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.
Life cycle Assessment Synonyms: Life cycle analysis Noun Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to evaluate possible environmental effects at every stage of a product’s (which can be commodities, technologies, or services) life cycle, from acquiring natural resources through production and consumption to waste management (including disposal and recycling). Four Components of Life-cycle Analysis … Read more
In the process of creating this blog post dedicated to defining a Biocity, I played a crucial role in conducting comprehensive research and contributing to the compilation of a specialized dictionary. As part of a collaborative effort involving students from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), and under the guidance of mentors Honorata … Read more
Deconstruction involves the systematic dismantling of buildings to recover valuable materials such as wood, metal, glass, and concrete. This approach prioritizes the preservation of materials for reuse, recycling, or upcycling, diverting a substantial amount of waste from landfills. The extracted materials form the basis of material banks, which act as repositories for salvaged construction elements. … Read more
The book, ‘Architecture without architects’, illustrates the vernacular architecture from different parts of the world and strives to acknowledge the ‘not so primitive’ techniques from various areas. Architecture history is not given as much acknowledgement as art history and the book is an attempt in the 1960s America to show the potential and the scope … Read more
Aswan, Egypt being a desert city shows diurnal aspects of climate on a daily basis. The same also affects the day to day activity pattern of the community that adapts to the climate at any given time. This analysis indicates at a close relation between climate, people & their clothing & eventually it traces ahead … 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
Our case study is located in Tabriz, the coldest region in Iran, with an average temperature between 1.1 C and 6.6 C during winter, and an average between 30.4 C and 17.9 C during summer. The climate widely corresponds to Central European weather conditions. With the following study, we have designed a our building Tabrizian … 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
Tabrizian Tapestry becomes a self-sufficient building with the usage of photovoltaic cells on the roof’s building. Simultaneously, the cell’s surface function as rain water collecting area. CLIMATE ANALYSIS:
We believe in creating structures that not only meet functional requirements, but also celebrate and pay homage to local architectural traditions. With this in mind, we have taken inspiration from the iconic domes of Iran and integrated them into our design. Our building incorporates a unique bazaar on the ground floor, featuring a series of … 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
This blog is a review of the book “Delirious New York” written by Rem Koolhaas. “The future is no longer about power, but about bandwidth.” Rem Koolhas Rem Koolhaas wrote a novel titled “Delirious New York” that outlines the evolution and background of Manhattan’s design and urbanism. Koolhaas wrote this book because he desired to … Read more
Mediterranean self-consumption Energy System Benefits Self-consumption (electricity) Monthly values Roof plan – Subproject 1 – Building 1 Roof plan – Subproject 1 – Building 2 Energy Consumption
This blog is a review of Michael Pawlyn’s book, Biomimicry in Architecture. “Biomimicry is a powerful innovation tool that allows architects to go beyond conventional approaches to sustainable design and deliver transformative solutions we need.”-Michael Pawlyn The book “Biomimicry in Architecture” by Michael Pawlyn introduces the term biomimicry and how it can impact architecture. The … Read more
This blog is a review of the book “Wood urbanism” by Daniel Ibanez, Jane Hutton & Kiel Moe. Wood urbanism addresses different scale and connection associated with timber building- From molecular to Territorial, divided in six chapters. The transcalar perspective of wood construction from understanding the strength of individual species according to its place in … Read more
This blog is a review of the book, The Natural Way of Farming: The theory & practice of Green Philosophy by Masanobu Fukuoka. The Book is a deep description on different ideologies and process developed by the author through practice and application. “When the human spirit and human life blend with the natural order and … Read more
This blog is a review of Janine Benyus’s book, Biomimicry: Innovations inspired by Nature. Click here to check out the interactive blog version. – “Claiming that we are superior to the rest of the creation is like saying the Eiffel Tower was built so that the scrap of paint at the top would have somewhere … Read more
This blog is a combined review of the two books, 1. Mission Economy by Mariana Mazzucato and 2. Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo. – “On many weighty matters, economists and everyday people disagree” – “Public sector leaders and managers are not really taught or encouraged to think outside the box, … Read more
The Nest is a project designed for the city of Accra, Ghana. The Site is located in close proximity to the lagoon and the sea. The design caters to public interventions like open markets, observatories, and residential units for the fishermen’s community. The goal with the design is to highlight the traditional techniques and materials used … Read more
The design of the envelope plays a vital role in the design. The roof and the facade are part of the metabolic systems to aid with generating solar energy and collecting rainwater. The envelope is also efficiently designed keeping the thermodynamic analysis in mind. FACADE DESIGN: The facade is designed using a cane facade. The … Read more
(01) Core *(02) Sleeping Shelves (N)(03) Sleeping Shelves (S)(04) Cluster Shelves (N)(05) Cluster Shelves (S)(06) Envelope (N) *(07) Envelope (S) *(08) Roof(09) Core (Ground Floor)(10) Ground (N)(11) Ground (S) * Unconditioned ZonesCore/Bathhouse – Equipment Load : 600 W/m2 In order to simulate the energy consumption of the layer system, we decided to isolate 1 cluster … Read more
The region of Accra, Ghana receives heavy rainfall and has two wet seasons. As a result, through the design, the goal is to trap as much rainwater as possible and utilise it in an optimum manner. The Site is also located in close proximity to a natural lagoon. Hence, ground water and stormwater treatment become … Read more
THERMAL QUESTIONS: Q1. Having studied the sun path diagram, it is observed that there are low sun angles in the east and the west throughout the year. How can thermal heat gain be prevented from the east and the west direction? – To prevent the heat gain from the lower angle of the sun from … Read more
