"Students from Manila would be happy to go to Jönköping University"
Students from Manila in the Philippines would be happy to go to Jönköping University for an exchange. This according to Gloria B. Teodoro, Dean of the School of Architecture, Industrial Design and the Built Enviroment (ARIDBE) at Mapúa University in Manila.
- It would give them a global perspective and a broader experience. And they would like to see snow, she says smiling.
Gloria B Teodoro and Albert Zambrano, Faculty of architecture and planning at the School of ARIDBE at Mapúa University in Manila, have visited Jönköping University for three weeks. Here they have planned for an exchange of students and teachers between the schools, and to exchange experiences and improve teaching in the BIM-technology.
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is about designing virtual, accurate models of a building digitally and managing the building systems. It enables better analysis and control than in manual processes and that digital solutions within the building can be simulated.
"A better final product"
Mapúa University has already collaborated with Luleå University of Technology and the exchange of knowledge on how to design in other countries provides a better final product, according to Gloria B Teodoro and Albert Zambrano.
- It is valuable information that provides a more efficient building process and better houses, says Albert Zambrano.
The guests from Manila say that they do not have as much focus on BIM as a management tool at their school and that it is a shortage.
"Very valuable"
- BIM is the future and makes buildings better. Cities are getting smarter and buildings are getting more complex. Being able to model the buildings digitally before you start the construction process is very valuable. You see new choices and can avoid design errors, which saves a lot of time and money, says Albert Zambrano.
Gloria B Teodoro believes that both schools have a lot to gain from a student- and teacher exchange.
"Happy to share our experiences"
- For us, the climate is an important aspect when we design houses and we are happy to share our experiences. You learn a lot from working with students from other countries and we can certainly become more open and creative in developing our design approaches and also our teaching practices.
At the same time, she wants her students to have a global perspective and a broader experience. She is convinced that they would get it at Jönköping University.
A clear difference between the schools
According to our friends from the Philippines, a clear difference between the two schools is that Jönköping University has a clearer and more established collaboration with industry.
- We don't have as much research linkage with the industry yet and most of it goes through the government involving the industry to work with us, Gloria B Teodoro says.
"Supriced"
She is surprised that Jönköping University is no more than 25 years old.
- You have many good programs and a great network for a university only being 25 years old. And you have many more exchange students than we do, she says.Gloria B Teodoro and Albert Zambrano like the many small meeting rooms at Jönköping University and are fond of the Swedish “fika” tradition. “Fika” is also available in the Philippines, but there it is more flexible what it can consist of.
- We can eat complete meals during a “fika”, so sometimes we can skip lunch, says Gloria B Teodoro and smiles.
