As part of its efforts to extend knowledge and understanding of ceramic tiles and their applications to different professions, ASCER (the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association) has set up a number of Ceramic Studies Departments since 2004 in different Schools of Architecture across Spain.

The pioneer department came into being at the International University of Catalonia in Barcelona.  Headed by Vicente Sarrablo, who holds a doctorate in architecture, its firm remit is to bring together future architects’ creative and innovative capability and the extraordinary aesthetic and functional possibilities of today’s ceramic.  The excellent results of this first initiative inspired the industry and other universities to set up more Ceramic Studies Departments.

Thus it was that the Alicante School of Architecture joined the network in 2005.  In its first year the Department’s work was concentrated on the Porcelagas project, which sought ways of integrating the use of porcelain stoneware into buildings where there are gas supplies installed. Víctor Echarri heads the department and in this second academic year the projects are focusing on air conditioning installations.

Two more departments have been opened during the current academic year, 2006-7: the Ceramic Studies Department at the Advanced School of Architecture at Valencia Polytechnic University, headed by doctor Eduardo de Miguel, and the Ceramic Centre at the School of Structural Engineers at Jaime I University in Castellón, which is headed by doctors Ángel Pitarch and Teresa Gallego.

This network of specialist  Departments sets the stage for the process of drawing the University and the ceramic tile industry closer together and for co-operation to develop between the two, cooperation understood as being the mutual exchange of knowledge and experience.  On the one hand the Departments enable the tile industry to include greater technical understanding of ceramic tiles in future architects’ training courses, whilst raising their awareness that the huge aesthetic possibilities of ceramic tiles can make a great contribution to these professionals’ creative work.  On the other hand, the Departments are an opportunity for these future architects to gear their designs to ceramic tiles, innovating with existing shapes or developing new applications.

Aims of the Ceramic Studies Departments
The main aim of the network of Ceramic Studies Departments is to offer students a forum where, as well as exchanging knowledge they can receive eminently practical training that supports and extends their knowledge of ceramic products and their applications.

The Departments’ main academic objectives are to:

• Study in depth and promote the use of ceramic in architectural projects.
• Include technical and practical knowledge relating to ceramic tiles and their aesthetic potential in future architects’ training courses.
• Give future practitioners in the field of architecture an insight into the business world in general and the ceramic floor and wall tile industry in particular.
• Research new formats, products and applications, design variants of interest
• Create a link between ceramic tiles and new technology.

Methodology
The Department’s Teaching Method is Workshop based, with Workshop understood as a place of ongoing work, a place where teachers and students can meet and where discussion, reflection and research are encouraged.

Some of the academic activities are technical sessions, factory visits and visits to buildings that have been used ceramics in or on them, lectures by prominent architects and professionals from the ceramic tile industry, round table discussions.  Complementary activities are also organised such as visits to centres of innovation, R+D programmes for individual manufacturers, student project competitions, exhibitions of projects, and the publication of reports on the results of the various activities.

Results
The network of Ceramic Studies Department is still in its early days but has already yielded innumerable results.  More than 500 young Spanish architects have had the opportunity to experience ceramic at the hands of outstanding professionals.  They have also been able to imbue their projects with everything they have learned as well as with their creativity.  The results of this work have been published in the media and books have been published and circulated to specialist libraries.  We hope that all this work will soon be translated into real projects.