La arquitectura de la universidad como puente entre culturas: una lectura comparada entre Santiago de Compostela y Cagliari

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is assuming a comprehensive reform of the University System, affecting the different dimensions of all universities. The teaching/learning processes undergo transformations, which implies a parallel global transformation of the academic institution. As a transcendental part of it, the aforementioned integral reform has an unquestionable impact on the models of urban-architectural implementation. The Spanish and Italian university scenarios are immersed in an evolutionary dynamic in terms of their respective built corpus. Among the factors that characterize the substantial change faced by two very representative universities of both countries (Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, and Cagliari, in Sardinia) is the relationship between university and city, as well as the configuration of their respective built complexes. Therefore, this text presents a comparison between the current realities of Santiago and Cagliari, broken down into a series of aspects: historical synthesis, university-city relationship, urban and architectural typologies, as well as current innovation dynamics. Through this transversal reading of the Galician and Sardinian universities, it is intended to lay a common foundation that provides guidelines for future evolution, in terms of innovation. The central axis of this comparison is the use of the spatial model as a vehicle of physical and social implantation. By making this thematic approach to Santiago and Cagliari, the benefit of enhancing it as a bridge between cultures is obtained, since its language and impact on different levels transcends borders.