Within the current global context of rapid change, integrated with the potentials of digital technologies, IAAC’s Master in Advanced Architecture (MAA) is committed to the generation of new ideas and applications for Urban Design, Self Sufficiency, Digital Manufacturing Techniques and Advanced Interaction.
In this context IAAC works with a multidisciplinary approach, facing the challenges posed by our environment and the future development of cities, architecture and buildings, through a virtuous combination of technology, biology, computational design, digital and robotic fabrication, pushing innovation beyond the boundaries of a more traditional architectural approach.
Sunburn is a computationally designed urban shading pavilion for Plaça Universitat in Barcelona. The project explores how lightweight canopy structures can improve comfort in public space while creating an inviting social environment. Using parametric column placement, Kangaroo surface generation, Ladybug solar analysis, and Galapagos optimization, the canopy geometry is tested across different sun-hour periods to … Read more
Reciprocal Frames Reciprocal frames are self-supporting 3D structures. They consist of three or more sloping beams arranged in a closed circuit. Each beam rests on the preceding one and supports the next, creating a completely interdependent grid. This design eliminates the need for a central pillar or column. Traditionally these frames were made of wood, … Read more
Using AI scripting in grasshopper to create and analyse reused timber stacked systems Two methods of creating panels made from an existing stocklist of reclaimed Timber using AI scripting integrated into Grasshopper. The first method explores the simple end to end stacking, by taking a random piece from the stock and placing it in a … Read more
CONCEPT Double-Skin Façade STRATEGY TO CURVE CURVE ITERATIONS FINAL DESIGN THERMAL SIMULATIONS LOAD APPLICATIONS ROBOTIC FABRICATION Layer Height – 2.0 Clay thickness – 10mm Pressure – 3.95 Nozzle Diameter – 6mm FINAL BLOCK FABRICATION FRAME ASSEMBLY Final Assembly
Designed for the IAAC rooftop, this pavilion merges computational design with advanced robotic fabrication. The geometry originates in Grasshopper, where a basic mesh is transformed into an optimized vault using Kangaroo’s physics-based dynamic relaxation. A reciprocal frame pattern is then applied, translating the continuous shell into short, mutually supporting timber pieces. Because every interlocking element … Read more
DIMENSIONS MATERIAL USED PROCESS OF MAKING BEAM TEST SETUP BEAM DEFORMATION The images document progressive deflection under incremental loading (0 kg to 76 kg) where it can be observed that the block is taking the load on which the beam is placed and it is under high compression whereas beam is held by strap to … Read more
The project documents the iterative design and manual fabrication of a 3-meter span beam constructed exclusively from limited recycled wooden members. Iterations The beam was developed through a series of structural iterations evaluated using utilization ratio, deflection, bending moment, axial force, and shear force. With a fixed inventory of recycled wooden elements, optimization focused on … Read more
Design Ethos This project seeks to explore how issues of stagnation and obsolescence can be tackled whilst still enabling socio-economic and technological developments of our urban spaces. It will explore how they can be applied within architecture to evaluate how we can more effectively address issues of erasure whilst still permitting modern interventions and advancements … Read more
This pavilion explores the dialogue between wood and waves through a parametric system of assembled timber elements shaped by coastal forces. Inspired by the rhythm of tides and the grain of wood, its fluid geometry oscillates between structure and motion, shelter and openness. The project merges digital design with natural material intelligence, creating a lightweight … Read more
COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN I SEMINAR25/26 MAA01 (Level2) Abstract: Computational Weaving. This project, developed for the Computational Design I Seminar, explores the algorithmic generation of complex, recursive geometries through the logic of “Digital Craft”. Inspired by the material constraints of steam-bent timber, the design creates a “volumetric weave” rather than a simple surface. The computational workflow is … Read more
In today’s architectural landscape, digital fabrication has significantly expanded the way we design and construct building elements—offering unprecedented accuracy, efficiency, and formal freedom. Techniques such as laser cutting, CNC milling, 3D printing, and robotic manufacturing each bring distinct advantages in terms of material behavior, geometric complexity, and performance potential. RE:CELL Concept The Re:Cell is a … Read more
Our digital fabrication journey unfolds through four experiments that explore how material, geometry, and technology negotiate form. Each project challenges a different fabrication technique: laser cutting, CNC milling, 3D printing, and robotic manufacturing, while asking a deeper question: How does digital logic reshape the language of craft? Laser Cutting Tessellated Lightfield This project explores the … Read more
Digital fabrication enables designers to explore geometries that go beyond traditional construction constraints. The exercise focuses on translating complex geometries into constructible systems that integrate material behaviour, joinery logic, and mass customisation. Each technique allows experimentation with unique fabrication constraints, informing the evolution of the vertical element design. The outputs serve as material and geometric … Read more
3D Printing | Kinetic Facade | CONCEPT | The project draws its primary inspiration from the dynamic, sun-responsive mashrabiya system of the Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi. What captivated me was the sharp visual contrast between conventional, static façade geometries often rectilinear or triangulated and the refined kinetic intelligence embedded in these triangular adaptive … Read more
Introduction This project explores a double landscape approach, bridging a student accommodation in the city with an ecological extraction site in the Collserola foothills. It establishes a material and climatic dialogue between the two contexts: one as a site of inhabitation, the other as a site of making. At its core is a breathing terracotta … Read more
