Aleksandra Boszke -
podcast #7 of the series "Foundations"
The episode and the entire series are also available on Soundcloud and Spotify:
In the seventh episode of the "Foundations" podcast, we speak with Aleksandra Boszke - a young architect who talks about her two Erasmus student exchange experiences. With her characteristic energy and commitment, she shares her reflections from her stay at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the University of Lusófona in Lisbon. She reveals the behind-the-scenes of student life abroad, talks about the differences in approaches to architectural education and what designing in international teams has taught her.
Lusófona University
© Aleksandra Boszke
Aleksandra Boszke
A student of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Gdansk University of Technology. She honed her architectural skills during an Erasmus+ exchange in Madrid at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Universidade Lusófona in Lisbon. Thanks to this extraordinary adventure, she is open to new cultures and inspirations that constantly influence her approach to design. She is convinced that good architecture is one that can meet the needs of future users, combining functionality and aesthetics, but also takes into account the challenges of climate change.
For me, architecture is a way of thinking about the world and having a real impact on shaping it responsibly through space. I am interested in architecture that is rooted in context, sensitive to social and ecological needs, and promotes locality and sustainability. I believe in empathetic and responsive design - one that responds to the needs of users, builds community and does not impose itself, but coexists with its surroundings. At the same time, I believe that architecture must also be functional and serve future users well. - Aleksandra Boszke says.
Fuerteventura
© Aleksandra Boszke
Erasmus as a formative experience
Aleksandra Boszke emphasizes that she made the decision to go on Erasmus even before she started her studies. Madrid and Lisbon became for her not only places of study, but above all laboratories of practice, dialogue and clash of perspectives. She began preparing for the trip well in advance - including by learning Spanish and organizing documentation. She recalls that although bureaucracy can scare people away, the whole recruitment process went smoothly and was not as difficult as it seems.
two universities, two worlds
She recalls her stay at the Polytechnic University of Madrid as intensive and demanding - classes were taught in Spanish, and architectural design focused on ideas, freehand drawing and conceptual thinking. Among other things, she worked on the design of a self-sustaining ecological center in an area devastated by fires. The course was taught by Professor Blanca Léon, associated with the renowned MVRDV studio.
In Lisbon, on the other hand, she studied at the private, state-of-the-art Lusófona University, where English was the predominant language, although classes in Portuguese also appeared. Topics were more interdisciplinary, ranging from public spaces to digital design and architectural theory. Her week-long workshops involved working outdoors, analyzing Lisbon's urban fabric.
Algarve
© Aleksandra Boszke
A valuable experience for Aleksandra Boszke was working in culturally diverse design teams. She learned not only cooperation, but also patience and empathy - essential qualities in the architectural profession. Working with people from Spain, Austria, Germany or Italy allowed her to look at architecture through the prism of different ways of thinking and educational traditions.
Poland - technical and logical. Spain - full of sketches, ideas and modeling. Portugal - social and relational. These perspectives are not mutually exclusive, they complement each other," says the young architect.
Life in Madrid and Lisbon
Alexandra talks passionately about everyday life in the great cities of southern Europe. She recalls Madrid as a dynamic, vibrant cultural center, where she had the opportunity to attend lectures by such figures as Norman Foster and Alejandro Aravena. Lisbon, on the other hand, is a closer, more intimate space for her - the ocean, the light, morning espresso and evening walks with friends. Thanks to the Erasmus Student Network, she has participated in team-building trips and travels, including to Madeira and the Azores.
Nazare
© Aleksandra Boszke
Despite her admiration for the experience, the young architect does not overlook practical topics. She stresses that the Erasmus scholarship covers only part of the cost of living (about €1,000 per month), so the trip requires budget planning skills. She also mentions student concessions and the challenges of local bureaucracy.
Finally, Alexandra shares her reflection that Erasmus is not just an adventure - it's learning courage, flexibility and the ability to look at herself from a distance. It's also the moment when she realized that there is no one way in architecture, and that space - while universal - always remains locally rooted.
Aleksandra Skorupa
Maria Cipinska
Listen also to other podcasts
from the "Foundations" series:
- Maciej Czekański ostażu wbureau APA Wojciechowski in Warsaw
- Lukasz Danilczuk ostudy of architecture in Brussels, Budapest and Warsaw
- Magdalena Raźny on her stay at the Bella Interior University in Covilhi
- Julia Supeł on combining architecture and construction studies, designing on Mars and in Iceland
- Aleksandra Magiera and Adam Stalica about internships abroad, post-industrial architecture and discovering their own professional paths
- Marcelina Rojkowska on art studies, the job market and balancing passion and reality
