60 anys FENT (60 years of MAKING)

FENT is the chosen slogan. The School of Architecture (ETSA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) celebrates six decades of education with an extensive programme of activities that "will turn architecture into a meeting place for the university, culture and citizens", says Ernesto Fenollosa, director of the ETSA.

FENT, the Valencian word for "making" or "doing," encapsulates the spirit in which the School was founded in 1966. And so it remains focused on educating new generations of professionals. "Learning through building, researching through transformation and designing from a commitment to society," adds Fenollosa.

The aim of the celebrations, which will run for several months, is to bring together students, academic, research, and administrative staff, alumni, and representatives from various institutions – representing the past, present and future of ETSA. The programme combines exhibitions, publications, events and a major collaborative urban intervention.

Presentation at Feria Hábitat València

The activities have begun during ETSA-UPV's presence at NUDE, with a stand at Feria Hábitat València until 2 October, reinforcing the links between the School and the fields of design and contemporary living.

On Monday, 5 October, the university community will join in celebrating World Architecture Day. This date will serve as a prelude to the main anniversary celebrations.

13 October

13 October 1966 marks the exact date on which the Valencia School of Architecture (ETSA) began its journey. Thus, on the morning of Tuesday, 13 October, the institutional commemorative event marking the ETSA's 60th anniversary will be held at the Palau de l'Exposició. During this event, which will take place at 6.30 pm, the anniversary celebrations will continue by the Toro sculpture on the UPV's Vera campus, with an event open to the entire university community. "An event that will celebrate the value of building a school and a community," says Ernesto Fenollosa.

The programme will continue on 15 October with the launch of the book Generació de Partida. This publication brings together the memories and voices of various architecture cohorts who graduated from the ETSA-UPV. The launch will be accompanied by the opening of a commemorative exhibition. The following day, Friday 16 October, the traditional ETSA-UPV paellas will serve as a meeting point for generations of past and present students, "in a day designed to strengthen the ties between the past and the future", notes the director of the ETSA.

Installation in the Plaza del Patriarca

From 19 October, ETSA-UPV will move to the centre of Valencia, to the Plaza del Patriarca. There, the installation—co-designed and built collectively by the School's community—will host the programme of celebratory events until 13 November. Just over 100 students and 50 people, including academic staff, researchers and technical support staff, have taken part in its construction.

Of particular note is the 'Open Classroom' programme, which will bring ETSA's teaching out into the city; the Educational Workshops, where hundreds of primary and secondary school pupils will learn about the relevance of this discipline in their everyday lives; and the numerous Satellite Events, such as those organised by the Regional Association of Architects, the Fundació del Disseny and the Arquia Foundation.

The celebrations will cross borders during December. The aim of moving beyond the classroom involves an internationalisation initiative that will take ETSA to China, specifically to Guangzhou Design Week, in collaboration with the UPV Chair of Intercultural Studies. There, the School will participate with an exhibition stand, also designed jointly by students and academic staff from the School.

A collective celebration

60 anys FENT is the result of an extensive network of collaboration among public institutions, companies and cultural organisations. The initiative is led by the Universitat Politècnica de València with the support of the Valencian Regional Government, Valencia City Council, the Valencian Council for Culture, the Regional Association of Architects, the Fundació del Disseny and the Arquia Foundation. Also participating are the Habitatge GVA, CYPE, Maderamen, EMR and Cerámica Chairs, and the celebration is sponsored by partner companies such as Simon, Hardman, Flexbrik, ATG Desarrollos, LignumTech, Turia, Actiu and numerous organisations committed to architecture, design and innovation.

As the director of the ETSA, Ernesto Fenollosa, explains, "sixty years after its foundation, the ETSA-UPV is celebrating not only its history, but also its ability to continue building the future. Because for six decades, the School has been, above all, a place to learn, experiment and transform reality through architecture". Sixty years of FENT.

Photographies: Nerea Puig Blázquez