As part of the Department of Innovation created by FYM and Malaga University, in collaboration with the City Council and the College of Architects.
The architects María González Ferro and Jordi Castro Andrade appeared at the Caja Blanca art centre (Avda. Editor Angel Caffarena 8, Teatinos) today in order to give a talk on the latest trends in the urban landscape. The talk centred on the need to integrate open spaces with existing buildings, by making use of the leading innovations in urban architecture and construction materials.
The event was organised by the Department of Innovation in Construction Materials, which was jointly set up by the FYM-Italcementi Group and Malaga University, and enjoyed the participation of Malaga City Council and the College of Architects. Going by the name “Castroferro”, the two young architects were the winners of the 2009 Malaga Prize for Architecture in the category of Public Buildings and Installations and also won the Special Prize for Projects Created by Young Professionals. They also designed the innovative library building in Calle Calatrava.
The event coincided with the “5 Spaces, 20 Proposals” exhibition, an initiative in which students from the Department of Innovation in Construction Materials at the Malaga Higher Technical School of Architecture redesigned different spaces within the city, in order to utilise the latest construction techniques and create areas to eat, relax and meet in. The exhibition is open from 14 to 31 May, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm. The work on display was completed as part of the optional second-year module in the Architecture degree programme entitled New Materials: Key Technical Aspects of Architecture Projects. This module provides young architects with a forum in which they can exchange knowledge, in addition to training of a highly practical nature that both strengthens and broadens their knowledge of new materials and their applications.
Department of Innovation
Since its creation in 2008, the principal aim of the Department of Innovation in Construction Materials has been to provide training to students that not only facilities their entry into the job market but also strengthens their commitment to research, in both the public and private sectors.
The activities carried out by the department include holding an annual “competition of ideas” that rewards the practicality and originality of proposals for the use of new materials in architecture. It also organises annual visits to the places where materials are manufactured or to buildings that are considered to be of particular interest, in addition to organising a range of conferences and producing a number of different publications. The department has also conducted a market study into knowledge and use of different materials.