Building competencies while supporting communities: the case of the Talca School of Architecture (Chile)

Authors

  • Felipe Miño

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13133/2532-6562/19211

Keywords:

Third mission, Institutional innovations, Talca School of Architecture

Abstract

This article presents and analyzes the pedagogical approach of the School of Architecture at the University of Talca, an institution that fosters the development of professional competencies through direct engagement with local communities in the specific context of Chile’s Central Valley. This educational model is implemented through an experiential learning process that culminates in the development of a built graduation project: a real architectural work designed to meet the concrete needs of a particular community within the territory. These micro-architectures represent an operational and territorial expression that can be interpreted as a local implementation of the university’s third mission, continuously active in the region since 2004. To date, this approach has enabled the realization of more than 800 interventions, establishing a direct relationship between education, research, and civic engagement in the built environment.

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Chile's Central Valley, multiple perspectives. ©MVRDV, ©Felipe Miño, ©Héctor Labarca Rocco, ©Edgard Torres

Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Miño, F. (2025). Building competencies while supporting communities: the case of the Talca School of Architecture (Chile). Tracce Urbane. Rivista Italiana Transdisciplinare Di Studi Urbani, 14(18), 318–338. https://doi.org/10.13133/2532-6562/19211