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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Data Handling and Collaborative Workflows: Hyperbuilding-B Data Team

Our BIMSC studio project centers on designing a ‘hyperbuilding’ in Tokyo’s Minato Ward—a self-sustaining development that integrates closed-loop ecological systems like on-site food production, photovoltaic energy generation, and industrial modules. The building includes mixed-use zones for amenities, services, and commerce, all anchored by a transit hub built into a podium above Shinagawa Station, supporting the … Read more

OptiBIPV

What & Why ? OptiBIPV is an app designed to enhance an integrated design approach for photovoltaic facades right from the early design stages. In today’s building design, balancing aesthetics with the growing demand for energy production is more important than ever. OptiBIPV enhances collaboration for a more sustainable environment, helping architects, facade designers, and … Read more

TRAVELNA / Hospitality for solo travelers

TRAVELNA is an innovative architectural design concept merging the subscription model of services like Netflix with Airbnb’s global accommodation network, tailored for solo travelers frequently moving across major cities worldwide. Subscribers gain access to a curated selection of high-quality apartments—ranging from studios to three-bedroom units—aligned with their chosen subscription tier. To ensure exclusivity and availability, … Read more

Real-time Daylighting Performance for Adaptive Reuse Planning

This project aimed to develop a daylight predictor to facilitate and generate well-informed adaptive reuse projects, with a specific focus on providing sustainable design solutions for low-income housing. Los Angeles (LA) was selected as a case study due to its proactive open data initiatives and commitment to adaptive reuse. This proposal provides a snapshot of … Read more

Materializer

Introduction Our project, Materializer, leverages the power of multiple self-trained machine learning models to predict material quantities based on an image uploaded by the user and the building coordinates. This innovative approach utilizes image segmentation to isolate buildings, image classification to read material pixels, and a height prediction model for buildings lacking height information in … Read more

DeCARB

Introducing DeCARB: An easy-to-use tool that calculates Embodied Carbon, End-of-Life Carbon, and Total Cost for any rectangular massing geometry. Quantifying emissions from material extraction to disposal can guide architects and engineers in selecting low-carbon materials and methods early in the design process. With a focus on reducing environmental impact and aligning with green building standards, … Read more

Minimal Surface Timber Gridshell – Studio

Building Typology Our project focuses on exploring the opportunities and limitations when designing a timber gridshell system with a minimal surface roof structure. Minimal surfaces have a long history in mathematics and architecture, most notably Frei Otto and the infamous soap film experiments. Inspired by Otto’s Munich Olympic Stadium, we were interested to understand how … Read more

Natural Materials and Digital Fabrication: A Radical Approach to Mass Utilisation and Standardisation

  Global technology evolves rapidly, unprecedented in human history. This progress significantly enhances lives but at a considerable cost, marked by escalating global temperatures and the looming threat of extinction. Ongoing research aims to mitigate these adverse effects through diverse strategies.The building sector contributes about 47% of global carbon emissions. Architects, integral to this industry, … Read more

Democratized design to combat climate catastrophe.

As we move further into the 21st century, our chances of averting climate change have all but disappeared. Analysis shows that global temperatures now sit 1.1? above pre-industrial levels and are set to rise to 1.5? by the early 2030s (Jotzo and Howden, 2023). This rapid increase in temperatures has led to loss of land … Read more

Reversing Ecosystem Degradation

MaCAD 23/24 // ACESD Theory Existing State of Urban Design In order to understand how to strive for successful ecological design practices, designers must first understand the problems that currently exist in the process of urban design. The current state of design tends to create distinct enclosures between both natural ecosystems and humans, with the … Read more

First step towards circular reconstruction. Damage assessment and material mapping of buildings in Ukraine through ground imagery processing.

An apartment building explodes after Russian army tank fire in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Intro Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24.02.2022, is the biggest war in Europe since WWII. It took the lives of dozens of thousands of Ukrainians and brought massive destruction [1] and ecological catastrophes. Some cities are completely erased. A massive piece of land is still occupied. This war and its consequences are … Read more

Adappt

Challenge to solve The potential for a building to adapt to various uses is primarily determined during the initial stages of the design process. This feature is rarely considered by architects yet has a significant impact of a building’s sustainability. The intention is to provide an early-stage tool that architects can use to test adaptability … Read more