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.


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THE NEST | Resilient Envelopes

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

Arctic Onion | Digital Tools

(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

Arctic Onion | Metabolic Building Systems – Water

Water Context in Reyjkavik(1) Volcanic Zones & Geothermal Fields in Iceland (2) Monthly Rainfall Data of Reykjavik (3) Geothermal Water Consumption in Iceland (4) Hellisheiði Power Plant, Reykjavik (5) Water Conservation Area, Reykjavik Water Metabolism MapHeated, Rainfall and Fresh Drinkable Water Systems Rainwater Harvesting: Table | Diagram Water Consumption Stategies: Conventional Consumption | Optimized Consumption [45,46 % of Water Saving]

Arctic Onion | Resilient Envelopes

- Material Catalogue : Collecting & Cataloguing materials around Valldaura; Simulating real-time construction process of procuring material from waste sources.- 1:20 Model of Weather & Cluster Shelf Envelopes - Multiple Layers of the Weather Envelope: Wind Turbines, Water Channels & Raincoat - Front Elevation: Raincoat of the building made of Upcycled Sails & Fabrics - ... Read more

THE NEST | Metabolic Systems: Water

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

Arctic Onion | Ecosystemic Structures

We don’t wantWe don’t want to FEEL LONELY We don’t want to WASTE RESOURCES We don’t want to DEMOLISH structures We don’t want to EMIT Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere We don’t want UNIVERSAL and HOMOGENEOUS structures We don’t want to LOSE CONNECTION to our environment We wantWe want to LIVE in COMMUNAL settings We … Read more

Arctic Onion | Thermodynamic Fabrications

Site > Bríetartún 5, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland | Arctic Climate Zone (1) Temperature Range always below Comfort Levels. Comfortable hours indoors are only achievable with additional measures. (2) Constant High Humidity (3) Strong Winter Winds Climate | People > History | Everyday Living(1) Long Lasting Tradition of Wool Washing & Knitting (ca. 1934) (2) Icelanders ... Read more

Natural Capital Investments | Barcelona Protocol

-The future of the earth, its eco-systems, and our own civilization will be decided in and by our citIes– Learn more about Barcelona Protocol here “Only if we ensure that the material, means, and methods with which we build and manage our cities are primarily drawn from regionally available and sustainably managed biological resources can … Read more

MEDITERRANEAN l Thermodynamics

01. Introduction Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.According to the Köppen climate classification, Venice has a mid-latitude four-season humid subtropical climate, with cool, damp winters and warm, humid … Read more

MO5 Collaborative Design – Bio Berms

After analyzing the site of Font del Gos we quickly realized that soil erosion was a significant problem.The site is a case study of human interception of an ecosystem, a naturally evolvedlandscape and water stream disturbed by human doings, causing dysfunction.Dry, eroded soil is unable to absorb water properly when raining.This causes a lack of … Read more

Fabrication for Open Nature | Mil Ramas

INTRODUCTION The Design and Fabrication course’s main objective is to orient us towards learning and gaining experience in the use of tools and machines in relation to fabrication. Through designing, manufacturing and prototyping the models we were able to gain hands-on experience on how to fabricate and construct our projects. Valldaura Green FabLab provided us … Read more

Almanac Autumn & Winter Rotation | Roots

As IAAC’s Valldaura Labs and Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities (MAEBB) class of 2022/23, we have begun another yearly garden. Within the Agroecology course we started in October with a new autumn-winter rotation. The fresh seeds and saplings were planted and transplanted at the start of October and are still regularly maintained and … Read more

Open Nature | Font del Gos

Public spaces in the city of Barcelona play a vital role in the daily lives of its citizens. But often there is a clear boundary seen between the urban and the peri-urban forests of the city. The project approaches the site of Font Del Gos as a transitory space between the city of Barcelona and … Read more

Open Nature | Mil Ramas

Brief The main aim of the sculpture seats was to use discarded branches and every part of the tree to create our structure in a sustainable manner. Our project’s objectives were to serve something unique, comfortable and most importantly an advanced form of seating using wooden elements. We began with collecting branches from trees that … Read more

Furnish KIDS 2.0

SCOPE / OBJECTIVES Many European cities are looking to redesign their public spaces. FURNISH (Fast Urban Responses for New Inclusive Spaces and Habitat) aims to merge the challenge of having more public spaces through ‘tactical urbanism’, which can reconfigure and co-create a street expanding the space for pedestrians and leisure, with local manufacturing, through the … Read more