APPLICATION FORM

Zero-kilometre architecture, maximum creativity. From 15 to 19 September 2025, the town of Catarroja (València, Spain) will host an international workshop where architecture students from across Southern Europe come together to explore how building locally can reshape our cities globally.

The workshop kicks off online from 8 to 12 September, before moving into full swing on-site. It brings together master's students from six universities — including the Polytechnic University of Valencia (coordinator), the  Faculty of Architecture - University of Porto, and institutions from Croatia, France, and Greece — as part of the ongoing New European Bauhaus goes South initiative.

Launched in 2021 by FAUP, NEB goes South connects schools of architecture from Southern Europe around shared concerns: sustainability, climate action, inclusion, and democratic participation — all through the lens of architecture and urban design.

The focus? Km. 0 architecture: using local resources, materials, and knowledge to create spaces that respond to today’s environmental and social challenges. Over the course of the week, participants will dive into site-specific design challenges, explore circular thinking in construction, and experiment with how culture and place can inform more sustainable urban environments.

In total, 20 to 25 students (7–8 per institution) will join this Erasmus+ BIP (Blended Intensive Programme), earning 4 ECTS credits — and gaining valuable experience in cross-cultural collaboration, hands-on experimentation, and future-oriented design.

The program includes virtual preliminary activities and fieldwork during the in-person mobility week. Presentations and critical sessions accompany the teaching experience on the work progress based on the project-based learning methodology. The teaching activities will b carried out in groups comprising the participating institutions. This ensures a contribution to general skills (linguistics, group work, oral expression, etc.) and specific skills specific to architectural training.

Workshop Objective
This workshop aims to analyse and rethink Rambleta Avenue (Catarroja) for its transformation into a resilient public space in the face of climate change. Urban design solutions adapted to current habitability, mobility, and environmental sustainability conditions will be proposed, with special attention to extreme phenomena such as heat waves and torrential rains.

Context and Content
• Application of the New European Bauhaus principles to the cultural, climatic, and territorial context of Southern Europe, particularly the Huerta Sur of València.
• Km 0 approach: architecture and urbanism using local resources and low environmental impact.
• Critical understanding of phenomena such as DANA (isolated high-altitude depressions) and urban heat islands, linking climate change, urbanisation, and territorial policies.
• Urban and architectural design for resilience, based on nature-based solutions, renaturalization, and local cultural strategies.

Teaching Methodology
The project-based learning methodology will combine critical sessions with lectures. Activities are designed to foster collaborative learning and an interdisciplinary approach. The work phases include:
• Data collection and mapping
• Urban and territorial analysis
• Redesign proposals for Rambleta Avenue using a large-scale model The results will be publicly presented on the workshop's final day. Additionally, the work will be exhibited in an international showcase in autumn 2025.

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