Monapart · La Llave de Oro Project Competition
Last June, the closing ceremony of the second-year project competition of the La Salle BCN School of Architecture was held, organised by Monapart together with the property developer La Llave de Oro.
Q9 MAGAZINE | 08.07.2013
Last June took place the closing ceremony of an initiative that brought together business and university in a single exercise. Q9Magazine, invited by Monapart, didn't want to miss the result of this experiment. The promoter The Golden Key she played the role of client, contributing three plots of land for the development of three residential buildings in Barcelona in the second-year design studio of the La Salle School of Architecture BCN.
The pupils would have a month and a half to work on their projects. Monapart InAtlas they acted as advisors, preparing a list of requirements and needs specific to each site, since their locations (Gràcia, Sant Andreu and Ciutat Vella) and the target audience were very different and required tailored solutions for each situation.
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The closing ceremony consisted of the selection of the best proposals, the conclusions from each of the “contracting parties”, and the presentation of prizes as a reward for effort beyond academic assessment.
The people in charge of La Llave de Oro had an absolute ball choosing from the students“ exercises, highlighting the fresh ideas they were taking away for future projects.
José Luis Echeverría, representing Monapart, spoke about the need for this type of experience, not only for students but also for teachers, since having to respond to regulations, market expectations and a client ultimately forces the student to be more coherent and not just get carried away by purely aesthetic or functional values, but also by other values such as the profitability their client will get from their proposal.
Pau Pérez, head of the module, highlighted above all else working with reality: the reality of a nearby site, the reality of a demanding client, the reality when expressing project ideas... In short, the reality of an architect's work.
Lastly, and most importantly, the student's conclusion is that, despite the usual lack of time to develop the proposals and the added effort of having to answer not just to your design project tutor, but also to an external client, these types of experiences are worthwhile as they broaden the mind and offer a more tangible taste of the professional world.
