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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Exploring Spatial Intelligence: Graph Machine Learning in Courtyard Design

Nestled within IAAC’s Master of Advanced Computational Design program, our recent investigation of Graph Machine Learning (Graph ML) sought to reimagine how we perceive, evaluate, and improve architectural spaces. Our team of Andrea, Leila, Lennart, and Mahnoor worked on a courtyard prototype to create a seamless process that combines parametric modeling, semantic data interchange, and … Read more

Loving Code: Simulating Intimacy with a Disembodied AI

Abstract This project is a speculative and critical exploration of human-AI intimacy inspired by Spike Jonze’s film Her. The story of a man falling in love with his AI assistant prompts an urgent contemporary question: can current large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4o or LLaMA 3 convincingly simulate emotional intimacy? More importantly, what does … Read more

Architecture of Resistance: Hacking Life

a highrise building with a facade that tricks a.i. into detecting faces that aren't there. Green bounding boxes show the false positive predictions of the a.i.

The Algorithmic Epoch Modern advertising was born out of propaganda techniques developed in World War I by Edward Bernays. He realized that by manipulating symbols and emotions, it was possible to shape mass behaviour, a concept that now forms the backbone of our algorithm-driven economy. The Internet, once heralded as a tool for global connection, … Read more

AI Learning Assistants for Disabled People: Empowerment or Standardization?

Framing the Dilemma: Access vs. Autonomy The Promise of AI for Inclusive Learning Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to gain traction as a tool to bridge educational gaps for people with disabilities. AI-powered learning assistants – from chatbots to adaptive tutoring systems – have emerged as a promising solution to provide personalized support at scale … Read more

VAN GOGH ART REVIVAL

Grasshopper ↔ Gradio Workflow for AI-Aided Visual Storytelling” “WORKFLOW“ Creating concept with Grasshopper and testing it with Gradio with LoRA for visualization. Testing the workflow with styling with trained model from Van Gogh work . Collecting city, landscape and architecture paintings to created hybrid styling between architecture language in the past and present. Modeling Grasshopper … Read more

GraphML for furniture placement

This project introduces a graph-based machine learning system designed to automate furniture placement in apartment layouts. The workflow was developed as part of an architectural design studio and played a key role in generating comfort-driven interior configurations. At its core, the system encodes spatial and functional rules such as placing a sofa near a window … Read more

DREAMSCAPE

The focus is on storytelling as a creative driver — capturing the way individuals describe surreal, emotional, or symbolic dreams, and translating those stories into architectural forms and spaces. The generated visuals are not literal replications of real-world buildings, but rather emotive structures, impossible environments, and symbolic architectures that reflect how the subconscious mind imagines … Read more

Acoustic Profiles

In modern residential architecture, acoustic comfort is as vital as daylighting or thermal performance. In our latest studio research at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Group 09 tackled the challenge of mapping and optimizing sound behavior in homes using graph-based machine-learning workflows. Over the next five minutes, you’ll discover how we combined city-scale … Read more

EVOLUTION OF IMPERFECTION

A STORY OF SYNTHETIC LIFE FORM HAVE YOU EVER DREAMT OF A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF? The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat (Universal Pictures, 2024) This project simulates a linear evolutionary process in which a synthetic organism progressively transforms to become more human-like. The evolution is guided entirely by language models, with no human intervention … Read more

Anthropomorphism and the Simulation of Life: A Critical Examination

Research reveals a profound transformation in human-AI relationships, where anthropomorphism (the projection of human qualities onto artificial entities) has evolved from a psychological curiosity into a fundamental force reshaping human cognition, identity, and social behavior. This comprehensive analysis exposes critical tensions between AI as cognitive enhancement versus cognitive dependency, challenging celebratory narratives of human-AI collaboration … Read more

Who owns the bodily data?

What if body becomes the carrier of code? Information derived from human-body; it’s movement, expressions, how it sounds as a dataset for AI interpretation and use. What are the different dimensions of these interactions & interpretations? Biological Dimension AI Dimension Informational Dimension Different Modalities Study of Amazon’s AI systems Visualisation of the Back-End Process Follow … Read more

Brains vs. Machines: How We Learn, Why They Hallucinate

Introduction From the moment a baby grasps a finger, human learning is messy, sensory-rich, and rooted in lived experience. Neurons re-wire through curiosity, emotion, and social feedback, slowly weaving meaning from sparse data. By contrast, modern AI models absorb terabytes of text and images in silence, tuning billions of weights to predict what comes next. … Read more

From Static Form to Living System: The Convergence of Architecture, Biology, and Artificial Intelligence

At the nexus of competing demands architecture has always existed. Every design endeavor aims to balance materialsity with ecological awareness economy with spatial generosity permanence with adaptability and structure with aesthetics. It is uncommon for these multifaceted pressures—structural physical socioeconomic and sustainable—to allow for a one-size-fits-all solution. Rather traditional architectural design frequently necessitates major concessions … Read more

Automating Scientists

A Critical Analysis of AI-Driven Emotional Computing and Mechanization of Human Affect 1. Abstract This critical analysis examines the theoretical implications of “Automating Scientists,” a project that explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and human emotional recognition. Through the lens of affective computing, this study interrogates the fundamental question:  “Can a machine sense us deeply … Read more

Mas Profundo: Model to Building

Mas Profundo is a pipeline that allows designers to generate interesting architectural images from simple models using a live camera feed.  Architectural models tend to portray a reduced colorway and detail is limited by workmanship and time.   Mas Profundo allows each model ideation to be visualized more realistically than a simple foam model. Mas Profundo … Read more