d-Lab

The d-Lab is an architecture and design laboratory located at IE University in Segovia, Spain. Its establishment in 2013 was driven by the desire to address critically the highly regulated academic landscape for architecture education in Spain.Operating as a bridge between pedagogy and practice, the d-Lab seeks to strike a balance, avoiding extremes of being either an autonomous academic design studio or a simulation of a professional office. This middle ground allows it to effectively connect theory with real-world applications, the ideal with the real, and students and professors with current pressing issues.An essential aspect of the d-Lab's mission is its commitment to engaging with specific urban and rural contexts, particularly those with complex sociocultural and economic dynamics that often go unaddressed by conventional administrative and professional approaches. By tackling these challenges, the d-Lab contributes to a more well-rounded and inclusive approach to architecture and design education while challenging the role of universities in their local contexts.The d-Lab is directed by Professor Romina Canna and involves the collaboration of Professors Wesam Al Asali, Marcela Aragüez, and Maxon Higbee and approximately 200 students since its inception in 2013.

Romina Canna is a PhD in Urbanism, Licensed Architect, Assistant Professor and d-Lab Director at the School of Architecture and Design at IE University. She is also a Visiting Professor at the Technical School of Architecture in Valencia (ETSAV). Previously she has taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology and in the National University of Rosario. Her research focuses on the relationship between infrastructure and urbanism and the (critical) state of the discipline of architecture when operating in these fields.

Maxon Higbee is an artist and a professor of architecture at IE University. He was a full-time fellow in the Painting and Drawing program at the Art Institute of Chicago. Upon completing his Masters of Fine Arts degree he received a John Quincy Adams Fellowship Grant for artistic merit. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Visual Studies, in the Department of Art at the Complutense University in Madrid. 

Marcela Aragüez is a Licensed Architect, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in Architecture at the School of Architecture and Design at IE University with a PhD in architectural history and theory. Previously she has held teaching and research positions at ETH and HSLU in Switzerland, and at The Bartlett in London. She is a member of the Editorial Board of Architectural Histories. Her research focuses on the production of adaptable architecture with an emphasis on cross-cultural post-war practices.

Wesam Al Asali is a PhD in Architecture and Construction Technology, Licensed Architect, and Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture and Design at IE University. He is a co-founder of his architectural practice IWlab (Syria, Spain), and CERCAA, a building craft school in Valencia-Spain. Previously he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge and Princeton University. His research spans construction history, building technology, and craft studies to explore the role of culture and society in rethinking architectural practice in the context of climate challenges.