In Mexico, the official Jornada de Sana Distancia (National Social Distancing Campaign) began on March 23, 2020. During this period, various firms, businesses, and universities reached a turning point where it became necessary to discuss the present and future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations at different levels. A few weeks ago, ArchDaily launched a series of interviews with Mexican firms reflecting on their organizational and operational experiences when transitioning from in-person to remote work. But what about universities? What happens to the new generations experiencing this shift in their schools? How is spatial thinking affected after nearly two months of social distancing? What lies ahead for educational models, and especially for university spaces?
Here, we present a conversation with Emilio Canek Fernández—an architect graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he has taught since 2002, and current coordinator of the Academic Board of the Bachelor of Architecture program. In this interview, we reflect on educational models, university spaces, remote learning, the training of new generations, and the future of public space.
