This year’s final-year architecture projects were presented at Roca Barcelona Gallery. During the event, students from the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture presented their bachelor’s degree final projects before a panel of judges, showcasing proposals for industrialised social housing as a response to the housing affordability crisis. The projects investigated how architecture can help address one of today’s biggest social challenges through new construction systems, prefabricated solutions and innovative ways of organising and inhabiting residential spaces.

All projects revolved around a global challenge: ensuring access to adequate, affordable housing. The future architects explored alternative ways to streamline construction processes, shorten building times and unlock new structural and material possibilities. The proposals also incorporated shared living arrangements and communal spaces, as well as spaces designed to meet contemporary needs such as remote working.

The TFGs were developed along two lines of work, each led and coordinated by architects and lecturers Alberto Burgos and Álvaro Cuéllar, on the one hand, and Josep Miàs and Anna Gutiérrez, on the other. Two of the final-year projects were also linked to research being carried out at UIC, with one focusing on industrialised folding balconies, led by Vicenç Sarrablo, and the other on interventions in architectural heritage, led by Josep Lluís i Ginovart.

The panel was chaired by renowned architect Bob Sheil, recognised for his academic career and for leading The Bartlett School of Architecture from 2014 to 2021. Sheil is also the founder of the international FABRICATE conference, which will be held in Barcelona in 2027, and has been associated with University College London for more than three decades.

“In Spain and across Europe, we are facing a major challenge in terms of social housing. The depth of the students’ research into the issue has been remarkable. They’ve developed a range of highly interesting ideas to address the issue in a variety of contexts, both in Barcelona and around the world,” explains Alberto Burgos. He also highlights the role of universities in finding solutions: “It is an educational approach that gives something back to society, which is one of the fundamental roles of academic research.” 

For his part, Josep Miàs discussed the freedom that the university environment offers to explore new responses to the housing crisis. “UIC gives us the freedom to research issues that interest us. Housing is a hot topic, and we felt it was important to approach it from a speculative, research-driven perspective, in a context where anything is possible,” he notes.

A fresh perspective on social housing

The projects addressed housing from a multi-scalar perspective, recognising the relationship between the building, the urban space and its surroundings as an essential part of the architectural proposal. The students worked on sites ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 m², exploring issues such as density, transitional spaces and varying degrees of privacy.

This approach offered insight into not only how homes are built, but also how they relate to their surroundings and respond to the needs of their inhabitants. Industrialisation and prefabrication have become tools for investigating new ways of delivering housing, while maintaining a focus on spatial quality, liveability and the social dimension of architecture.

The students also devoted attention to the technical aspects of their designs, developing construction details at full scale (1:1). This enabled them to gain first-hand experience with the entire architectural process, from the initial urban and spatial design to the final construction of their projects.

2026 TFG Awards

Three awards were also presented as part of the event: the Mutua de Propietarios Foundation Accessibility Award, the ROCKWOOL Sustainability Award and the Daikin–Schneider Electric TFG Award for Building Services in Architecture. These awards recognise projects that make outstanding contributions to sustainability, building services in architecture and universal accessibility.

The Mutua de Propietarios Foundation Accessibility Award was presented to three projects. First prize went to Luca Vladimir Motca, for his project “JOC: Half a Metre Less”, a housing proposal that places accessibility, sensory experience and children’s play at the heart of architectural design. Second prize was awarded to Claudia Blanes, with third prize going to Alexia Espinas Vergara.

The ROCKWOOL Sustainability Award was presented to Olivia de Burgh for her project “The Productive Platform”, in recognition of its contribution to sustainability.

The 2026 Daikin–Schneider Electric TFG Award for Building Services in Architecture was given to student Blanca Baranera, for her project’s contribution to the field of building services in architecture.

Through these projects and awards, the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture reaffirms its commitment to an educational approach that integrates research, construction innovation and engagement with contemporary social and urban challenges. The bachelor’s degree final projects demonstrate how architecture can offer new solutions to the problem of housing through a combination of design, technology and critical reflection on how we live.