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.
GAIA Plot 1. About. Urban Synthesis | Metabolic Systems: Energy In this module, you’ll delve into the fundamentals of energy and power systems within buildings, exploring the various components involved. You’ll gain insight into user energy consumption patterns and have the opportunity to develop a personalized energy use case for your projects. A significant focus … Read more
About. The Ecological Intelligence course focuses on teaching students about various aspects of designing the built environment in response to global climate change and the imperative to promote carbon neutrality, resource security, biodiversity, and ecological resilience, while also prioritizing human health and well-being. The Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities aims to cultivate a … Read more
GAIA Plot 1. About. Urban Synthesis | Metabolic Systems: water The goal of this course is to highlight the importance of implementing effective water management strategies early on in architectural projects, with a focus on minimizing ecological impact and enhancing infrastructure resilience. Throughout the course, students will explore innovative water management concepts and technologies that … Read more
GAIA Plot 1. About. Urban Synthesis | Thermodynamic Fabrication The “Thermodynamic Fabrications” workshop explores how thermodynamics, ecology, and architecture intersect. It goes beyond just considering climate’s role in design and aims to blend both numbers and feelings in designing buildings. It focuses on aspects often ignored in sustainability lessons, linking daily life with architectural ideas. … Read more
GAIA Plot 1. About. off-site to precise specifications, reducing on-site construction time and labor costs. Prefabrication also minimizes waste and disruption at the construction site, leading to faster project completion and improved construction efficiency.
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
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
THE PROCESS OF PROTOTYPING planning Fabricating chairs for the Collaborative Design Studio project 2023-24 was a journey consisting of diverse ideas, input, and glitches that led to multiple learning outcomes. We spent the first few weeks designing digital models to narrow down to a design language, that guided us throughout the process. We then explored … Read more
The umbraculo bench is designed to be placed in the Umbraculo, Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona. It is designed as an organic shaped bench focusing on materiality, ergonomics as well to be a state of art element. It is designed and constructed using CLT panels made using pine wood lamellas. The Umbraculo The Umbraculo translates … Read more
During the first term of my stay at Valldaura Labs I was primarily doing the video documentation of the Design Studio Project and had the chance to experiment with all sorts of tools and machines capable of realizing my personal ethereal ideas into actual objects. The 3D printer was my favorite machine to experiment with … Read more
The design & fabrication course focused on inculcating hands-on experience in utilizing advanced machines such as CNC routers, 3D printers, and traditional carpentry tools. In this class, we were taught how to use various technologies to fabricate our designs into the final product. For this program, we started with prototyping the structure of our Table. … Read more
This post shows the different products that I produced and the fabrication methods and machines that were applied during the first semester, using the machines of the carpentry and the Green Fablab at Valldaura Labs. Table saw jigs The table saw jigs serve the purpose of making angled or elevated cuts on the table saw … 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
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
