This studio journey begins and end in Madrid, traveling across the Iberian Peninsula. We follow the paths of the Silk Road while tracing the influence of almost nine centuries of Eastern culture on Spanish architecture and design. Silk manufacturing and the silk trade started historically and geographically in China, but Spain’s location, as the hub where the land and sea routes of the western end of the European Silk Roads met, transformed its culture and economy through a global network of trade extending to the American continent.

We research, observe, and document the diverse ethnic and cultural influences of the Silk Road on the built environment, taking into account the formal, material, cultural, and technological effects along the route. We visit major buildings and sites from the sacred Mosques of Cordova to the Pleasure Palace Alhambra, Moneo to Calatrava, J. Nouvel to J. Mayer. The studio project engages public space, landscapes, and events, combining immersive experiences with multi-disciplinary and multi-scalar practices in Modern and Mozarabic architecture, miniature paintings, mosaics, ceramics, glassworks, interior and industrial design.

Students wishing to register for this course need to first obtain instructor approval by emailing the instructor (instructor emails are listed with a more detailed program description in portal: cca.edu/abroad). Once a student is approved, registration must be done online during a special registration appointment for study abroad students.

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