Following a learning by doing methodology, the Introductory Studio gives students the opportunity to fully explore and apply the various tools and techniques assimilated during their 1st term at IAAC. From the examination of space, understood as layers of activities and their interaction, to the design and simulation of behaviours, animated through performative models; or the profound understanding of mechanisms of local energy, food and bio-material production in dense urban environments, contributing to the urban morphogenesis of contemporary cities; all developed with the support of digital fabrication and parametric design.
Metabolic Studio aims to inspire students to think creatively and innovatively about design and architecture. The studio challenges participants to reevaluate our built environment and the architectural components that create our cities and buildings. A line of research that was established 8 years ago and always investigated the boundary of architecture and nature.
The studio aims to explore Advanced Architecture topics by integrating architectural stacking and the fusion of metabolic and natural processes with architectural design. By viewing nature abstractly and recognizing it as a closed system where everything is interconnected and no waste is produced, we can identify its various components, inherent processes, and elements. This knowledge will enable us to replicate some of these aspects using technology and design. Such understanding will allow us to apply these principles to architectural components, contrasting with cities that consume all nearby resources and produce waste, requiring even an external disposal method. Our focus will be on transforming the city of Barcelona in a hypothetical scenario set in 2050, where an already dense Barcelona must accommodate an additional 1 million residents (currently 1.6M inhabitants).
This year, we will follow last year’s research question as students will be tasked with the reimagination of the city using techniques such as stacking, overlapping, and architectural hacking. As skyscrapers will never be an option in the metabolic studio. We will focus on the Poblenou neighbourhood and 22@ as a test ground for the re-densification of the city. Some of the plots that have been previously selected, will be discarded from this year’s list. One of the ultimate aims of the current research in the studio is to provide a body of work that can help us define possible scenarios for densifying our cities while still maintaining their characteristics and offering a more sustainable way of highrise construction.
At course completion the student will:
Reviving Resources for a Living Future Introduction ‘Seed’ envisions an innovative approach by transforming educational spaces into hubs for urban farming, food education, and community resilience. By merging learning, living, and farming, we aim to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where students and the community collaborate to tackle food scarcity while minimizing resource use. Site Location … Read more
ABSTRACT This project seeks to transform a plot in Poblenou’s 22@ district into a pioneering model of metabolic co-living and circular urbanism. By leveraging the district’s technological ecosystem and repurposing e-waste from nearby Green Points, the project integrates a localized recycling and up-cycling facility with innovative prefabrication techniques. Modular co-living units, structural frames, and facades … Read more
‘prefabrication via growth through a closed loop production of biomaterials, fed through a system of organic waste creating a continuous This project envisions a metabolic co-living habitat in Barcelona’s Poblenou @22 district, addressing the city’s densification and the untapped potential of organic waste recycling. The facility transforms organic waste into sustainable building materials, including biochar … Read more
