Spain: Architecture & Urbanism in Madrid and Barcelona
Term: Summer
Travel Dates: September 1 – September 17, 2013
Credits: 6 (Upper-Division or Graduate Credits)
- Faculty: Rudolph Barton and Jeff Schnabel
The Department of Architecture proposes to offer a short-term field research program investigating the historical and contemporary architecture & urban design of Barcelona, Spain and its immediate surroundings. Barcelona, located in the northwest corner of Spain, is also within a few short hours from Madrid and Provence, France. The city is heralded as one of Europe’s best laboratories for studying architecture as it contains over 2,000 years of buildings ranging from Roman houses to the most contemporary experiments in making buildings.
Draft Itinerary
Participants will spend the majority of each day in the field investigating architectural designs in Barcelona and its surroundings. Daily activities will include site visits to important sites, museums, and professional offices; on-site activities include reflection and analysis of important design characteristics through graphic means recorded primarily in a Barcelona Journal. Two weeks in Barcelona will be supplemented with a few days in Madrid as well as a few days in the nearby medieval university town of Girona to compare and contrast design influences.
Accessibility
- Portland State University welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities.
- Extensive field research will demand long periods of walking, direct recording of observations, and long exposures to Mediterranean sun.
- Participants will need to take care of skin and eyes in long exposure to the sun, plus take care to keep hydrated in this Mediterranean climate.
Informational Session
To learn more about this course, please attend the informational session in Shattuck Hall room 235:
- Wednesday the 27th of February 12:00 – 1:00 PM, Shattuck Hall, room 235
Program Focus
Course Information
- ARCH 399 SE1: SPST Barcelona Architecture and Urbanism – 6 credits OR
- ARCH 510 SE1: SPST Barcelona Architecture and Urbanism – 6 credits
Course content may provide some foundation for later upper-division courses in architecture, urban studies and planning, geography & community development. Credits for Arch 399 meet requirements for counting towards a required 18 Upper Division credits for the Major in Architecture.
Program costs:
| Program Fees & Tuition | Additional Estimated Costs | Total Estimated Costs |
|---|---|---|
| est $2,290 – $2,905 | est $1,995 | est $4,285 – $4,900 |
To hear from Past Participants of this program, click here read the program blog or watch the following student produced video:
Portland State Architecture | Spain 2011 from Portland State University on Vimeo.
Program Duration
Relevant Academic Disciplines
Architecture, Art, Art History, European Studies, History, Humanities, International Studies, Liberal Arts, Most Majors, Urban Studies and Planning
Program Provider
Pre-Requisites
- Open to students from all majors
- GPA 2.75 or above
- Sophomore standing or above at the time of participation
- Recommended course prerequisites: Arch 120 & 121
- Instruction for this program will be provided in English or by an interpreter as needed. There is no language pre-requisite.
Language Skill: None