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.
Becoming Embodied
Digital Matter explores how digital technologies can radically rethink material practices in architecture to address the environmental impacts of construction. This research studio reframes materials from scarcity to abundance, introducing circular material economies, reclaimed and waste-based resources, and concepts such as urban mining, buildings as material banks, and design for disassembly. Students engage with embodied carbon analysis, life-cycle assessment, and computational tools to digitize, monitor, and optimize material flows, supporting regenerative and decarbonized architectural design.
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Reimagining the façade as an active environmental system rather than a passive building skin, this project develops a modular biochar–clay composite panel that integrates carbon storage, passive thermal regulation, and circular construction. By combining locally sourced clay with biochar, the material transforms atmospheric carbon into a long-term architectural resource while reducing embodied emissions. Computationally informed … Read more
Abstract Banana Matters transforms discarded banana pseudostem biomass into carbon-sequestering architectural panels through material research, bio-based binders, and digital fabrication. The project addresses the untapped potential of nearly 525 million tonnes of annual banana waste by developing lightweight, low-carbon composites with acoustic and structural applications. Through iterative material experimentation, heat-press manufacturing, and mechanical and physical … Read more
Abstract In the Anthropocene, the construction industry generates vast quantities of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), positioning cities as latent material reservoirs rather than endpoints of consumption. This research investigates CDW not as waste, but as a designed material system. Initial experiments explored rammed CDW composites, revealing strong compressive behavior but critical limitations under lateral … Read more
This project explores cork as a sustainable material and investigates new possibilities for its application through innovative design and production methods. By experimenting with different technologies and rethinking how they can be used, the aim is to develop new ways of working with cork that minimize carbon emissions, reduce waste, and limit the use of … Read more
how can design unlock the architectural potential of materials that are currently underused or overlooked? Argo Waste materials offer more than environmental benefits. Material – Banana Biomass Total Annual Biomass – 675 Million Tonnes Carbon Emission Through waste “Every 1% of the 525MT of banana biomass we move from “waste” to “construction” prevents roughly4–9 million … Read more
Abstract In the Anthropocene, the construction industry generates vast quantities of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW), positioning cities as latent material reservoirs rather than endpoints of consumption. This research investigates CDW not as waste, but as a designed material system. Initial experiments explored rammed CDW composites, revealing strong compressive behavior but critical limitations under lateral … Read more
