School of Architecture – University of Cagliari June-October 2019
Doors of Identity was a design and self-construction experience organised by the School of Architecture of the University of Cagliari.
The process involved 60 students guided by 20 teachers and tutors. It took 10 days of design laboratory, followed by 10 days of direct transformation of spaces through self-construction by students and teachers…
Doors of Identity had the objective to rethink and transform learning spaces, starting from the architectural quality of the “threshold spaces” of the historical building complex hosting the School of Architecture (known as the Mauritian complex).The design was collaboratively developed, and subsequently directly built by students, mainly using wooden materials and birch plywood panels.The entire experience draws its origins in a critical reflection on architectural design teaching approaches, often detached from construction practices.The project also addresses the decline in the sense of belonging to the School’s spaces. By directly involving students both in design and in realisation of the project, it aims to promote the practices ofcare and attachment to places.Doors of Identity showcases the possibility of architectural teaching through learning-by-doing, involving the whole community of the School in the redevelopment of its learning spaces, transforming the learning process into a useful and tangible development.It creates “pulsing thresholds” within the School’s spaces, declaring the presence of a young, creative and vital learning community, …… and conveying the message of “possibility of quality” with parsimony, sobriety and inventiveness, ….through low-cost and rapid interventions capable of generating meaningful impact.Finally, Doors of Identity served as a proof-of-concept, laying the foundations for a paradigmatic model – repeatable, adaptable, transferrable, and scalable over time and space – which will soon be extended to other University of Cagliari’s buildings and open spaces.
