The MaCAD is a unique online programme training a new generation of architects, engineers and designers ready to develop skills into the latest softwares, computational tools, BIM technologies and AI towards innovation for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

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Designing With Insight: How AI Can Help Us Build More Inclusive Cities

Introduction — Where My Interest Began My interest in AI and its application in the AEC industry started before this course. During the IAAC GSS, I worked on a study in Bogotá using GIS and image‑recognition tools to map sensory criticality in care-focused urban zones. What surprised me most was how accessible the process was. … Read more

Tectonic Hub: Climate-Adaptive Recipe for Cultural Hubs in Reykjavik

Ingredients Climate Reykjavík’s climate shapes the entire project. The site is exposed to strong, multi-directional winds reaching 27 m/s, with a prevailing direction around 135°. Daylight conditions are equally extreme, shifting from long summer days to very short winter ones. The system therefore needs to adapt, protect, and still create comfortable public spaces. Form Our formal … Read more

INTERPOROUS OVERGROWTH

Conceptual Framework The Project explores a contemporary dialogue between past and present by enveloping a historic steel truss within a soft, inflated architectural skin. Inspired by the playful curves and buoyancy of balloon art, the installation introduces a layer of translucent, geometric “bubble wrap” forms that gently overgrow the rigid industrial structure beneath. Rather than … Read more

Le Monstre Merveille

The name Le Monstre Merveille reflects the duality:a structure that appears complex and almost monstrous in form, yet creates a delicate, controlled, and humane interior experience.Rather than replacing the existing structure, the concept focuses on preserving the order and hierarchy of the original architecture, while inserting a new system that acts almost like a parasite—adapting, … Read more

The Staggered Building

INTRODUCTION The Staggered Building is a high rise building developed with a bottom up approach.Within the design process for the building, we have tackled more or less in depth the following themes: mixed use, vertical circulation, structural design, design for comfort and environmental design. The main tools we have used are galapagos mostrly for optimization, … Read more

Parasyte: Growing exisiting structure

INTRODUCTION We approached our parametric project with a top-down methodology, emphasizing the importance of urban, climatic, social, and economic parameters. These factors, alongside the needs for project development, are crucial when discussing architecture that focuses on the reuse and recycling of existing structures in both established and developing contexts. CONCEPT & STAGES The algorithm is … Read more

The Perch – A Generative Building Typology

Introduction In our studio project, we use a combined bottom up and top down approach to develop a mixed use building; designed to integrate multiple functions, including residential, recreational, and commercial, within a single structure. Our goal is to feature a flexible layout, using modular construction techniques and clear circulation patterns, with well-designed junctions. Programmatic … Read more

System on a chip: Data Center modular aggregation structural optimization

Concept The architectural concept is based on creating a data center that expands over time, following a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) approach. At the core of the design is a superstructure, populated by smaller modular data halls. These are supported by a service program that includes operational spaces, storage, and MEP systems, particularly … Read more

Kaleidos

Abstract The project, Kaleidos, is the story of a transformative rehabilitation system that redefines the experience of incarceration. It targets individuals undergoing psychological recovery, creating a dynamic, non-linear journey of healing. This architecture does more than confine—it evolves, adapts, and interacts with its users, guiding them through stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. … Read more

THE EDEN TOWER

INSPIRATION The project is born from the idea of rehabilitation, an inverse concept from Dante’s inferno, where the downward spiraling levels of damnation turn into and ascending stair of redemption. The process of re-insertion into society is understood as a Hero’s Journey towards the top, where the Garden of Eden awaits. Instead of being convicted … Read more

Deconstructing Alcatraz

1. Design Concept and computational Design System Obsolete typology Interpretation Deconstruction    Understanding the current prisons as punitive institutions that fail to rehabilitate but imprison inmates without offering social inclusion solutions increases the risk of recidivism.     Deconstructing Alcatraz proposes an alternative to this typological lack through its own reconstruction. In a VR environment the proposal consists … Read more

Landscape of Consequence

Semi Aerial View

The Architecture of Second Chances Transforming Punishment into Progress Through Computational Design In the evolving discourse of criminal justice reform, the intersection of architecture, technology, and rehabilitation presents unprecedented opportunities to reimagine how we approach incarceration. Our project, “Landscape of Consequence,” proposes a radical reconceptualization of Alcatraz Island, transforming this symbol of isolation into a … Read more

άβυσσος avissos

What if punishment and rehabilitation could coexist in a fully immersive virtual environment? Can justice be achieved in the virtual realm? A Transformative Journey in Emotional Rehabilitation Avissos, named after the Greek word for the deepest part of the sea, reimagines emotional rehabilitation as a unique, multi-stage journey. This concept challenges individuals to confront empathy, … Read more

Re (Form) Reality // ITERUM

The Context The prisoner’s journey is an emotional and psychological transformation. The spaces inhabited during this process are designed to mirror the evolving state of mind, fostering introspection and awareness.Architecture becomes a tools to reflect the prisoner’s internal experiences, guiding them through stages of self-realization: as the prisoners confront these emotions within the space, they … Read more

The Re-iterating Maze

The Re-Iterating Maze helps inmates at Alcatraz develop meditative practices through rehabilitation, using their sentence to make a more peaceful existence possible. Our concept allows prisoners a mindful form of exercise, allowing them to use their time outdoors exploring multidimensional pathways. Mindful walking encourages the brain to focus on the activity of traversing a determined path. By … Read more