On 22 October, the Aula Magna hosted the graduation ceremony for students from the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture. The ceremony was presided over by Dr Iñigo Ugalde, director of the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, and featured Dr Bob Sheil, full professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture in London, as guest of honour.

“Graduation is not an end, but the beginning of your future. But the future is uncertain, and you must decide which path to take,” asserted Bob Sheil. Using his own career as an example, he urged the graduates to “keep moving forward in your careers” and to “seek new horizons that fulfil you both as people and, from now on, as professionals”. “New challenges will come your way; you mustn’t turn your back on them,” the architect stressed. This year, he also chaired the committee charged with assessing the architecture students’ bachelor’s degree final projects.

Dr Sheil then posed a question to not only the new architects but to the entire audience: “What should architecture be?” With this premise in mind, he explained that architecture has changed radically since his days as a student: “The tools, design, pace and challenges are all completely different.”

Student representatives Olivia de Burgh and Luca-Vladimir Motcă then addressed the audience on behalf of their fellow graduates, reflecting on their time at the School: “It has provided us a broad set of values and knowledge, as well as the ability to adapt to new challenges. We arrived in uncertain times (the pandemic), but we’ve made it through the darkness and completed the first part of our dream.”

The deputy director of Student Affairs at the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, Dr Cinta Lluis, reminded them that “wearing academic robes is a way of recognising those who dedicate their lives to knowledge”. With this, she encouraged the graduates to continue expanding their knowledge as far as their ambitions take them, while also emphasising the importance of “the first formal attire of your professional lives”.

The School’s director, Dr Iñigo Ugalde, delivered the closing address, highlighting the importance of their time at the University and reminding them that they will always be part of the institution, now as graduates and members of the Alumni community: “Time will pass and you will embark on new challenges, but our doors will always be open to you,” the Director emphasised.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of sashes to the graduates and the singing of the traditional university anthem, Gaudeamus Igitur. With this event, the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture proudly bids farewell to a new class of architects and welcomes them to the UIC Alumni community.