Self-build

Under the coordination of lecturer Maria Milano, students are carrying out a self-build project with the aim of responding to some of the challenges facing public spaces in the cities of Porto, Matosinhos, Paredes, Santo Tirso and Espinho.

The self-build project challenges students to construct a temporary micro-architecture. This type of immediate project, consisting of a design part and a construction part, carried out over two weeks of classes, allows students to visualise the constructed work almost in real time and understand the importance and necessity of a close relationship between the hand and the mind. The principle of material parsimony and the reuse of components from demolition sites introduce students to the issue of sustainable thinking in design practice.