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.
This drawing explores how architecture transforms when it stops imposing its order and allows the forest to define its own conditions. It explores a shift from “building in a forest” to “building as a forest”. In the drawing Valldaura Lab is not an object placed in the forest, it is an interpreter of the forest … Read more
The greenhouse that was built in one of the previous MAEBB projects is a successful and daily used prototype. If something could be changed, it would be the gap in between the windows. These let too much air inside the greenhouse and makes the room too cold for some plants in winter. The airflow is … 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
Acoustics is the field of physics studying the mechanics of waves such as vibrations, sounds, ultra- and infra-sounds. Room acoustics is a sub-branch focusing on the behavior of sound in a room. The following diagrams showcase the acoustics reflection from the ceiling of the Valldaura lab basement. In both drawings, the initial sound is initialized … Read more
Pedro Pitarch led a Visual Intelligence course, and our assignment was to take the plans of Valldaura’s main building, and implement a “condition” of our choosing: a way to alter the building, or represent certain existing characteristics in a unique and interesting way. For my project, I decided to see what it could look like … Read more
“Being unable to speak directly about the ineffable realm of eternity, prophecy speaks of history as if from the standpoint of eternity. The brash facility with which prophecy treats notions of past, present and future is not a trick in a spectacle of prediction, but a symptom of its implicit relativizing time” Federico Campagna, Prophetic … Read more
With a background in Design I have worked before with orthographic drawings, but the images below are my first Architectural drawings. I have always had a interest in these types of drawings so was excited to try. I also wanted to refine skills in generating 2D drawings on Rhino and get better at using illustrator. … Read more
Overview Pedro Pitarch’s Visual Intelligence course, tasked students with creating a 2D and 3D visualization of an existing structure on campus. I chose to analyze and document the condition of the Voxel Quarantine Cabine five years after its installation, highlighting both cosmetic deterioration and a critical structural failure. I began with careful observation of the … Read more
This seminar explored architectural representation as both a design tool and a communicative language. Through drawing, modeling, and visualization exercises, we engaged with abstraction, narrative, and complexity to produce clear, innovative, and visually compelling work. We were encouraged to treat representation as an abstract language capable of expressing spatial and conceptual ideas beyond literal depiction. … Read more
The concept for the 2D drawing starts at the base with a section, cutting through the middle of the plan, looking North. Afterward having plan views at different levels. Plan A: looking at the multiple longitudinal boards of the bridges. Then plan B: reveals the inner frame of the longest primary bridge, this system then … Read more
This workshop with Pedro Pitarch resulted in the production of 2D and 3D architectural drawings to visualise a chosen information within a part of the Valldaura Campus. The objective was to create a language while exploring non-conventional ways of representing information. The first step was to observe and analyse a space in order to then … Read more
The Nidra Chair was developed within the framework of Workshop 1.1, where we explored robotic milling using the KUKA robotic arm. The design process was guided by a set of conceptual ideas—texture, nest, wings, and storage—which shaped the formal and tactile language of the piece. Inspired by notions of protection, warmth, and well-being, Nidra seeks … Read more
Lessons from Workshop 1.1 – Robotic milling and design for subtractive manufacturing This workshop focused on advanced subtractive manufacturing techniques, exploring the integration of 2-axis CNC milling and 6-axis robotic milling within a hybrid digital fabrication workflow. The process emphasized computational design-to-production strategies, including toolpath generation, material optimization, and robotic calibration. Through sequential stages of … 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
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop role-playing game where players create characters and embark on adventures guided by a Dungeon Master. Through storytelling, strategy, and dice rolls, players explore worlds, battle foes, and solve challenges in an open-ended, cooperative experience. The game is played using polyhedral dices, character sheets, and often miniatures on gridded … Read more
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
