Architecture: Home and Away

At GFA we find that having a multi-national staff results in a diverse, vibrant and exciting workplace. People who have trained as architects in different parts of the world naturally have variant experiences and approaches and when working together as a team, this means each project benefits from a multiplicity of fresh ideas and novel viewpoints. One of our architects, Luis, trained and qualified as an architect in Spain, and talks below about the differences he noticed training and working in Spain and the UK.

Getting my degree as an architect in Spain, but experiencing most of my working life in the UK allowed me to compare architecture in these two countries. There are many similarities, but for now, I’m going to talk about the differences…
Education-wise, I was surprised by the amount of experience that architectural students from the UK have. Perhaps, in the UK, it is normal to get your qualification having already worked in practices for a few years, but in Spain, you don’t have much experience of working in the industry when you qualify.
There was a real housing bubble in Spain and everyone was rushing to build even though there was no demand. After this popped, there was a real lack of construction, and working construction sites, and I was studying right in the centre of this. This affected how architecture was taught in Spain. I remember taking a course at university in which we were supposed to go to site to see how everything worked, but this course was changed into a 3D and computer based course after the construction boom, because there weren’t enough sites around on which building work was actually being done, to go and see.

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Site Visits
I learned that work sites differ a lot between Spain and the UK. While in southern Spain, any concrete needs to be watered overnight for the first few months, here in the UK; how can I put it? Well, you don’t need to water the concrete…
I remember the first time I went to site in the UK; it was in the Cotswolds. I went wearing an immaculate white shirt, and at the end of the day, came back with a mud jumper on!
In terms of structure, concrete is the primary option for buildings in Spain, while here in the UK, masonry walls or timber frames are more popular. I would say the use of steel is the same in both countries- although in my opinion, in both places it’s not nearly enough! With regards to cladding, in Spain, brick is the most extensively used material. Surprisingly, solar technology is actually more extensive in the UK, but in both places, the sustainability conversation is still so quiet.


So from studying in one country, to working in another, I had to change my whole way of thinking, my language, and swap the Spanish ham inside my sandwiches for cheddar, piccalilli and beef, but not everything was hard! The number of things I am learning, and all the nice people I am meeting makes the way a little easier.
Overall, I would completely recommend travelling and experiencing architecture in different places, even if you’ll only get to see the sun for 25 minutes per year!