During the MAEBB02, IAAC gives students the opportunity to create individual Studio agendas and develops Thesis Projects based on ecological design, thermodynamics applied to buildings, new fabrication techniques, material experimentation, solar technologies and more. In this way, IAAC puts together an experimental and learning environment for the training of professionals with both intellectual and applied responses to the increasing complexity and environmental pressures of contemporary urban environments.
In our final project for the Large-Scale 3D Printing with Biomaterials workshop at IAAC, we developed a temporary acoustic barrier made from recycled cork and bio-based binders. The proposal rethinks permanence in architecture by designing a material system that can serve a specific event, then return to the soil after use. Project Concept The project … Read more
Santhosh Shyamsundar · IAAC / MAEBB02reMIXED REALITY Seminar · Advanced Manufacturing 2025/26 Beyond the 28-Day Blind Spot In contemporary construction, concrete quality is traditionally verified by “crushing cylinders” 28 days after pouring. This lag creates a critical information asymmetry: by the time a defect is confirmed, the material is already structural. MaOS Unity XR addresses … Read more
Atticus Cummings MAEBB02 2025/2026 Professor Davide Rovera A startup is a temporary tool for gaining an understanding of a market and business model. In the IAAC business Entrepreneurship Seminar we learned about how to explore a potential startup idea, validate the problem, engage and validate customers, quantify a market opportunity, evaluate competition, fund a startup, … Read more
As the generations who have grown up around video games reach an age where they are beginning to buy homes, architects should provide advanced and easily navigable interfaces for people to interact with architecture. We should provide basic information on project mission and sustainability etc. and then allow potential customers to explore the designs in … Read more
MycoPot is a biodegradable planter grown from mycelium and agricultural waste, designed to replace the millions of plastic pots discarded every year by nurseries and plant retailers. It offers a practical, scalable, and regenerative material solution for the horticulture industry—one of the most overlooked contributors to plastic waste. Why We Started: The Problem Across Europe, … Read more
The Business Innovation seminar last week was intense in a good way. It was clear, structured, and very hands‑on: we moved from identifying opportunities to business models, validation, basic unit economics, and finally pitching a “venture starting package” built around our own projects. For someone coming from architecture and material research, it was helpful to … Read more
For this project started from the desire to display movement of the different objects of Valldaura Labs throughout a day or work in three different spaces: The dinning room, the studio and one room. In order to show this in an understandable graphic way, the decision was to showcase the movement for the dinning room … Read more
Considering my lack of experience in design and architecture, this course was my first experience with modelling a floor plan or 3D plan. I tried to go for a feature that I could identify easily, both on my screen and in real life, and decided to model windows. The 2D plan would consist of a … Read more
Designing Adaptive Framing System forWarped Wood: Exploring in to framing system thataccommodates different warped pieces of planks caused by uneven anisotropic bending characteristics of Pine Wood forfunctional applications in architectural design and construction. How can we create a Adaptable Frame System that accommodates different warped wooden pieces resulting from uneven anisotropic drying behavior of pine … Read more
Introduction: A Water-Smart Timber Research Center The NEST Timber Research Center in Sant Adrià del Besòs, Barcelona, is redefining sustainable water management in urban developments. Designed as an innovative hub for timber research and ecological design, N.E.S.T is focused on material exploration and creating a circular water system that maximizes efficiency, reduces waste, and integrates natural treatment solutions. Water is … Read more
Could bio-based materials be the key to transforming the building sector and reducing its impact on climate change? The articles described present a compelling set of arguments on timber industry, sustainable forestrynonconventional materials and innovative technologies. TIMBER Timber is highlighted as the biggest widespread potential of low-carbon alternative to steel and concreteespecially referred to in … Read more
During a week, 10 students from MAEBB, MAA, MaCT and MDEF got together as part of the Ecological Interactions class, that took part at the village at Benifallet, placed by the Ebro River. During this period, the students got in touch with the faculty’s land in order to come up with analysis, thoughts and solutions … Read more
In the article ‘Coral Reefs of the Land’ Madhusudan Katti suggests we reimagine our cities as coral reefs. Coral reefs correlate with tropical rainforests concerning their biological productivity. These dynamic marine metropolises accommodate diverse species. Conversely, our cities offer limited spaces for species to build habitats. Could cities embrace coexistence and invite more species to … Read more
This blog describes and showcases the second-term research and prototyping for Bionook. Research Topic: Investigating the Synergistic Potential Between Additive Manufacturing Methods and Engineered Timber in Reshaping Urban Design Paradigms. This research delves into precisely integrating sawdust and orange peels as industrial by-product additives for Soil Additive Manufacturing and locally sourced Engineered Timber, synergizing them … Read more
// naal : [sanskrit] Umbilical Cord: a connecting element between humans and surroundings and going back to the roots in order to learn from the traditional architecture and adapting the architectural practice back to it. || “Humans : a component of the ecosystem?” || For thousands of years, man seeked shelter under trees or in … Read more
RESEARCH QUESTIONHow can the inherency of materials found in a specific region facilitate the construction of a building element designed and made uniquely for the climate it is being used in and subsequently reduce carbon emissions? Introduction “Everything we design is a response to the specific climate and the culture of a particular place.” -Norman … Read more
