>> Virgilio Moreno, the mayor of Inca, reviews a city map with students—a map created during the first week of the Architecture and Design Foundation Year, a new higher education program offered by ADEMA. For Moreno, “Inca, with its industrial past, is an ideal city for education and research.”
>> The teaching staff comprises architects with distinguished and extensive careers at both national and international levels. “Studying the upcoming Architecture degree in Mallorca opens up a world of new opportunities and possibilities,” highlights Guillem Aloy, director of the ADEMA campus in Inca and head of this training program.
The Mayor of Inca, Virgilio Moreno, met this morning with students and researchers from ADEMA who are participating in a learning and research project focused on the city—specifically on architecture, design, and social analysis. The initiative is taking place in the capital of the Raiguer region as part of ADEMA’s Foundation Year in Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the Universitat de Mallorca (UMAC-ADEMA).
The initiative takes Inca as its object of study and as a real-world setting for learning and research. Its objective is to analyze the city from various perspectives in order to understand its urban structure, spaces, heritage, social dynamics, and forms of organization.
During the initial weeks of academic activity, students and researchers have explored and analyzed various locations in Inca, gathering information and observations about the area. These preliminary findings have subsequently been incorporated into a collective map of the city, conceived as a working tool that will allow for the addition of new layers of information and a deeper analysis.
The project envisions Inca as a learning and research laboratory where architecture, design, and sociology converge. The methodology combines student training with research and direct engagement with real-world contexts, aiming to foster a critical, interdisciplinary perspective on the city and the social, cultural, and environmental needs of its surroundings.
During the visit, students and researchers were able to share and compare some of the initial conclusions drawn from their fieldwork with the mayor. “The first step is to observe and analyze what we have, and build upon that foundation. With its industrial past, Inca is an ideal city for education and research,” noted Virgilio Moreno.
During the visit, students and researchers were able to share and compare some of the initial conclusions drawn from their fieldwork with the mayor. “The first step is to observe and analyze what we have, and build upon that foundation. With its industrial past, Inca is an ideal city for education and research,” noted Virgilio Moreno.
Meanwhile, ADEMA President Diego González accompanied the mayor on a tour of the campus and highlighted the importance of developing such projects from Inca, based on a direct study of the local environment. “The university training of future architects and designers aims to become a national and international benchmark, right from the heart of Mallorca,” González stated.
The Foundation Year in Architecture and Design began its academic activities on September 21, serving as a preparatory program and an introduction to these disciplines. The teaching team comprises architects and professionals with distinguished national and international careers, including Sebastià Martorell (Estudio Aulets), Alberto Sánchez (Estudio Feina), Margalida Seguí (Bos Arquitectes), Juan Palencia (Estudio Isla), Joan Cerdá (President of the Mallorca Chapter of the Official College of Architects of the Balearic Islands), Chris Dyvik (Dyvik Kahlen Architects), Jonathan Foote (Aarhus School of Architecture), Leonid Slonimskiy (Kosmos Architects), and Frans Drewniak (Royal Danish Academy).
“Thanks to these professionals and this international profile, a world of opportunities and possibilities regarding new university program offerings is opening up from Inca and Mallorca,” noted Guillem Aloy, director of the ADEMA campus in Inca and head of the training program.
Following this initial analysis, the project will continue to evolve through new approaches to the city and new lines of learning and research linked to the territory.
At the same time, Foundation Year students are already preparing their next academic project and will participate in the inaugural exhibition of the Open House architecture festival, scheduled for mid-November at the headquarters of the Official College of Architects of the Balearic Islands in Palma.
During his visit, the mayor also learned about the vocational training program in Fashion Design offered at the Inca campus. Over the coming months, students will participate in various projects linked to the city, including designing costumes for an Inca Carnival troupe.