The Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction (MRAC) seeks to train a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals who are capable of facing our growing need for a more sustainable and optimised construction ecosystem. The Master is focused on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems.
Through a mixture of seminars, workshops, and studio projects, the master programme challenges the traditional processes in the Construction Sector. It investigates how advances in robotics and digital fabrication tools change the way we build and develop processes and design tools for such new production methods.
Architectural proposal A lightweight modular timber structure made from actively bent locally sourced beech wood processed into strips. By using curvature and pre-stressing the elements, the system achieves stiffness with minimal material, and its scalable logic makes it suitable as a lightweight spanning beam system supported by column brackets. Conceptual analyses Idealization of the structural … Read more
The intent was to create a tangible, physical interface for real-time environmental simulation feedback in architectural design — letting designers manipulate physical building models by hand on a table, while a camera detects the arrangement and instantly projects live wind flow, solar exposure, or shadow analysis back onto the models. The goal was to remove … Read more
A Hybrid Robotic-Human System for Adaptive Woven-Earthen Construction Abstract Woven Earth reinterprets traditional willow weaving and earth construction as a digitally informed architectural system. Drawing from vernacular techniques such as wattle and daub, the project develops a hybrid construction method combining woven willow, variable-thickness cavities, and robotic fabrication. Infill strategies layer light earth and straw … Read more
This studio led by Edouard Cabay and Pit Siebenaler is an ongoing research project into how robotics and advanced architectural methodologies can be used in partnership to the vernacular construction techniques of Catalonia to produce viable modern typologies for today’s industry. The studio is ecologically minded with an emphasis on local craft, traditional techniques but … Read more
Workshop 3.1: Material Intelligence Workshop UAL@IAAC TEAM: IAAC Leonard Elias Böker | Carpenter/DesignerIAAC Janny Zhang | ArchitectureIAAC Elias El Asmar | ArchitectureIAAC Sam Holcombe | ArchitectureUFG Moritz Aigner | Design TechnologistUFG Christina Kraxberger | Architecture Material Intelligence is a cross-collaborative workshop between IAAC*, TALM** and Linz*** as part of a EU funded scheme, SCALExD: SCALExD … Read more
From Intuitive Stone Stacking to Rule-Based Robotic Assembly Introduction Computing Balance explores how the intuitive act of stone balancing can be translated into a computational construction system. Instead of treating balance as a visual effect, we approached it as a structural rule. Each stone is evaluated by its size, orientation, contact surface, center of mass, … Read more
IAAC is a school built on collaboration. The energy of shared spaces, the visibility between disciplines, and the flow of natural light are all part of what makes it work. But as students, we know the other side of that coin, finding a quiet corner for deep focus can be a real challenge. The school’s … Read more
Introduction This study focuses on the application of Karamba3D for structural analysis and performance evaluation. Through digital simulations, different geometries and loading conditions were assessed to understand force distribution, displacement, and structural behavior. The objective is to investigate how structural analysis can support informed design decisions during the development process. Architecture Proposal The structural investigation … Read more
Human-in-the-Loop: Interactive Systems Faculty: Hamid Peiro + Aleksandra Kraeva Hardware III is a cross-discipline project led by Hamid Peiro and Aleksandra Kraeva (Sasha); between MRAC and MAAI to explore the possibilities of interactive design within and around the boundaries of the worlds of robotics and AI. The project aims to better understand how the human … Read more
Manja van de Worp Director, YIP Structural Engineering | Faculty: MAA, MaCAD, MRAC Manja van de Worp is a prominent structural engineer and the Director of YIP Structural Engineering London. With over 15 years of professional experience in the global construction industry, her work specializes in the synergy between structural geometry, advanced fabrication, and emergent … Read more
This work explores how clay can be used to introduce compression strength into flexible surfaces. By using robotics for controlled deposition, the process becomes parameterised, allowing a traditional material to be developed into a precise and predictable building system. Continuation of https://blog.iaac.net/robotics-for-ecological-buildings-clay/ Introduction This project proposes a system, how stitched textiles can be turned into lightweight architectural surfaces through robotic clay … Read more
A conversation about artistic practice at the intersection of fine arts, electronics, and interactive installations Introduction Monica Rikic was hosted at IAAC, a contemporary artist whose practice merges fine arts, digital arts, robotics, and electronics to explore profound questions about the relationship between humans and machines, speculative artificial intelligence, and embodied experience. Monica doesn’t fit … Read more
As part of our Software III course at IAAC, our team conducted a comprehensive structural analysis on our Willow Protocols system using Karamba, a parametric structural analysis plugin for Grasshopper. The Challenge: Beyond Aesthetics Our Adaptive Willow Wall is designed as a collaborative human-robot woven structure with variable thickness, integrated furniture, and thermal performance. While … Read more
Programme MAEBB 02 / MRAC 02 · 2024–2026 · Supervisor Valentino Tagliaboschi · Fabrication Sheikh Rizvi Riaz · Developed at IAAC Robotics Lab and Valldaura Labs , Barcelona This article continues the framework introduced in Immutable Concrete, the earlier phase of this work, in which the gate becomes an instrument an agent can use. The problem, restated Recycled-aggregate concrete is difficult to … Read more
Adaptive Framework for Hybrid Slicing Strategies in Large-Scale Robotic Fabrication of AI-Derived Architectural Systems Throughout history, imagined worlds have existed through literature, cinema, and digital environments, continuously expanding architecture beyond the built. Today, AI allows these speculative realities to be generated with unprecedented complexity, while robotic fabrication enables their materialization. Through an adaptive framework using … Read more
Robotic Fabrication of Small-Diameter Whole Timber for Construction Systems in a Plantation Forestry Context
