Concrete is a material which is widely used in architecture, not only for structural purposes but also for architectural elements for its versatility and excellent performance. However, the manufacturing of this material as a mixture of water, cement, and fine and coarse aggregate comes with a high environmental cost, such as gas emissions, among other things. This is the reason why different alternatives are being proposed in order to replace coarse aggregates with other recycled materials, as it is one of the less sustainable components of the mixture in terms of extraction. One of these alternatives is recycled glass coming from drinking bottles, crushed into small grains and mixed in the same proportions as regular aggregates. This study proposes the mechanical characterization of a new architectural concrete mixture by using white Lafarge cement and glass-recycled aggregates; this proposed concrete is made especially for architectural elements like façade panels, rather than structural elements. The mechanical evaluation of this new material is done through a set of experimental tests under compression and also bending, comparing three different ratios of glass aggregate in the mixture.

Ceramic-reinforced slabs were widely used in Spain during the second half of the 20th century, especially for industrial buildings. This solution was popular due to the lack of materials at that time, as it requires almost no concrete and low ratios of reinforcement. In this study, we present and discuss the results of a real load-bearing test of a real ceramic-reinforced slab, which was loaded and reloaded cyclically for a duration of one week in order to describe any damage under a high-demand loading series. Due to the design of these slabs, the structural response is based more on shear than on bending due to the low levels of concrete and the geometry and location of re-bars. The low ratio of concrete makes these slabs ideal for short-span structures, mainly combined with steel or RC frames. The slab which was analyzed in this study covers a span of 4.88 m between two steel I-beams (IPN400), and corresponds to a building from the mid-1960s in the city of Igualada (Barcelona, Spain). A load-bearing test was carried out up to 7.50 kN/m2 by using two-story sacks full of sand. The supporting steel beams were propped up in order to avoid any interference in the results of the test; without the shoring of the steel structure, deflections would come from the combination of the ceramic slab together with the steel profiles. A process of loading and unloading was repeated for a duration of six days in order to describe the cyclic response of the slab under high levels of loading. Finally, vibration analysis of the slab was also done; the higher the load applied, the higher the fundamental frequency of the cross section, which is more comfortable in terms of serviceability.

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The use of learning-by-doing and learning-by-building methodologies, in the intermediate-superior year of the career in architectural projects workshop, brings the student closer to future professional practice. The experience of good practices of teaching innovation in April/August 2022, materialized in an EcoHabitable Device Prototype, emphasizes that the construction of 1:1 scale model is the link to improve the design process. The prototype with a sustainable zero waste approach and using a single material such as wood has allowed us to visualize real construction processes and better understand the space in three dimensions. The objective of this manuscript is to expose and reflect on the advantages of this participatory and experimental teaching practice in teams, students, and teachers, from its inception to its construction. El empleo de metodologías didácticas como “learning by doing” y “learning by building” en la asignatura de taller de proyectos arquitectónicos, dentro del año intermedio-superior de la carrera, aproxima al estudiante al futuro ejercicio profesional. La experiencia de buenas prácticas de innovación docente abril/agosto 2022, materializada en un Prototipo Dispositivo EcoHabitable, enfatiza que la construcción de modelos a escala 1:1 es el vínculo para mejorar el proceso de diseño. El prototipo con un enfoque sostenible de cero desperdicios y empleando un único material como la madera ha permito visualizar procesos constructivos reales y a entender de mejor manera el espacio en tres dimensiones. El objetivo de este manuscrito es exponer y reflexionar las ventajas de esta práctica docente participativa y experimental en equipo, de estudiantes y profesores, desde sus inicios hasta su construcción.