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.


Proximity Food: Urban Synthesis

Barcelona is actively seeking to develop a more sustainable food system for its residents. The aim is to green its municipal food markets by reducing the distances from which the food is sourced. This initiative has been labeled by the city of Barcelona as “Proximity Food”. We co-opt this title to emphasize our project’s importance … Read more

Proximity Food: Thermodynamic Strategies

Our site is located in St. Adria De Besós, a district nestled in the northeastern part of Barcelona’s urban area, positioned at the mouth of the Besós River. It lies between the cities of Barcelona, Badalona, and Saint Coloma de Gramanet. Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.The … Read more

Defining Biocities

In the ever-evolving landscape of urban planning, the concept of “Biocities” has emerged as a beacon of hope for a sustainable future. As we delve into the intricacies of creating urban spaces that harmonize with nature, it becomes imperative to establish a shared language— a lexicon that defines the essence of Biocities. This blog post … 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

C O R K O O N

‘Corkoon’ is a design proposal by a group of six students from MAEBB 2022-23 for the final thesis design of a Mobile home. The project aims to cater to the materiality aspects of a mobile home which we try to achieve by bio-mimicking the principles of a caterpillar in its chrysalis where it goes on … 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