Activities

Delve into the sensory experience offered by Gaudí’s first house, from the perspective of neuroscience.

Description
During the workshop you will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how this UNESCO World Heritage Site interacts with the body, and which design strategies Gaudí used to promote the comfort of those living in Casa Vicens. In the workshop, you will be able to depict this added value of the architectural experience in drawings, which will be of particular interest to you if you are a professional in architecture, interior design or art. The floor plans of Casa Vicens will be provided. You will only have to bring your drawing or painting materials.

Picture of Ana Hirigoyen.

The activity is part of the +MODEL Barcelona Architecture Festival framework, born with the vision of the UIA-UNESCO World Capital of Architecture in Barcelona 2026 and which will be held from April 20th to 30th, 2023.

What does the activity include?
-3-hour neuroarchitecture workshop (from 9.30am to 12.30pm) with Ana Mombiedro and Alba Méndez in a unique setting: Gaudí’s first house.
-A limited group of 10 people.
-The workshop will be held in Spanish.
-The floor plans of Casa Vicens will be provided. You will only have to bring your drawing or painting materials.
-Activity adapted to people with reduced mobility.

Who is this workshop for?
For architecture, interior design and art professionals who would like to experience architecture.

Can I give this workshop as a gift?
Yes, of course! During the purchase, indicate the email of the person to whom you would like to give this workshop as a gift.

Who takes the workshop?
Ana Mombiedro (Toledo, 1987)
Architect (San Pablo CEU, 2014) and teacher (VIU, 2019) trained in Neuroscience and Perception (Duke University, 2018). Since 2018, she has been collaborating with Fundación Arquia as a contributor for Neuroarquitectura, and she has also been a speaker at a variety of national and international events where she shares her research in neuroscience applied to architecture. In her work, she usually offers answers to questions related to sensory comfort and explains how the environment influences us in the various stages of our lives. She combines research in neuroarchitecture with university teaching and the co-direction of Qualia estudio, together with Alba Méndez. A distinctive aspect of her work is the sensorial link with the architectural experience, which has contributed to the evolution of her line of research at the Phenomenological Representation Laboratory. In June 2022, she published the book Neuroarquitectura. Aprendiendo a través del espacio, the first text in Spanish to address the subject of neuroarchitecture.

Alba Méndez (Santiago de Compostela, 1983)
Architect specialised in (neuro)architecture. Trained at the Escola Técnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB-UPC, 2008) and (re)trained thanks to the knowledge acquired in the study of Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio, in her master’s in Rehabilitation and Restoration of Historic Buildings (ETSAB-UPC, 2011), in her MBA from Esade (2017), in her master’s in Neuroscience Applied to Architectural Design from the University of Venice (IUAV, 2020) and in her experiences in this professional field over 15 years. During her career she has developed projects in MENDEZDELPOZO ARQUITECTOS, the studio she shared with Miquel del Pozo for more than a decade. She currently combines research with the dissemination and practice of (neuro)architecture. That is why she combines her work at Qualia estudio, which she co-directs with Ana Mombiedro, with the work of innovation project manager at Interiors Living Lab of the Ambit Cluster, while also teaching at specialist schools and national universities.

Picture of Rocío Salomé Alcántara Santos.

Picture of María Paloma.