'To create architecture that moves ...'

'To create architecture that moves people, you have to feel emotion when designing.' These words are not spoken by just anyone. They are the words of Rafael Aranda, founder in 1988 in Olot (Girona) of the prestigious RCR Arquitectes studio, winner of the Pritzker Prize—considered the Nobel Prize of architecture—and one of the current leaders on the international contemporary scene.

Aranda, who has advised the students and professionals present to be inspired 'by nature and art, those are the references', was the distinguished guest at the presentation of the Spring 2026 Cultural Agenda of the School of Architecture of the Universitat Politècnica de València (ETSA-UPV).

Exhibitions, Culture Thursdays, distinguished visitors...

The event, which culminated in the opening of the exhibition 'CSCAE Awards 2024 and 2025', relating to the projects awarded by the Higher Council of Architects of Spain (CSCAE), was attended by institutional representatives, professionals from the cultural and architectural fields, as well as authorities and entities linked to architecture in the Valencian Community.

Alongside this exhibition, the Spring 2026 Cultural Agenda programme naturally includes ETSA's iconic Culture Thursdays, which will be complemented by visits from renowned professionals such as Carles Enrich, Temperaturas Extremas, and Manuel Ocaña; intellectuals such as Laura Martínez de Guereñu; and public speakers such as Erik Harley.

In addition, the ETSA-UPV Exhibition Hall will also host a new exhibition on geometry and fashion in March, a retrospective of Romanian architecture in collaboration with the Union of Architects of Romania, the Consulate General of Romania in Valencia and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid in April, and the Félix Candela Awards exhibition in May.

Through this programme, ETSA-UPV reinforces its commitment to cultural dissemination, academic excellence, and to bringing architecture, the city, and society closer together.