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.
In the shadowed canyons of our cities, where steel and glass rise like silent titans, the air hangs heavy—each breath a subtle pact with progress. Urban heat islands amplify this weight, pushing temperatures 5-10°C higher than surrounding areas, choking the atmosphere with invisible heat (McDonald et al. 2016, 48). Yet, amid this urban monochrome, a … Read more
Among the various topics explored during our mapping activity, I found myself drawn most powerfully to vernacular architecture. Not only as a stylistic or historical lens, but as a living, breathing practice—a philosophy that pulses beneath the surface of modern architectural dilemmas. It speaks quietly, yet persistently, about rootedness, slowness, community, and the dignity of … Read more
For this exercise, I found vernacular architecture to be the most interesting topic to dive further into. This predominantly came from the concept that whatever other newer forms of design are trying to achieve, vernacular architecture did it first, and sometimes better. Whether it be bio-design, multi-species design, etc., vernacular architecture always holds the characteristics … Read more
Location SOLSONA, SPAIN Elevation: 700 m above sea levelClimate: Continental / highlands Manifesto From the Pyrenees to Barcelona, the journey wood takes can become a means to bridge the knowledge gap between forests and the timber industry. Solsona, located in the middle of this journey, housing our timber saw mill, can become a place of … Read more
Valldaura Garden Valldaura is a living laboratory for 21st century innovation and self-sufficiency. We practice techniques for small/meso scale agriculture, ensuring that some percentage of our food each week is truly zero kilometer. The farm is an important part of the Valldaura experience, it is where we learn about how to grow high yield organic … Read more
MICRO-ESSAY BY REUBEN DIAMOND “ A new conceptual lexicon must be created for identifying the wide variety of urbanisation processes that are currently reshaping the urban world” (“Planetary Urbanization,” Brenner, N., & Schmid, C., p. 13) BOUNDARIES DISSOLVED As planetary urbanization reconfigures social, economic, and spatial relations, the traditional frameworks of urban studies encounter profound … Read more
Incorporating the principles of Industry 4.0, our architectural project redefines urban living by seamlessly integrating sustainable design strategies with advanced manufacturing techniques. With a focus on promoting bicycle culture and health, our industry manufactures bikes. In this module, we synthesised the previous modules into a holistic design. The design principles from thermodynamics, exosystemic structures, metabolic … Read more
The “Urban Alliance” is a mixed-use architectural design seamlessly integrating Industry 4.0 principles, featuring advanced photovoltaic production units. This visionary space harmoniously combines sustainable energy practices with residential and commercial areas, embodying a forward-thinking urban landscape that fosters eco-friendly living and innovative business practices. It exemplifies a holistic and tech-driven approach to urban planning. The project is … Read more
To properly kick off the development of the Urban Synthesis project, researching and prototyping during the Thermodynamic Fabrications workshop ended up being both very fascinating and educational. For better understating of the relationship between the project’s building site and the forces of nature, namely, wind direction and sun path, we created a prototype of a … Read more
The “Urban Alliance” is a mixed-use architectural design seamlessly integrating Industry 4.0 principles, featuring advanced photovoltaic production units. This visionary space harmoniously combines sustainable energy practices with residential and commercial areas, embodying a forward-thinking urban landscape that fosters eco-friendly living and innovative business practices. It exemplifies a holistic and tech-driven approach to urban planning. The … Read more
The “Urban Alliance” is a mixed-use architectural design seamlessly integrating Industry 4.0 principles, featuring advanced photovoltaic production units. This visionary space harmoniously combines sustainable energy practices with residential and commercial areas, embodying a forward-thinking urban landscape that fosters eco-friendly living and innovative business practices. It exemplifies a holistic and tech-driven approach to urban planning. 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
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
The design began with the process of understanding the culture, the climate and the people of Accra, Ghana. The design is based in a tropical climate where the temperatures and the humidity are high. This design was then set in a Metaversal city that was a culmination of 6 sites from different regions of the … Read more
Rated under the World Water Pressure Map, Iran has an extremely high risk level of water stress assessment and the ratio of withdrawls to supply in a 2040 forecast. For our building Tabrizian Tapestry, we have created the following study and water management assessment through the following strategies: 1. CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS: Through subsurface flow constructed … Read more
This blog is a review of the book, Buildings without Architects: A Global Guide to Everyday Architecture by John May. The book is a culmination of 60+ different styles of vernacular architecture ranging from different materials and different regions of the world. “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” – … Read more
