The ASCER Ceramic Tile Studies Department was set up at the School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Valencia in the 2006-2007 academic year. The objective was to raise awareness amongst the university community of architecture projects carried out using ceramic materials, as well as to train students and research new and original applications in order to promote their use.
A workshop-teaching method was chosen, as this provides a space for direct contact between lecturers and students, thereby fomenting debate, reflection, self-criticism and research. Right from the start, the Studies Department adopted the unusual approach whereby the projects inevitably required the use of a specific material: ceramics.
In this regard, it was considered appropriate to use the principles defined by Gottfried Semper in his book ‘The Four Elements of Architecture’ (hearth, roof, enclosure and mound) as the basis for the Chair’s teaching activities. The idea was to use these four aspects to create a conceptual reflection between the fundamental issues that must be addressed in architectural projects and the links that can be established with ceramic materials.
Eduardo De Miguel
Director of the Valencia Ceramic Tile Studies Department
ETSAV-UPV