Location:

Barcelona, Spain

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Fall Semester, Spring Semester, Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Barcelona Architecture Center, BAC is an educational organization that was founded in 1999 and chaired by Miguel Roldán. The center offers custom designed architecture and urban design programs in Barcelona to international architecture students and schools. The BAC was created with the aim of developing academic and research collaborations with other universities and higher education institutions across the globe. We are continually building an international network between universities to develop common architectural research projects. This network includes new partners every year from a variety of geographical areas, as we are especially interested in focusing on local and global points of view. We are optimistic in our pursuits as we design the future of a professional environment in a global context, creating mechanisms to share tasks and to worldwide team.

The BAC has been participating in a variety of educational exchanges since 1999. Over the last 16 years, our directors have had many different experiences in organizing innovative programs and workshops designed to train architects in the frame of European architecture, urban and landscape design tendencies, as well as participation in teaching exchanges around the world. BAC have kept exchange programs with: ITESM, Monterrey, México from 2002-2008, Texas A&M University, USA since 2000, Clemson University, USA since 1999, the University of Texas at San Antonio | UTSA 2008-2009 Université de Montréal, Canada, 2003-2006, the Universidad Iberoamericana de México, 2001. Today we have academic agreements with Texas A&M University (since 2000) and Clemson University (since 1999),Roger Williams University (since 2015) during the Fall and Spring terms every year and support-agreement with Penn State University, UDEM, UNITEC for Summer terms. In the Spring 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 the BAC welcomed and granted during three weeks a group of Japanese students from Shibaura Institute, Chiba University, Tama Art University, Toyo University, Tokyo University of Arts, Kyoto University of Art & Design, Hosei University and Tokyo University of Science among others. Today we are preparing its fifth edition for the Spring 2016. The BAC has reached a number of over 1,900 American and Asian students since its foundation.

The Barcelona Architecture Center strives to maintain the highest degree of academic quality in all of our courses. To this end, a diverse and experienced team of faculty is at the base of our academic program. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with a number of architecture and design professionals from a variety of backgrounds and experience. All courses have a maximum student-professor ratio of 15:1 in order to maintain a high level of direct contact and personal attention to each student. The BAC philosophy is to immerse students in the local and European architecture and urban design culture through a variety of experiences. With this aim, we offer several types of courses organized into three main categories: ‘on-campus’ academic courses, field studies courses and professional internship courses. The ‘on-campus’ academic courses offered involve classroom instruction through seminars and design studio activities, as well as guest lecturers, local field trips and visits to design firms. The design studio is the backbone of our programs and gives the student a profound knowledge of the city, while main seminar courses focus on theory and construction. The Barcelona Architecture Center also organizes ‘off-campus’ field studies courses, with destinations designed in collaboration with each partner university. The travel destinations typically include places within Spain such as Madrid, Toledo, Bilbao and San Sebastian, or other European cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Potsdam and Dessau.

Setting Description:

The new Barcelona Architecture Center studio is located in Eixample, a district between the old city and what were once surrounding small towns, constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Ildefons Cerdà. It is only a short walk from La Rambla, Plaza Catalunya, and 10-15 walk to the the old port and seafront, numerous historical and architectural points of interest, as well as various bus and metro stops, connecting students to all parts of the city.

Cost:

consult by email