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.
Introduction: Transforming Urban Junctions for a Sustainable Future Urbanization has drastically increased impervious surfaces in cities, leading to environmental challenges such as urban heat islands, stormwater runoff, and reduced access to green spaces. Junctions and intersections, often overlooked, are some of the most impervious and environmentally stressed areas in urban landscapes. This project aims to … Read more
“Reimagining Urban Corridors: From Rigid Infrastructure to Inclusive Green Networks” “Urban environments today face critical challenges—population growth, rapid urbanization, and the fragmentation of ecological systems. As cities evolve, their rigid infrastructure often alienates natural systems and creates barriers to inclusivity and sustainability. This thesis focuses on reconceptualizing rigid urban environments by integrating transportation and ecological … Read more
FLOOD RESILIENCE TOOLBOX FOR ADAPTIVE URBAN DESIGN IN COASTAL CITIES Flooding is the most frequent natural disaster worldwide. By the report from The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), floods cause more than 38 billion euro in damages worldwide per year. Due to climate change, floods are becoming more extreme and frequent. Coastal areas … Read more
Carbon Based Design | Designing Circularity in the Built Environment SITE EXISITING WAREHOUSE POINT CLOUD MODEL Material Flow Analysis PROPOSAL
ReCitying is a Workshop hosted by IAAC and Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat to explore sustainable design and creative recycling in rural spaces. The first phase of the Workshop, in October 2024, focused on developing proposals for an installation using waste from Parc Agrari and planting crops to integrate into the project. We explored initial … Read more
This studio explores the possibility of using AR in architecture with Unity. Living parts is a thesis focusing on the use of Biomaterials in Architectural Elements to sequester environmental carbon dioxide. Unity is used here to map the data from the CO2 sensor to Unity and see the data collected with the help of a … Read more
Abstract: Architectural space has been non responsive to the dynamic and changing nature of social interaction. Building on the history of responsive architecture, interactive design principles and technological developments in sensing, processing and actuation, the project proposes a new model that merges kinetic architecture and cybernetics. Creating adaptive configurations through automated kinetic architectural skeletons, employing … Read more
The second year students of Master in Advanced Architecture (MAA) and Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction (MRAC) participate in Llum BCN 2024 with LA CREMADA / THE BURN, an immersive interactive installation that delves deep into the world of wildfires, their origins, impacts, and the critical need for understanding and prevention. The installation, located at Plaça Les Arts, C/ … Read more
Shining Rebirth is a project about the circular lives of float glass, aluminium frame and polycarbonate roofing. Related materials are taken from IAAC atelier, with numbers, dimensions and conditions properly analysed. Carbon footprint as each stage of life is calculated, with deconstruction steps properly considered. In order to propose a new life for these materials, … Read more
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
Leveraging the Wave Function Collapse Algorithm for Application on Layered Quadrilateral Meshes Abstract Procedural Morphologies is a novel computational design workflow in the field of discrete design. It leverages the Wave Function Collapse Algorithm for application on any quadrilateral mesh. Thus a coherent three-dimensional aggregation solution can be generated for any quad mesh using a … Read more
R-ERA [ Realtime – Emotion Responsive Architecture ] is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master in Advanced Architecture 02 – by the student: Preetam Prabhakar and Research Thesis Advisor: David Andres Leon during the course MAA02 22/23 Thesis under the Algorithmic Design research thesis cluster.
Causal loop diagrams is tool that is used to tell stories about the complex issues within the fast fashion industry. By identifying the interrelationships within the system’s structure, these diagrams helps to understand the impacts and trade-offs associated with different factors. The resulting visual representation then is used to effectively communicate this understanding and facilitate … Read more
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
Morph_Designer is a project that researches the potential of available building footprint morphological data, and how this can become a design-aid tool in architectural practices, aiming to give a new scope of data driven design that can be used globally. “Architecture and the city are mutually constitutive, each influencing and shaping the other in a … Read more
Introduction This project aims to investigate the extent to which different facade material choices can influence the urban heat island effect in the surrounding area. Urban Heat Island There are many factors that affect urban heat island and the three main branches are urban morphology, meteorology and surfaces. Out of all the factors three were … Read more
AER – Artificial Empathic Response [DIGISCAPES ver 2.0] is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master in Advanced Architecture 02 – by the student: Preetam Prabhakar and Research Thesis Advisor: David Andres Leon during the course MAA02 22/23 Thesis under the Algorithmic Design research thesis cluster.
Data_dwelling is a project with a primary focus on data collection and management systems with the aim of creating a design aided workflow focused on the housing crisis in the UK. The design aid should help to create a faster, well designed, energy efficient, by identifying a methodological residential typology. The project will help in … Read more
Urban Security & The Public Space of Foreigners Introduction: Is it safe to travel to Europe? Depends on who you ask, you might be told that your concern is almost a total nonsense, or be assured that it is a certain lost of phones and wallets. This is rendered by the fact that although the … Read more
