Lidia García Soriano

DEBATE AS A LEARNING STRATEGY. FLIP TEACHING AND USE OF ICTS

This text describes a teaching innovation experience in the framework of the department of Architectural Composition of Universitat Politècnica de València in three different subjects: Architectural Conservation (obligatory fifth-year subject from the Degree in Foundations of Architecture), Conservation of Non monumental Historic architecture (elective subject from the Master’s in Architecture) and Theory and History of Conservation (obligatory subject in the Official Master’s in Conservation of Architectural Heritage). The three subjects, worth important credits in theory, focus on skills based on the critical development of interlinked cultural, technological and material aspects of built historic architecture and criteria for intervention in architectural heritage. To do so the crucial flip teaching methodology, which encourages debate and confrontation, is particularly interesting. For the last few years the syllabi for these subjects have included a series of debates which students prepare for by studying the literature, initially working outside the classroom and promoting debate and critical analysis of these texts by specialists, theorists and/or regulation guidelines relating to architectural, monumental, traditional or vernacular conservation. The current proposal for these debate activities has been the introduction of digital technologies as a tool to encourage debate between students, making the activity more dynamic. The Socrative online platform was used in this experience as an immediate feedback tool, mainly because of the immediate response it offers to the questions posed, which could relate to the opinion held by the students, their degree of understanding of previously explained concepts or any other information whose interpretation could improve the learning process.

CULTURAL VALUES OF EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE FOR THE SOCIETY OF THE FUTURE. WORKSHOPS FOR CHILDREN AT THE SUMMER SCHOOL OF THE UPV

Vernacular architecture heritage, both local and global, is one of the mainstays of cultural structure. This heritage is currently in a state of disrepair and abandonment, resulting mostly from a lack of awareness and good judgement on the part of the people. Therefore, one of the key actions for the promotion of proper assessment is education on cultural, social and environmental values. Educating the society of the future, our children and youth, is the key to success in this cultural recovery process. Earthen architecture in particular is unknown to many and forgotten by others. However, it represents the history, the present, and the future of many different cultures. At times, this architecture is considered to be poor, uncatalogued and worthless. We have taken on the task of changing this perception, promoting this building technique and working towards earthen architectural heritage being recognised as part of our constructive knowledge. This article presents the activities and workshops on earthen architecture held for children aged eleven and twelve at the summer school of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in July 2015. The content of the workshop was divided into four training blocks: earth, adobe, earthen architecture and adobe construction. Activities were divided into two sessions lasting an hour and a half each. The first two blocks were included in the first session while the last two were left for the second. Approximately two hundred students, organised into eight groups of twenty-five children each, took part in these activities. The block dealing with earth as a material was the most theoretical in the activity. It allowed children to understand the properties of earth and its characteristics and to support this through their own experience. In the section studying adobe, children worked on the construction technique of adobe, by making their own raw earth bricks. When studying earthen architecture, students learnt about other cultures and different geographical realities. In addition, students were generally able to identify earthen architectural heritage. Finally, by working on the block on construction with adobe, skills in the technique were improved. At the end of the session, students built a wall using their handmade bricks. This encouraged teamwork and an overall sense of belonging within the group. During the activities, quotes from students included statements such as “We do not have to underestimate this architecture, even though it looks dirty and worthless. It requires hard work and many people have been involved”. This shows how the workshops made these young students aware of this architecture, an architecture which respects the environment and promotes camaraderie and creative work.

Lime-Crusted Rammed Earth: Materials Study

This study analyses the durability of rammed-earth wall construction techniques. The analysis focuses on three medieval masonry types from the Castle of Villavieja (Castellón, Spain) using two variations of lime-reinforced rammed earth in its walls: lime-crusted rammed earth and brick-reinforced rammed earth. Materials analysis reveals the good properties of the materials used in the outer wall facing despite its age. It also clearly shows how deterioration depends more on the construction technique (construction of the wall with a base, cornice, facings, core; on-site installation, bonds, etc.) than on the material itself. These two types of lime-reinforced rammed earth (lime-crusted rammed earth and brick-reinforced rammed earth) are the most common kinds of fortified architecture in the Iberian Peninsula as well as in northern Africa and the Middle East. The case presented herein is therefore highly relevant as it advances our knowledge of the behaviour of the materials comprising these walls and lays the foundations for suitable future conservation works of a vast array of architectural heritage.