AUS students spend Fall 2017 semester abroad in Barcelona

A group of twelve senior American University of Sharjah (AUS) students of architecture are spending an entire semester in Barcelona, Spain, engaged in an intensive and integrated program of study. Taught by AUS professors Dr. Igor Peraza and Camilo Cerro, with contributions from local scholars and practitioners, students in the program will take classes on the context and culture of Barcelona, design a project in the city, engage with a leading architectural design practice, and make trips to Madrid, Andalucía, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Olot.

Students are exposed to the different historic and architectural layers of the city that make Barcelona so unique. This one-semester off-campus study program combines academic rigor with experiential learning in a vibrant urban context. Participating students experience a new culture and environment that provides insight into architecture and urbanism in Europe. This initiative enriches educational experience and provides opportunities for immersion in another cultural context. The curriculum consists of 15 credit hours inclusive of a vertical design studio and three 3-credit hour courses: Architecture in Spain; Contemporary Architectural Practice; and Place and Culture.

AUS is collaborating with the Enric Miralles Foundation which is providing students with studio space and accommodation. Students will also have an opportunity to work in the EMBT Arquitectos office, allowing for direct, in-depth engagement with the working methods of an internationally renowned firm through first-person dialogue, archival material and site/project visits with the project team. 

Fifth year architecture student in the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD), Jumanah Abbas, said, “I am glad that CAAD has given me the opportunity to experience Barcelona’s culture and history. Both have been shaped through time, with an influence on contemporary buildings and urban context, and consequently, this has helped me shape a new way of looking at architecture.”

This is the first time AUS has offered such an extended and extensive learning opportunity abroad for a cohort of AUS students taught by AUS faculty. The study abroad program seeks to widen students’ horizons about the different approaches to architecture and design, while simultaneously making the Bachelor of Architecture program more globally engaged with academia and practice.