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.

C.O.M.F.O.R.T

City-Oriented Modeling for Observational Radiative Thermal comfort CONCEPT The idea behind C.O.M.F.O.R.T is to provide an effective tool for architects and urban planners to design cooler and more sustainable cities, leveraging the power of machine learning and AI technologies. FACTORS OF IMPACT To create COMFORT we had to study the different factors of impact which … Read more

Thermal Insight: Optimizing Indoor Analysis

Thermal Insight would be a standalone app that optimizes indoor environments by predicting thermal comfort. With simulations from trained models to help enhance occupant comfort and energy efficiency, evaluating metrics like PMV, PPD, and MRT. This tool would help improve well-being and productivity while achieving efficiency goals. Abstract Methodology Use Case Data Analysis Results and … Read more

Skin Sense

Skin Sense is a project that aims to help users optimize the thermal comfort of their interior spaces by applying skin shaders. Why implement this? What can skin sense help the user with? Once the designer designs the skin for the building facade it has to be analyzed for indoor comfort. To analyze indoor comfort … Read more

DF Predictor (cGAN)

DF Predictor aims to revolutionize daylight prediction in architectural design by implementing the conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) Pix2Pix to predict daylight factors, motivated by the need to improve efficiency and accuracy in daylight analysis. Daylight factor analysis, an integral part of the early design stages and mandated by building codes, is typically lengthy due … Read more

Predictive Coastal Erosion

Why? Coastal erosion is a dynamic and complex process influenced by both natural factors and human activities. Natural causes such as wave action, tidal patterns, weather events, and rising sea levels due to global warming significantly contribute to the gradual wearing away of coastlines. Additionally, human interventions like coastal construction, sand mining, and deforestation exacerbate … 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

100-Year Flood Risk Road Intersection Classification

Flood Risk Classification

Beginnings Our project’s concept is to develop a classification model that identifies street intersections (graph nodes) in Stockholm, Sweden, susceptible to flooding during a 100-year flood event. Based on our initial research, we found that graph machine learning operates at three levels: the graph, its edges, and its nodes. With access to a 100-year flood … Read more

Subterranean Eden: Martian Harvest Halls

“An innovative way for agriculture on Mars, pushing boundaries of space exploration ensuring future interplanetary habitation.” Mars—the Red Planet—is getting closer. According to the experts, human settlements on Mars might be visible in ten years, allowing for more space exploration. Keeping that in mind, this semester’s goal is to create a 300-person Mars colony. The … Read more

Aquamines

Inhabiting Ice Cavities under the Martian Surface Introduction – The Idea For the first settlers on Mars, we have envisioned a colony of Aqua-Miners with the primary task of harvesting water as a resource from the ice beneath Mars’ surface, storing it and recycling it for sustainable use. Our approach to this problem has been … Read more

Drop by Drop – Simulate erosion

Introduction Fascinated by the formation of landscapes through geological processes, I wanted to develop an interactive tool that simulates the effects of erosion on a virtual terrain. The goal was to both illustrate how erosion works and to create an experimental playground for designing one’s own landscape forms. The development utilized VUE, ThreeJS, and Rhino.Compute. … 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

Environmental Analysis for the Design of Commercial Tower, London

The site resides within London’s densely urban landscape, surrounded by skyscrapers and high-rise structures. The analysis of London’s environment reveals it as a temperate maritime climate, experiencing four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. A study of the sun path highlights extended sun hours in Spring and Summer, diminishing in Autumn and Winter, affecting … Read more

Frihamns Navet Port HUB. Multilevel Timber-skeletons… at work 

This project, approached as a demonstrative project, was elaborated by Group 8, Anna Irene Del Monaco and Athanasios Vagias and worked on multilevel Timber structure.  We started investigating precedents on timber skeleton structure. Our initial interest fell on the Maggie’s center by Foster and partners for the masterful creation of a refined structural node in … Read more

Singapore Twist Tower

Climate Analysis and Design Optimisation Our project site is Singapore which is located in Southeast Asia. We chose Marina Bay area as our project site. The climate in Singapore is generally hot and humid as shown in the climate analysis below. From the sun path, the sun travels directly overhead throughout the year with high … Read more

Climate-Responsive Design in Boulder, CO

Context The city of Boulder, CO is populated by low-rise buildings and is known for a cold, dry climate given its high altitude and proximity to the Rocky Mountains. The investigated project involved selecting parameters that could respond to these characteristics and improve both outdoor and indoor comfort. The proposed structure is a 450 m2 … Read more

Metaphors of Transformation: Shaping Sustainable Architectural Paradigms in the Urban Era

Introduction In the face of intensifying urbanization and the climate crisis, how can a paradigm shift in architecture, guided by the principles of building metabolism theory, offer a sustainable and regenerative solution to address the challenges of our rapidly evolving urban environments? Abstract In an era of intense urbanization there is an imperative need for … 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

Symbiotic Metabolism

Problem Statement Modern buildings are fortresses holding nature at bay, reflecting Dualist philosophies separating humans from nature. Our current Anthropocentric notion of “nature” as something “out there” and separate from culture has created a metabolic rift1 within our urban and architectural landscapes, obscuring the ravaging of the earth. Resources are shipped from across the globe, … 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