange and the development of resilient architectural concepts for the future.

We encourage Architecture students from all over the world to participate. Those interested must complete this form and attach a Letter of Intent, a CV, and a brief Portfolio. Each document should have a maximum length of one A4 page and a maximum file size of 10MB, and be submitted by 22nd May 2026. A selection committee will choose the participants for each module and announce the results by 29th May 2026.

Re-use, building the future with the ruins of the past

July 6th to 17th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 50. Students: 20. Faculty: Prof. Relja Ferusic (UPC). 2ECTS for ETSAB students.

‘Re-use, building the future with the ruins of the past’ addresses the challenge of architectural reconstruction in contexts of extreme urban destruction, using Gaza as a primary case study. Participants will investigate how rubble -often seen as waste- can become a valuable material resource for rebuilding cities and restoring urban life.

Working in collaborative teams, students will develop innovative proposals that combine sustainability, material experimentation, and emerging technologies such as computational design, data analysis, and digital fabrication. The workshop encourages interdisciplinary and international exchange, bringing together students from different contexts to address one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary architecture: how to rebuild cities while embedding memory, material continuity, and future resilience.

The resulting projects are conceived as exploratory prototypes and conceptual foundations for future development, as well as material for public exhibition and dissemination within the framework of Barcelona as World Capital of Architecture 2026.

Shaping a crisis: from data to spatial artifacts on housing in Barcelona

July 6th to 17th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 50. Students: 25. Faculty: Domestic Data Streamers. 2ECTS for ETSAB students.

In ‘Shaping a crisis: from data to spatial artifacts on housing in Barcelona’, students will curate, design, and produce an exhibition addressing the housing crisis in Barcelona. Led by Domestic Data Streamers, and
enriched by contributions from Jaime Palomera (IDRA) and the Sindicat de Llogateres de Barcelona, participants will transform raw data, testimonies, and urban realities into tangible exhibition artifacts that communicate complex information through physical and visual means.

The workshop focuses on translating research into built forms, enabling participants to move from abstract information to spatial constructions that make urgent social issues visible and accessible. The resulting pieces are conceived to have a life beyond the classroom, generating outputs that can continue to circulate, inform public debate, and contribute to ongoing discussions around housing and urban justice in Barcelona.

In material: Model-making as a tool for architectural thinking

July 6th to 14th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 35. Students: 20. Faculty: Amado Martin, JPAM City Makers. 1ECTS for ETSAB students.

‘In material: model-making as a tool for architectural thinking’ approaches the architectural model not as a final object, but as a conceptual tool capable of producing forms of knowledge that drawings alone cannot convey. Participants will explore how material processes can complement design thinking and expand the narrative of architectural projects through tactile and spatial experimentation. Working with materials such as plaster, resins, and mortars, students will investigate how material choice and constructive processes influence the way architectural ideas are represented and understood.

The workshop combines theoretical input, observation of professional practices, and hands-on experimentation.The programme includes an introductory theoretical session presenting references and methodologies, a visit to the studio to observe real models and fabrication processes, a live technical demonstration on mold-making and casting, a guided hands-on work session, and a final session dedicated to demolding, finishing, and presenting the results in a small collective exhibition. Beyond technical learning, the workshop emphasizes the use of material processes as tools for research, exploration, and architectural expression.

Tile vaulting: masonry shells construction

July 6th to 14th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 35. Students: 22. Faculty: Prof. David López López (UPC), Prof. Deena EL-Mahdy (The British University in Egypt, BUE). 1ECTS for ETSAB students.

Modern architecture is rediscovering the elegance of compression-only structures. ‘Tile vaulting: masonry shells construction’ combines computational design, masonry craft, structural optimization, and ceramic 3D printing to explore how geometry can minimize material use while creating breathtaking spaces. Focusing on thin-shell structures, masonry vaulting, and 3D-printed ceramic cladding, participants will move from digital form-finding and structural simulation to real-site fabrication and 1:1 scale construction.

Transformació de l’antiga caserna de la Guàrdia Civil de Moià en habitatge social

July 3rd to 14th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 50. Students: 30. Faculty: Prof. Jordi Franquesa (UPC). 2ECTS for ETSAB students.

Aquest taller intensiu de disseny convida els estudiants d’arquitectura a desenvolupar propostes preliminars potents per a la transformació de l’antiga caserna de la Guàrdia Civil de Moià (Barcelona).

L’ajuntament preveu rehabilitar aquests edificis per destinar-los a habitatge social protegit. El workshop començarà amb una visita i una breu estada al lloc, que permetrà als participants explorar l’entorn i interactuar directament amb agents locals i futures usuàries.

A través d’aquestes trobades, l’estudiantat participant ajudarà a definir i polir el programa de necessitats que guiarà les seves propostes.

Treballant en equips petits, les persones participants produiran conceptes arquitectònics que responguin als reptes contemporanis de l’habitatge col·lectiu, actuant amb sensibilitat respecte als edificis existents i al seu context urbà i social. En acabar el taller, l’Ajuntament de Moià atorgarà premis a les dues millors propostes desenvolupades durant la sessió.

Gaudí no frills

July 3rd to 14th, 9:00 to 17:00. Total hours: 50. Students: 20. Faculty: Prof. Celia Marin (UPC). 2ECTS for ETSAB students.

A detached gaze on Gaudí and the modernista movement, through the lens of Barcelona’s fin de siècle’s context and the historical significance of architecture.

Through site visits and focused lectures, we’ll go over Antoni Gaudí’s architecture, understanding it in a detached way, far from mythicization and misinterpretations. The lectures will provide contextual, critical and historical information that allows the participants to get a deeper comprehension of Gaudí’s architecture, significantly rooted in the fin-de-siècle Barcelona, Modernisme and as a result of the local influences and its particularities.

LEGO Gaudí

July 6th to 10th, 9:00 to 14:30. Total hours: 25. Students: 20. Faculty: Prof. Galdric Santana Roma (UPC). 1ECTS for ETSAB students.

Architecture continues to draw inspiration from the structural intelligence of Antoni Gaudí, whose work seamlessly united geometry, material, and form. Marking the 100th anniversary of his death, this workshop explores his experimental approach through hands-on model making with LEGO.

Participants will simulate key structural elements found in his architecture—such as hyperbolic paraboloids, conoids, and ruled surfaces—translating complex geometries into intuitive, buildable systems. Bridging analytical thinking and playful construction, the workshop invites students to understand how form can emerge from structural logic, echoing Gaudí’s enduring legacy.