During the second year of the Master in Advanced Architecture + Thesis Project (MAA02), students have the unique opportunity to work for a period of 1 year on an Individual Thesis Project, focused on the development of a research or pilot project based on the student’s interest, and the learnings of the first year. IAAC supports the student in selecting their Thesis Project topic in order to better orient them according to their future career interests and opportunities. Each student, according to their specific topic, is assigned one or more Thesis Advisors that follow the development of the work throughout the year.

In parallel to the development of the Individual Thesis Project, the second year of the MAA02 offers a series of seminars enhancing the theoretical, practical and computational skills of the students.

Trav-a-live

Context Inter Disciplinary In this project, we explore the intersection of digital nomadism, autonomous mobility, and AI-enabled sensing technology. Inspired by thinkers like Tsugio Makimoto, Pierluigi Coppola, and Tim Ferriss, we aim to create an autonomous living space that supports a mobile, remote work lifestyle. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of digital nomadism, … Read more

Parametric Auditorium Facade

The project designs the angular wall surface of the auditorium to ensure a completely even distribution of sound. Using the given parameters, the design and material specifics can be modified. Link to the blog : https://www.shapediver.com/app/m/sabina-shapediver-final Parametric Auditorium Facade is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the MAA02 2021/22 … Read more

Building Therapy

Building Therapy is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master in Advanced Architecture 02 – 2022-2023 by the student(s) aishwarya.arun during the course MAA02 & MRAC02 22/23 Business Innovation with Davide Rovera.

Underwater vessel

Shapediver is a tool that allows quick and effective exploration of a geometry without having to use grasshopper or any other software. In this project Shapediver, was used to generate a catalogue of underwater vessels. Several parameters such as object height, number of layers, and maximum surface were used to determine the most optimal shapes … Read more

EcoBrickscape

THESIS STATEMENT The objective of this thesis is to investigate the use of sawdust based biocomposite materials in the additive manufacturing of interlocking bricks. EcoBrickscape aims to develop a workflow that facilitates the generation of customizable shapes and infill designs that are optimal for interlocking and aggregating, enabling efficient fabrication and assembly. The study also … Read more

forkLOAD Tessellations

forkLOAD Tessellations aims to utilize Shapediver to create a visualization software for clients to select a variety of parameters on a dome structure. This dome structure is created with a tessellating pattern of hegagons and squares. The user is able to select from a variety of scales of patterns, shape of arch, and a variety … Read more

KlimaWall

The AEC industry consumes 40% of global energy and emits 33% of greenhouse gases, which contributes heavily to climate change. Additionally, by the year 2050, the population will grow up to 10 billion people of whom the two-thirds are going to be living in cities. Which means a lot more building will need to be … Read more

from Earthly Trials to Martian Triumphs

“from Earthly Trials to Martian Triumphs” explores ways to create a sustainable and self-sufficient architecture for uninhabitable spaces on Earth that can adapt, develop, and learn from itself over a long period of time, as a Mars simulation project. This will involve investigating comparative planetology, considering possible challenges of Mars, identifying safe and similar sites … Read more

The Housing Factory

The Housing Challenge in Sub Saharan Africa In most sub saharan countries, a case of uganda; despite the challenges with informality, this sector provides housing to over 60% of the urban population with the “tenement” as the most common housing typology.  Part of the housing challenge stems from the evolution of housing policy in Uganda … Read more

Digital Heritage

In the past years, the number of 3D Concrete Printed projects has been increasing exponentially. Even though it is becoming an important part of the construction industry, large-scale 3D-printed buildings have shown a lack of aesthetics, as flat walls are normally used, and sometimes even plastered. On the other hand, small-scale printed projects have shown … Read more

Beyond Corals

The world’s coral reefs face significant threats due to rising ocean temperatures. They play a critical role in supporting biodiversity, providing habitats for marine species, and acting as natural barriers against storms and erosion. However, coral bleaching caused by the rising ocean temperatures are causing substantial risks to their survival. Efforts to address these challenges … Read more

Controlled Creativity

Empowering Architectural Design with AI Diffusion This research explores the use of ControlNet with Stable Diffusion to enhance architects’ control over AI generated designs made by diffusion models. The objective is to expand the creative scope in architecture and transform the perception of AI from a potential threat into an opportunity for innovation and increased … Read more

Shape Diver // Digital Heritage

Create a design interface where you can visualize columns from gothic, islamic and neoclassical styles, translated into a contemporary proposal that can be fabricated using additive manufacturing with concrete. Using JSON files to work with predetermined parameters which allow the files to load faster in the Shape Diver platform. follow this link to Shape Diver: … Read more

MODERN MODERNISME

Posidonia Oceanica: The Aquatic Seagrass Species Posidonia oceanica is a species of aquatic seagrass that belongs to the Posidoniaceae family. It possesses roots, a rhizomatous stem, and ribbon-like leaves, resembling those of terrestrial plants. These features allow it to anchor itself to the seabed and spread horizontally, forming extensive meadows in the Mediterranean Sea. These … Read more

ShapeDiver for Panton Chair

ShapeDiver is an online platform that simplifies hosting and sharing Grasshopper files online. This project is aimed at creating a pantong chair in shapediver platform where the users, partners, clients, or other non-technical stakeholders can customize the design by using the provided parameters like The Size of Seat, The Material Thickness, the Chair’s Width or … Read more

ARCHIBUDDY – The World Is Your Friend

Introduction Archibuddy is a unique and innovative project that aims to create adaptive architectural elements to make environments emotion-responsive. Archibuddy will leverage the latest technologies to provide personalized experiences to users, optimizing their well-being and productivity using Emotion Detection Technology and the Algorithmic workflow that was developed over the course of the Master’s Research Thesis … Read more

Reforming Scrap

GLOBAL WASTE GENERATION LIFE CYCLE This project takes into account the potential of Aluminum and branches out just before recycling to reduce energy consumption in comparison to recycling. Although aluminium is highly recyclable, and energy efficient that only 5% of energy is needed to recycle it in comparison to primary production.  It is still energy … Read more

Digital Deconstruct

Graph-Based Discretization of Building Meshes for Adaptive Generation of Predefined Modular Architectural Elements This research presents a novel software tool that facilitates the discretization of input building geometries into a predefined catalog of architectural elements, bridging the gap between mass customization and mass production. The proposed approach employs a graph-based representation of both orthogonal and … Read more