During the first six months in the program, students are comprehensively trained in the principles of design and construction of advanced ecological buildings through a series of focused and intense modules, which include material production, thermal and metabolic building systems, ecological structures and façade systems and much more. After developing the necessary skills and a holistic understanding of advanced and ecological design, students collectively draft and build a full scale ecological building prototype.
Overview | Advanced Digital Tools
Within the Advanced Digital Tools course, we embarked on an exploration of parametric design using Grasshopper, exploring the possibilities it allows. This overview will showcase some of the projects I worked on and culminates in a presentation of the final assignment. This journey underscores Grasshopper’s dual nature—as a controllable tool and a gateway to innovative … Read more
Pine table | Collaborative Design Studio
Project AbstractThe Pine Table is a four-and-a-half-long table made out of solid wood that was locally harvested in the Parc Natural de Collserola. The central concept of the table is that of the ‘Harvesting table’ where the products of farming come together to be enjoyed together. Another main driver that has steered the design decision … Read more
Designing & Fabricating the Umbraculo Bench
Prototype and Final Production The Umbraculo bench was designed in three main stages. The first being the design phase, this phase underwent many design iterations until a final design was settled upon. Next came the the prototype phase where we utilised the 3D printer and the CNC machine to better understand our design as well … Read more
Design + Fabrication
This post shows the different products that I produced and the fabrication methods and machines that were applied during the first semester, using the machines of the carpentry and the Green Fablab at Valldaura Labs. Table saw jigs The table saw jigs serve the purpose of making angled or elevated cuts on the table saw … Read more
Adaptive stairs | Advanced Digital Tools
Project AbstractThe programming of the definition for these adaptive stairs serves the purpose of investigating parametric design as a type of proceduralmodelling by using Rhino Grasshopper comprising of parameters, algorithms and their outcomes. The Grasshopper definition uses an extensive set of parameters, published to Rhino’s remote control panel to adapt the design in real-time. The … Read more
Pinus halepensis | Sustainable Forest management
Tree search. Pinus halepensis |Sustainable Forest management Sustainable forest management classes took place at Valldaura labs located in Barcelona’s Collserola Park. Trough different guest lectures, we where introduced to the parks history and biodiversity, focusing on the conservation of the forest and its diverse species. Cutting down some Pinus halepensis commonly known as Aleppo pine, … Read more
Advanced Digital Tools: An Overview of the Grasshopper Basics
The purpose of this blog post is to showcase a selection of exercises conducted during the Advanced Computational Class of the first term of MAEBB. My personal interest was initially focused on the algorithmic logic of Grasshopper and its manifestations in nature (Ex. 01 & Ex. 02). As we progressively explored more complex concepts of … Read more
Advanced Digital Tools: From Nodes to Dynamic Form
During the course, I discovered for myself the whole new world of scripting, 3D modelling and animation using Grasshopper. Scripting at first was a bit confusing as the UI of the program is not very user-friendly, but with time and help of our course curators I even started enjoying the process. The possibility of making … Read more
Code art: Hopping between creativity and technology
What is code art? In the world of architecture and design it could be hypothesised as the use of code to generate the creative ideologies one has into a more visible format. One of the tools that can be used to generate said thoughts and ideas is grasshopper, a computational design software. It is a visual … Read more
Prototyping “Notched In”: A journey to the final model
The worked developed for Design and Fabrication course focused on the construction and exploration of prototypes for the Shelves project, part of the Collaborative Design Studio discipline. Two different approaches The design process commenced with various ideas and structural concepts, eventually narrowing down to two options: double columns and double beams. To investigate strength, assembly … Read more
Advanced Digital Tools: Getting Familiar with Grasshopper
In the context of technology, Grasshopper refers to a visual programming language and environment. Unlike traditional coding languages, Grasshopper employs a graphical interface, allowing users to create and manipulate algorithms through a visual representation of code elements. Originally designed as a plugin for the 3D modeling software Rhinoceros, Grasshopper enables architects, designers, and engineers to … Read more
Advanced Digital Tools: An Overview
During the first term of the Master’s program, we took a class called “Advanced Digital Tools,” which focused on exploring all the functions and potentials of the software “Grasshopper.” This blog post aims to showcase some of the works developed during the course, illustrating both the processes and results. Same code, variations of parameters The … Read more
Advanced Computational Tools: A Journey Through Grasshopper
Welcome to the world of advanced computational tools, where we delve into the intricacies of Grasshopper, a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. This blog post will guide you through the learning process, focusing on the fundamental aspects of Grasshopper and logical representations. Grasshopper Fundamentals Grasshopper is a powerful tool that … Read more
MO.CA | media production
The main aim is to provide an insight as to what the students were experiencing and actively trying to achieve through every step of the process. This goal is to focus on practical visual storytelling strategies and skills through the work of the MAEBB Students. CLT PANELS MAKING OFThe media production team began with an … Read more
MO.CA | final thesis design
The brief for the MAEBB batch of 2022-23 was to design and construct an advanced ecological prototype mobile home. The home was to be designed for two individuals and basic domestic amenities of a tiny home. The mobility element of the brief started an interesting journey that brought forth discussions on nomadism and collective sustenance. … Read more
MO.CA | material production
This years Material Production started after the final design for the prototype was chosen and ran parallel to the further development of the design. The main goals were: – to monitor the amount, humidity and density of the locally sourced aleppo pine wood – to simulate production flows in the workshop (tools and time needed, … Read more
MO.CA | final thesis construction
MO.CA construction sequence Thinking about the sequence of events was vital to a successful construction. With this cascading of events we were able to balance completing design details with progressing towards completion. Proper time management and scheduling was important to maintain momentum. The sequence informed our work in all stages: processing, assembly, and installation. Final … Read more
DZONGHA | Urban Interventions
The Site chosen is Paro, Bhutan is a place of rich culture, high environmental values, and beautiful nature. For the design of a place to learn and exchange traditional handicraft techniques and knowledge, our building follows design values to enhance the space by efficient, environmentally-sound choices. In the first layer of design, we studied and … Read more
Development As Freedom | Ecological Thinking
Development as Freedom is a book written by Nobel prize winner and philosopher Amartya Sen, which argues that development should be measured in terms of people’s freedom to choose the lives they value. Some of the main concepts addressed by Sen in the book are: Sen also explores various aspects of freedom, such as: Overall, … Read more
Architecture Without Architects
The book, ‘Architecture without architects’, illustrates the vernacular architecture from different parts of the world and strives to acknowledge the ‘not so primitive’ techniques from various areas. Architecture history is not given as much acknowledgement as art history and the book is an attempt in the 1960s America to show the potential and the scope … Read more
URBAN INTERVENTION | INTERCLIMATIC METAVERSE
Urban Masterplan: Accessability Urban Masterplan: Mobility Interclimatic Urban Masterplan Transversal Section: Tropical - Desert - Arctic Transversal Section: Mediterranean - Continental - Highlands Transversal Section: Arctic - Highlands Transversal Section: Continental - Desert Transversal Section: Mediterranean - Tropical Interclimatic Materialvision Physical Model (1:500) of the Interclimatic Metaverse
AL HABIBITAT | Metabolic Systems: Energy
The Total energy consumption and the required powers in different zones of the housing project are calculated meticulously in order to find the best approximate numbers for designing a good scheme of PV panels design.
