Architect and academic Andrés Jaque’s presentation during The World Around Summit 2023 focused on the design of award-winning Reggio School, a unique educational facility in El Encinar de los Reyes, Madrid, designed by the architect and his studio, Office for Political Innovation.

The cork-covered school, which he revealed one of its students said “looks like a robot made of butter,” is designed vertically, rather than horizontally, to confront the typical layouts of these buildings and minimize its footprint. Its other sustainable credentials were achieved by removing everything superfluous, allowing systems and services to remain visible, and using simple materials. From a community perspective, the architecture encourages students to share infrastructures and learn how to co-exist with one another.