The MAA is a visionary master program with an innovative and open structure, mixing diverse disciplines, shaping professionals capable of producing theoretical & practical solutions towards responsive cities, architecture & technology.


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From One Model to One Million Homes: Automating Social Housing with BIM

Rule-Based BIM Systems for Multi-Storey Residential Blocks in Vietnam   Using rule-based BIM master models to automate repetitive social housing design in Vietnam, while addressing real-world challenges of coordination, adoption, and collaboration across large-scale public projects. //CONTEXT Vietnam currently has an ambitious national target to build one million social housing units by 2030. However, progress … Read more

Fa(ça)de

Fa(ça)de explores robotic clay fabrication as a method for producing expressive, materially efficient façade modules. Starting from a 2D patterned surface, the project develops a parametric workflow that transforms mesh-based geometries into 3D printed clay elements with controlled relief, wave amplitude, and module rotation. Through iterative prototyping, the design responds to fabrication limits such as … Read more

Recursive Shell

This project, titled Recursive Shell, is located at Plaça del Pi. The pavilion explores form-finding through inverted arch logic and modular timber shells. Using a Kangaroo Bouncy Solver, the design optimizes structural stability via parameters like pressure, edge lengths, and vertex loads. The system consists of interlocking triangular panels and joint discs extracted from a … Read more

Chill.Point

Inspirations Chill.Point is a lightweight timber and fabric pavilion designed for Plaça Universitat, creating a shaded urban pause within the city. Inspired by exposed timber frames and tensile scaffold structures, it combines structural clarity with soft, breathable enclosure. Using computational and parametric design tools, the pavilion responds to sun, wind, and pedestrian flow, optimizing geometry, … Read more

THE RECIPROCAL VIERENDEEL

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

FIREIGUANAS

INTROUCTION Building regulations are among the most critical and most cumbersome aspects of architectural practice. In Spain, the Documento Básico de Seguridad en Caso de Incendio (DBSI), part of the Technical Building Code (CTE), sets out detailed requirements for fire safety across every typology of building. Yet in most practices today, compliance validation remains a largely … Read more

IFCore Compliance Checker

During the AI in Architecture and Urbanism Seminar, our team built an automated compliance checking system that validates architectural projects directly from IFC models. Building regulation checks are traditionally manual, slow, and error-prone. Architects review 2D drawings, interpret regulations individually, and often wait weeks for compliance feedback. We asked a simple question: what if compliance … Read more

Casa Tosquella: The Mending of the Commons

Heritage is not memoryHeritage is Production + Community In the dense urban fabric of Sant Gervasi, Casa Tosquella sleeps a Modernista jewel originally conceived as a summer retreat, now stranded in a city grappling with permanent heat. This project explores the tension between heritage preservation and climatic urgency. The proposal views the building not as … Read more

Mining The City

“Metabolising waste into habitat in a resource-scarce future” “Mining the City” reconceives legacy industrial infrastructure as an active force for urban regeneration and material resilience. Rather than treating waste as a problem to be discarded, this project positions Barcelona’s material flows from household refuse to industrial by-products as the resource base for a new metabolic … Read more

Cloud Transparent Pavilion

Group includes: Nguyen Vu Tue Minh (Chloe) & Eduardo Martinez Toribio //OVERALL DESIGN OBJECTIVE //PRECEDENT: TEMPORARY PARAMETRIC PAVILION //COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN SYSTEM USING CRYSTALLON //MATERIAL RESEARCH: GLASS-REINFORCED RECYCLED PET (GR-RPET) //ANALYSIS Total Mass: 191.8 (kg) Natural Vibration Analysis Frequency: 9.45 (Hz) Max Displacement: 0.125 (m) //OPTIMISATION: GOALS & TARGET //OPTIMISATION: RESULTS //OPTIMISATION: LIGHTNESS VS STIFFNESS Baseline: … Read more

EGITTO SKIN

Team member(s):MAHMOUD MOHAMED Modified by  MAHMOUD MOHAMED  on December 12, 2025 SITE AND EXISTING BUILDING Egypt, often reverently hailed as the “Mother of All Lands,” stands as one of the oldest and most influential civilizations in the vast chronicle of human history. Its legacy is not merely a collection of ruins or artifacts; it is a … Read more

Cano(Pi)

A dynamic forest pavilion. Plaça del Pi, Barcelona, Spain Design Concept Form Finding Psuedo Code The script relies on the organic undulation of sine and catenary curves to reflect the organic nature of our inspiration as well as provide a real-life simulation of the suspended fabric forming the canopy reacting to gravitational logic in both … Read more

THE MANUFACTURED VERNACULAR 

Image of comparison between a vernacular structure and a modern structure

Turning time-tested vernacular intelligence into scalable, multi-hazard self sufficient building INTRODUCTION See this image above? yes, its comparison between two structures that survived a 6.8 rector scale earthquake in year 2005. The ironic part is , that these vernacular structures hold the carbon friendly intelligence responding towards climate adaptation and structural resistance against earthquakes, yet … Read more

BAMBOO

Exploring Low-Tech, Sustainable Construction Methods and Manual Strategies for Community Empowerment The use of bamboo in construction is emblematic of an ongoing tension between traditional knowledge and the global imperatives of sustainable development. Despite its traditional use in many regions, the potential as a resilient, self-sustaining construction material remains largely underexplored in the contemporary architectural … Read more

StructuraX – Self aware Architecture

Prototype sensor

Structura X is a low-cost structural health monitoring system that tracks vibration patterns and foundation shifts to detect early signs of instability in buildings. Using a 3-axis accelerometer and ultrasonic distance sensing, the device provides real-time feedback through visual and acoustic alerts, enabling proactive maintenance and long-term structural safety. Why This Matters Buildings appear static, … Read more