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.

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Good Day Sunshine!

Good Day Sunshine is a lightweight canopy that shapes space through light and structure. A flowing membrane stretches between fixed frames, forming a series of vaulted bays that create shade while allowing controlled openings for sunlight to pass through. The surface is organized by a triangulated structural network that gives strength to the thin skin … Read more

Beaver Burrow Pavillion

This project introduces a high-performance terrace pavilion that merges environmental data with advanced robotic fabrication. The design process began with a comprehensive solar and circulation analysis, identifying thermal hotspots and vantage points to determine the optimal balance between shaded gathering areas and open viewing corners. The resulting structure features a complex, interlocking timber geometry that … Read more

Urban Oasis Pavilion

The Urban Oasis Pavilion is a temporary installation in Plaça Catalunya that transforms one of Barcelona’s busiest urban nodes into a space for shade, rest, and social encounter. Its porous, flowing surface filters light, noise, and heat to create a more comfortable microclimate within the dense city environment, offering a place for pause and relief … Read more

The Cellular Dune

Project Brief Forces of Nature explores how architectural form can emerge from the interaction of natural forces rather than being predefined. Using computational simulations, the project allows tension, gravity, and equilibrium to shape spatial structures. The installation translates invisible physical behaviors into visible design, creating a form that is discovered through force-driven processes and realized … Read more

Computational Design Seminar II | Air-Cast Shell

Site analysis The architectural intervention is situated within Plaça de la Virreina, a prominent public square in the Gràcia district. The initial analysis involved a comprehensive mapping of existing urban conditions, specifically focusing on the primary access points to the square and the location of existing trees. These environmental constraints were not viewed as obstacles … Read more

Reciprocal Canopy

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

El Xarxaire pabellon

Site Specification The pavilion, located in Plaza del Mar, Barceloneta, features a design adaptable to coastal winds and connected to the sea, primarily constructed from polywood marine 3mm thickness fabricated in CNC machine to withstand its beach environment. Plaza del Mar is a vast, 17,000-square-meter urban “void” that serves as Barceloneta’s primary window to the … 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

REPOSE

Computational Design II (Level 2) – Final Assignment This project proposes a computational timber pavilion for the IAAC rooftop in Barcelona, conceived as a Bio-Maker space that integrates digital fabrication, structural logic, and urban biodiversity. The structure is generated through a parametric space-frame system composed of American oak members connected through stainless steel bolt ball … Read more

Arcada Viva

The project situates the pavilion within the urban fabric of Plaça Reial, accompanied by initial conceptual sketches that explore a shell-like structure emerging from the geometry and atmosphere of the square. SITE INSPIRATION WORKFLOW PSEUDO CODE RENDERS

Relaxed tectonics

This research explores the intersection of physics-based form-finding and multi-objective evolutionary optimization to design a high-performance architectural pavilion. Utilizing Kangaroo2 for structural mesh relaxation and Wallacei for the genetic optimization of seating. The result is a topologically optimized structure where complex geometry is not merely aesthetic, but a direct manifestation of environmental data and structural … Read more

COURTYARD EXPERIENCE

COMPONENT DESIGN Component A Amount of conectors 3 Succesful 9 Unsuccesful 0 Component B Amount of conectors 3 Succesful 9 Unsuccesful 0 Component C Amount of conectors 3 Succesful 9 Unsuccesful 0 Component D Amount of conectors 3 Succesful 9 Unsuccesful 0 Custom Assemblage Method Establishing Proportional Constraints Vertical attraction The selection method takes a … Read more

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Assembled Architecture Seminar Faculty: Andrea GrazianoFaculty Assistant: Nitsan Mor, Shrey Kapur Our project explores how architectural intention can be translated into computational logic through the construction of rule-based assemblages. Instead of designing form directly, we designed decision systems. Component Design and Random Assemblages Custom Assemblage Method Filtration Logic The process begins with a filtration logic … Read more