The workshop is based on the premise that no technique—like no science—is neutral, and this is especially true of those developed within the emerging paradigm of digitalization, which is transforming material capabilities, habits, and societal values, just as it is transforming architecture and construction. As a practical continuation of the primarily technical workshops “Cross-Disciplinary Design Flows” and “Design Builder,” and in direct connection with Studio BAI and the Module 2 workshops, the workshop “Digital Crafts. Form and Stone Construction” will take place at the Lugo headquarters of one of Europe’s most singular and innovative workshops, PAUDEPEDRA, which for more than thirty years has been responsible for demanding and exquisite stone construction and restoration projects, from the roofs of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela to one of the major works of contemporary European architecture: the construction of the votive temple of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.

The main objective of the workshop is to familiarize students with the conceptual approaches and manual skills that enable an exemplary combination of contemporary digital design and robotic fabrication techniques with traditional methods of form analysis and handcraft. PAUDEPEDRA succeeds in bringing together, within a single space, the most sophisticated digital stone-cutting machinery and the work of the last high-quality artisans in Galicia—formerly renowned “canteiros”—and this unusual and productive coexistence creates a singular laboratory that demonstrates the fertility of advanced technological methods in construction today, grounded in both digitalization and traditional hand tools. Hence, we may refer to these practices as “digital crafts.”

The workshop will be primarily based on working sessions at the PAUDEPEDRA facility in Lugo, allowing students to directly experience and analyze new material and digital techniques. This hands-on work alongside machines and stonemasons will involve the development of a stone prototype element subjected to compressive forces (arch, lintel), inspired by the traditional architecture of Lugo’s historic center, which will be explored as a source of design models. The prototype element will be defined using digital models and cardboard templates, which will then guide the fabrication of each component and its final assembly. Along the way, students will also experiment with the expressive potential of digital machinery in revealing the textures of different stone materials. The workshop will conclude with a session in Santiago de Compostela, where participants will be able to directly observe the effectiveness of digital crafts in the careful intervention within one of Spain’s architectural treasures: the roofs of the historic cathedral.

KEY WORKSHOP INFORMATION

Date and venue: April 13–17, 2026, Factory and stonemasonry, architecture and carpentry factory of PAUDEPEDRA, Lugo

Number of places: 20

Target audience: Students in the final years of a degree or master’s program in Architecture or Engineering, young architects or engineers who have already graduated, students or graduates of higher vocational training in fields related to construction.

Free registration. The workshop is 100% funded, with no tuition fee.

Registration open until March 16. ACCES THE REGISTRATION FORM

Instructors in charge of the workshop: Enrique Rojo, Octavio Vázquez, María Novo 

Más información: workshop poster & workshop information dossier