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.
The first trimester’s Collaborative Design Studio Project we focused on the conception, design, and execution of a vertical farming system. The system is intended for exhibition at Barcelona’s Ciutadella Park in February 2024, in an exhibition titled MÁQUINA CLIMÁTICA. The goal of the fabrication part of our project is to conceptualize and produce a plant … Read more
Through Advanced Digital Tool Advanced Digital Tool course has been a great eye opening. During this course, I acquired comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in utilizing the parametric software Grasshopper for computational design. Throughout the duration of the classes, our focus was on mastering the practical application of these parametric design tools. By integrating the … 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
This terms collaborative studio project briefed the students at Valldaura to prepare material for the upcoming exhibition, Macquina Climatica, which presents a catalog of proposals for urban agriculture within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. One such proposal uses a scale model to demonstrate what rooftop urban agriculture in the city might look like, how it … 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
Embarking on my journey with the digital tool Grasshopper has been an intriguing exploration into the realm of parametric design. As a novice, the process of manipulating shapes and structures through a variety of tools within the program has been both challenging and captivating. The dynamic nature of Grasshopper allows for a seamless transition from … Read more
Forms Follow Mathematical Functions The project draws inspiration from Joseph Choma’s book ‘Morphing: A Guide to Mathematical Functions for Architects and Designers’ (2015). Utilizing mathematical functions from the book, it delves into the intricate connections between various shapes and forms and the underlying mathematical concepts. The primary objective is to unveil the captivating relationships between … Read more
During the advanced digital tools class, we were introduced to the Rhinoceros plug-in Grasshopper. Grasshopper is a way to create visual scripts, a graphical way to program, resulting in an output in Rhino that can easily be changed. Grasshopper works using components and its capabilities can be expanded using different plug-ins. The classes were divided … Read more
Valldaura forest is a post-agriculture, post-industrial landscape which is now returning to native forestry. Cistercian monks turned the Valldaura (valley of the laurels) area of Colserolla national park into agricultural land in the 19th century, the evidence of which still remains in the terraced beds we will grow produce on as part of our Ecological … Read more
Many physical objects are built / created with many layers of complexity. Some object of designed with basic primary forms like villa Savoye, while other objects are designed with a more complex form like pattern of a sunflower. Grasshopper is a different modeling system to the traditional programs (rhino, 3ds max) it allows the creation … 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
Light Fixtures and Kinetic Sculptures Exercise 01 : Wooden Shingle Lampshade The first exercise was a lesson in learning a basic Grasshopper script that involves several steps in creating and manipulating geometry. We learnt to interpolate curves from multiple points generated within grasshopper. and then went on to applying a revolution command to rotate them … Read more
The Defining Biocities course introduced us to the fundamental concept of “biocities.” This course involved an in-depth examination of terminology related to biocities, specifically within the realms of food, energy, and biodiversity. Through thoughtful discussions, we gained valuable insights, exploring global examples that illuminated the practical implications of these concepts. A series of guest lectures … Read more
The Defining Biocities course introduced us to the fundamental concept of “biocities.” This course involved an in-depth examination of terminology related to biocities, specifically within the realms of food, energy, and biodiversity. Through thoughtful discussions, we gained valuable insights, exploring global examples that illuminated the practical implications of these concepts. A series of guest lectures … Read more
The purpose of this blog post is to take the readers through my journey with Grasshopper. Grasshopper is a visual programming language and environment primarily used in architecture, design, and creative fields. It’s a plug-in for Rhinoceros 3D, a CAD software, enabling users to create algorithms and generate complex designs through a node-based interface. In … Read more
Grasshopper is a visual programming language and graphical algorithm editor for Rhinoceros, a 3D modeling software. It automates the recurring process and generates geometric figures through mathematical functions. It helps in creating complex models using simple geometry. Using Grasshopper helps an architect or designer to comprehend and analyze the design. The form, structure and system … Read more
Grasshopper fundamentalsMAEBB program 23/24 Grasshopper is plug-in within Rhino, it enables to create complex parametric designs by connecting components in a graphical interface. This tool allows for a new way of designing and manipulating complex geometries. During the first semester, we had to submit weekly assignments. For our final assignment we had to send in … Read more
During the Advanced Digital Tools classes, we were introduced to various aspects of the parametric design software Grasshopper. Weekly, we had assignments to review the components / tools learned in class. At last, we had one final exercise to combine everything we were taught during the course into one final animation. Though we had some … Read more
When the year started, Nishi and I noticed we missed something important: a place to place our numerous shoes. We thus decided we should make a shoe rack to safely and orderly store our shoes away. Since we wanted place to store boots, we decided for a design with alternating overhang. Additionally, we decided not … Read more
A FORM FINDING EXPLORATION Fluctuations in design; the variations, changes, or deviations that contribute to the form-finding process. This research lies in unfolding the possibilities of parametric design driven by the use of jitter and random components in Grasshopper. These tools are used to generate variations and introduce randomness into the design. Let’s explore how … Read more
The Defining Biocities course gave us a first insight on one of the main subjects of this master: “biocities”. During this course, we analysed and discussed several words related to biocities. These words were separated into three categories, food, energy and ecology. Through their analysis and discussion, we gained loads of knowledge, in terms of … 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
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
