14|REPORTAJE ¿architects VERSUS designers? The Bauhaus is considered the first school to impart the basis of industrial design. It was founded in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and for some time now, indusrial design is flying solo. It is a degree completely separated from architecture in university studies and has expanded all over the world. Curiously it was Gropius himself who changed the name of the Architecture School of Harvad University to School of Design. His purpose wasnot the saparation of industrial design from architecture; he wanted to give the school a name that would allow various disciplines to be included. Is the difference between both disciplines merely a scale factor? Perhaps the time has come to bring the teachings of architecture and industrial design together again. T he practice of design by architects is not lost. There are good contemporary examples that prove it. Still, it is possible that there is a widespread ignorance on the part of a mayority of architects towards this discipline. With the idea of boosting the presence of architects in the most competitive areas of the economy, the Escola Sert COAC is upgrading a curriculum that meets the needs of today’s market. An example of this effort is the Postgraduate Program of Product Design, where a multi-disciplinary faculty comprised of designers, product managers, critics and more combine theory and practice classes with lectures by experts,visits to studios and factories,to provide the most dynamic and actual contents.This fosters an activity that the architect can perform. In today’s context of architecture, where there is an evident need for change, the activation of processes of innovation is a resource that should be known and applied in all the areas of the profession. Conception, design, development and marketing of new products is a field that is clearly growing. Knowledge of architecture and industrial design should be combined so they can enhance each other and provide the professional with the necessary tools needed to resolve concepts, objects and spaces in every size, from the smallest ones to urban dimensions. One of the exercises from the first edition postgraduate course, offered the students the opportunity to approach the world of product design by visiting and interviewing different designer and architects who design. What follows is an interview made by one of the students. More information: www.aia.cat www.grupidea.com www.coac.net (link formation Escola Sert COAC )