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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
ITERATION 1 Large Span Truss Structure Main Structural Components Primary Trusses Catlogue Forces Diagram Lateral Forces Diagram Gravity Truss Junction Details Physical Model understanding the structure Load Testing After a thorough analysis of the structural loading and its behavior, we have developed a more efficient and lightweight approach to address the cantilever and overall structure. … Read more
-The future of the earth, its eco-systems, and our own civilization will be decided in and by our citIes– Learn more about Barcelona Protocol here “Only if we ensure that the material, means, and methods with which we build and manage our cities are primarily drawn from regionally available and sustainably managed biological resources can … Read more
Our Sustainable Forest Management course kicked off in December with an open air lecture from Dr. Arbol. This explorative walk through the Valldaura forest helped us to better observe and understand how the ecosystem forest functions. We also learned how to identify the existing tree species and their way of growing in the context of … Read more
This semester Bruno introduced us to the advanced tools of the fab lab and the computer programs to operate them. This allowed us to directly implement newly learned fabrication skills into our design processes. I implemented these newly learned skills in designing a Surfboard, producing different joineries for the CODA workshop, fabricating ceramic pieces, and … Read more
During the first session of the Agroecology course, we were introduced to the concept of bi-annual rotation agricultural system and its importance in restoring soil quality. Every Monday was spent actively taking care of the plant beds as part of Valldaura’s Living Labs. We prepared the beds by removing weeds, tilling the compact soil, mixing … Read more
As part of the IAAC´s Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities of 2022-2023, we got involved in the yearly garden that conforms not only of the Valldaura Labs property, but also to our home and therefore provides food to all our us. In order to manage the garden, during these past months we had … Read more
In designing and fabricating the fountain arrangement of the Open Nature project, we explored various prototypes. First, we built a small waterway in the garden space at Valldaura Labs to brainstorm how to capture the water in an elegant way. This helped us understand basic grading methods to let the water drain appropriately. Next, we … Read more
