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.
FLOOD RESILIENCE TOOLBOX
Flood Resilience Toolbox: AI-Powered Solutions for a Sustainable Future Flooding is the most frequent and costly natural disaster worldwide, with annual damages exceeding €38 billion. By 2050, this figure could rise to $64 billion, impacting millions of lives. Coastal cities, particularly in Southeast Asia, are at high risk due to rapid urbanization, sinking land, and … Read more
EcoNodes
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
Reconnecting Urban Fragments
“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
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
Intervening Carbon
Carbon Based Design | Designing Circularity in the Built Environment SITE EXISITING WAREHOUSE POINT CLOUD MODEL Material Flow Analysis PROPOSAL
Changing Landscapes
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
Augmented & Mixed Reality
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
“Fibernetics: Bridging Kinetic Architecture with Cybernetics for Adaptive Spatial Configurations”
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
LA CREMADA
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
STEEL CIRCULARITY
Shining Rebirth
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
Beyond Corals
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