The Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB) postgraduate program is an 11-month immersive academic program focused on learning how to design and build a new generation of buildings and cities to respond to the planet’s emerging climate challenges. The program is carried out in Valldaura Labs, in Barcelona, a 135 He property located in the Collserola forest. Here, students will live and work surrounded by nature while using the most advanced technologies and design techniques in the pursuit of what is also IAAC’s long term initiative, to create self-sufficient and ecological environments.
The Site We worked with the Kindergarten at Colegi Mare de Déu dels Angels in La Sagrera neighborhood Barcelona. This historic school has educated generations of students over nearly the past one hundred years, this year the school decided to bring in IAAC to develop playground structures to improve the exposed brick terraces where the … Read more
LIANA – a nature-inspired play structure that reimagines traditional playground design for primary school children. Drawing from the organic forms, LIANA blends architectural innovation with playfulness to encourage exploration, creativity, and physical activity. Introduction Located in La Sagrera, Barcelona, nestled within the dense urban fabric, is the Colegi Mare De Deu dels Angels primary school … Read more
Objective GAIN a comprehensive understanding of collaborative design principles within a community context. EXPLORE stakeholder engagement techniques to assess current usage and gather input for design improvements. DEVELOP innovative solutions that incorporate sustainable practices and local materials. CULTIVATE collaborative skills through group work, leveraging collective knowledge in the design process. ENHANCE communication skills through effective … Read more
In the first phase of the discipline of Collaborative Design Studio, our group reimagined the rooftop playground of the primary school of Colegi Mare De Deu dels Angels in Barcelona, focusing on enhancing the children’s well-being. Through site visits, movement mapping, and participatory workshops with students, parents, and teachers, we identified key needs such as … Read more
Truchet tiles are a type of square tile with a pattern on each of its four sides. What makes them dynamic is that they can be arranged in a grid-like pattern, and each tile’s orientation can be rotated independently. This results in a constantly changing pattern, as the tiles can be rearranged and rotated to … Read more
The project “Log seats” explores the idea of using cut-wooden logs as playground elements for secondary school students to help create better playground environment. Objective The main aim of the project was to fabricate a seating element in the secondary school playground of Colegi Mare de Déu dels Angels in the city of Barcelona. The … Read more
The excitement was immense after nearly two weeks of living in Valldaura, as we were finally about to use the Fablab and all its machines. However, the excitement dimmed slightly when we learned that the CNC machine wouldn’t be operational for at least a month. This meant we wouldn’t be able to produce our stool … Read more
GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT: SINGLE STRIP SINGLE STRIP SUPPORT OVERVIEW RIBS BREAKDOWN CNC PROCESS VERTICAL MEMBERS AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS VERTICAL MEMBERS AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS: BREAKDOWN PROCESSING WOOD FABRICATION
Dynamic Partition Wall Inspiration Design Process – Iterations In terms of design, we aimed to design curvature, not just along the vertical faces of the panels, but along the horizontal planes as well to add more dimension to the structure. Our goal was to create curvature in both dimensions for a more dynamic structure, which … Read more
In our seminar with Michael Salka and Mariano Gomez Luque, we explored the meaning of ecology and the multifaceted challenges of sustainability, materiality and humanity’s relationship with the planet. Over eight weeks, we delved into two distinct but deeply connected approaches to build with ecological thinking and addressing climate change as well as envisioning a … Read more
AGENDA The objective of this course was to design elements for the upcoming exhibition Macquina Climatica, in Parque de la Ciutadella, renovated to serve as an exhibition space; this historic precursor to the emerging paradigm of urban agriculture is currently under construction. For this course, our group was assigned to design a table 4.5m long … Read more
Our collaborative design project kicked off for Máquina Climática Exhibition based on farming and harvesting local varieties of fruits and vegetables which will be held at the greenhouse in Parque de la Ciutadella, Catalonia. The exhibition focused on urban food production, requiring tables and chairs for hosting various activities like workshops and dining. Our goal was … Read more
“Notched In” is the final project developed as part of the Collaborative Design Studio course, which aimed to produce a shelving system to be used as a vertical farm at the Máquina Climática exhibition that will take place at the Invernadero from Parque de la Ciutadella (Barcelona/Catalonia). Shelving System For Vertical Farming No glues, No … Read more
Ensuring food security is a major challenge for cities worldwide. The vision of Bio-cities includes that of food self-sufficiency, tackling the environmental impact of current agriculture systems which contribute to environmental concern through food miles, land and habitat loss, soil erosion,and reliance on fossil-fuel derived fertilisers. The Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) has 636km3 of … Read more
In the first term, while working on the Collaborative Studio Design project, I took up the task of documenting and compiling into a 3-minute-ish video all of the goings on in all of the groups working on the project: the Shelves Team, the Chairs Team, the Armchairs Team, the Traceability Team, the Visualization Team, the … Read more
