Empty Spain and Vernacular Architecture. Awareness and Conservation From the Teaching of Architectural Restoration

Abstract

The First Industrial Revolution brought about the attraction to the cities of much labor force coming from the countryside. In Spain, this migratory phenomenon accelerated during the period of development of the 1960s. Today, even it seems not to have reached bottom: there are already many deserted areas in the so called "empty Spain" and more the nuclei that will disappear in the coming years if nothing remedies. This territorial imbalance has led, on the one hand, to the pollution and overpopulation of large metropolitan areas, often located on the coast, and on the other, to the progressive extinction of an ancestral way of life that has been maintaining a tight balance with the natural environment through agricultural exploitation.It is in this context that the Empty Spain teaching initiative arises, applicable to several subjects of the degree in Fundamentals of Architecture taught at the ETS of Architecture (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain), and encouraged by the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda promoted by United Nations, especially with regard to No. 10 "Reduce inequality", No. 11 "Sustainable cities and communities", and No. 12: "Responsible production and consumption". A team of professors with a long teaching and research career linked to the course on Architectural Restoration promotes this idea.The experience was developed in two phases: learning and dissemination. In order to undertake the learning phase, a triple challenge was proposed: raising awareness of the seriousness of the problem and the urgency of finding viable solutions; fostering knowledge of vernacular architecture, predominant in the affected area; and acting through an incipient architectural project applied to a traditional building. In short, knowing vernacular architecture and learning from it.For its part, the dissemination phase is being deployed in parallel through several channels. A temporary exhibition is organized with a selection of the most suggestive works aimed at the students and teachers of the School. This strategy is joined by participation in two international congresses, one on research and the other on teaching.