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.
Reassembling matter. Rethinking structures. The construction industry generates billions of tones of construction and demolition waste every year, yet most of this material remains excluded from structural applications due to its irregularity, unpredictability, and incompatibility with conventional building systems. Granulith investigates an alternative approach, asking whether demolition waste can be transformed from a discarded by-product … Read more
MAA/MRAC Studio Term 3 — 2025/2026 | Robotics for Ecological Building When you think of wool, construction probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But wool has a longer history as a building material than most people realize, and it carries inherent properties that make it genuinely compelling for architecture: moisture regulation, thermal … Read more
Dynamic Casting of Functionally-Graded Geopolymers Using Urban Excavation Waste Thesis Abstract It is estimated that in the next 15 years, the world will generate over 3 billion tonnes of waste; in the European Union alone, 35% originates from the construction sector due to demolition, excavation, and dredging (“28 Incredible Statistics About Waste Generation,” 2021). These … Read more
Site and Key Viewpoint Site and Key Viewpoint Core Project Keywords References FORM FINDING Final Form – Sketch Form Logic Variations and Catalog – Side Profile Form Finding Catalog Base Variation Catalog Convex concave Variation Catalogue Final Form – Levels OPENING & PLANTERS Opening’s Logic – Diamond Shape Opening’s Logics Catalog of Opening Opening Logic … Read more
suro+ explores large-scale additive manufacturing with biomaterials by upcycling post-consumer cork stoppers into modular acoustic panels for temporary spatial applications. from post-consumer cork stoppers collected from restaurants in Barcelona, transforming a locally available waste. the stoppers are transformed and mixed with bio-based binders to form a printable composite used to fabricate modular acoustic panels through … Read more
The Living Fibers MAA/MRAC, Studio Term 2, 2025/2026 Group 1: Brooklyn Edsall, Elias El asmar, Leonard elias Böker, Nikolaos Kalaitzidis, Nisanth Anil Menon Abstract:This project challenges the hyper-standardization of modern construction by investigating the architectural potential of raw, locally sourced Catalan wool. Our research elevates wool from a passive insulation material into an active, rigid, … Read more
ESTADO DEL ARTE Inspired by the movement of water and the ripples created by raindrops, our design replicates these natural patterns in its structure. The goal was to create a smooth, continuous surface where elements flow into each other without visible connections, reflecting the fluidity and harmony found in nature. DESIGN EXPLANATION FABRICATION METHODOLOGY ASSEMBLY … 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
This workshop explored robotic trencadís through a pick and place system. Broken tiles were scanned and organized using a Grasshopper ruleset inspired by traditional weaving logics. Squares with 90 degree corners, straight edges, and alternating colors structured the design. A looping algorithm selected tiles from the dataset and placed them without repetition, allowing the robot … Read more
Robotic Disassembly & Reassembly with Spatial AI Abstract The project explores a circular construction workflow that integrates robotic systems with Spatial AI to automate the disassembly and reassembly of brick structures. Utilizing a Gemini Vision-Language Model (VLM) pipeline, the system performs autonomous material evaluation, identifying surface damages such as chipping, spalling, and staining, as well … Read more
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
Our concept is about designing a pavilion that works with the wind instead of against it. We wanted to create a space that feels light, open, and alive a structure that shows movement even when it stands still. We see wind not just as a natural force, but as something that shapes space. The pavilion … Read more
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
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
