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.
This project documents a 1-week workshop that introduced students to the COMPAS framework. Our goal was to design a tile mosaic that would be part of a collaborative pick-and-place workflow with the UR5, incorporating COMPAS Fab, Kangaroo (Grasshopper), and ROS. What is COMPAS? Utilizing the COMPAS framework developed by Gramazio Kohler Research and the larger … Read more
“How can we employ innovative materials and techniques to construct an ecosystem that is instrumental in decarbonising our environment?” Mycelium in Construction for Catalonia – IAAC BLOG Natural Terracotta Air Conditioners – NTAC
Pathways to decarbonization or the dissolution of our illusions. In the midst of a scorching summer, a weary homeowner welcomed the arrival of a shiny new air conditioner, seeking respite from the oppressive heat. Grateful for the cool breeze that soon filled the living room, they savored the relief it brought. However, unbeknownst to them, … Read more
INTELLIGENT SENSING AND VISION This project aims to develop an interactive LED matrix capable of dynamically responding to real-time behaviors in its surrounding environment while ensuring versatility in its applications. By integrating sensors to detect various environmental stimuli and employing advanced data processing techniques, the LED matrix will generate dynamic visual patterns that reflect the … Read more
CONTEXT Consequences of carbon emission Building operations are responsible for approximately 27% annually, while the embodied carbon of just four building and infrastructure materials – cement, iron, steel, and aluminum – are responsible for an additional 15% annually EuropeanClimateLaw The European Climate Law writes into law the goal set out in the European Green Deal for Europe’s economy and society to become climate-neutral by 2050. The law also sets the intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Climate neutrality by 2050 means achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions for EU countries as a whole, mainly by cutting emissions, investing in green technologies and protecting … Read more
The integration of a rover or swarm of rovers into construction demolition sites represents a paradigm shift in waste management practices. Equipped with advanced sensors and AI algorithms, this rover possesses the capability to accurately identify and segregate valuable materials such as steel and metal amidst debris and rubble. These rovers operate seamlessly alongside human … Read more
The building and construction industry is currently not meeting the targets for achieving decarbonization by 2050. Heightened environmental expectations from regulators, investors, and occupants have led to an uneven business landscape.Regulatory frameworks aimed at reducing carbon emissions, such as building codes and energy efficiency standards, are becoming more stringent, further complicating the landscape for businesses. … Read more
Throughout this blog we will highlight each section and we hope to inspire others like the way we have been inspired. We will present a progressive material, then show how we get this material integrated into the construction world. Proposition “ We propose that the usage of Mycelium should be legalised in the Code for … Read more
Revolutionizing Construction: The Oura Project’s Path to Sustainability through Digital Solutions Introduction The construction industry stands at a critical crossroads in the face of escalating global climate challenges. As a significant contributor to worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative for this sector to undergo a transformation. The Oura Project emerges as a pioneering initiative, … Read more
The construction sector is responsible for more than 35% of the waste generated in the European Union. At the same time, the materials and products used in this sector can have a life span of several decades. In the long term, having data on the origin of each material would be ideal to promote its … Read more
This project explores how serial data written by environmental sensors can control and influence the appearance of digital media. The outcome of Serial Link was a wearable device that incorporates a ESP32, Gyroscope, ultrasonic sensor, and a power bank that can control digital media in touch designer through network access. What is serial data?Utilizing the … Read more
This hypothetical study aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector by incorporating cutting-edge technologies during the foundational stage. Our focus is on ensuring 100% renewable energy usage and optimizing energy consumption. Our focus Addressing all foundation types and their associated components and processes would be too broad for us to effectively handle. To … Read more
Albert, is a rock-paper-scissors robotic hand designed to serve as a playing partner for the rock-paper-scissors game, aiming to bridge human-robot interaction. Rock-paper-scissors is a universally understood game, known for its simplicity and effectiveness in decision-making. Our objective was to establish a unified language between a robot and a human by humanizing the robot. We … Read more
In this proposal, our objective is to explore the synergies and interconnectedness of various systems. Specifically, we have grouped together to investigate how coral reef restoration techniques, autonomous rovers, and sustainable foundation systems can collaborate to develop compelling decarbonization proposals. Reef Platform + Rover Submersive Rovers to detect fishing nets and remove it in Punta … Read more
State of the Art In recent decades, kinetic facades have surfaced as innovative architectural elements, offering alternative building envelopes tailored to address escalating and intricate demands related to user comfort, energy consumption, and cost efficiency. Various articulations of this concept have been advanced, encompassing approaches that span from the integration of inventive components to the … Read more
Coral reefs play a pivotal role in the ocean’s capacity to sequester carbon dioxide, acting as natural carbon sinks. Through the process of calcification, corals convert carbon dioxide from the water into limestone (calcium carbonate) structures, which comprise the coral skeleton. This not only helps in reducing the amount of CO2 in the ocean but … Read more
The intertwined relationship between the construction industry and transportation systems is a cornerstone of modern development. This synergy, while enabling the creation of the infrastructure essential for our expanding populations and their demands, also brings to light the challenges of sustainability and environmental impact. As we navigate the complexities of urban growth and infrastructural expansion, … Read more
Our project began with an engaging challenge: to digitally map the future home of the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) using cutting-edge technology. We harnessed photogrammetry, a method that transforms a series of photos into a comprehensive 3D model, using both drones and smartphones to capture the images. This technique allowed us to … Read more
ROBOTIC SOLUTIONS FOR 3D SPACE ANALYSIS AIM This workshop ran in collaboration with Noumena and IAAC where we were introduced to a environmental scanning and data processing workflows which combined the use of photogrammetry and point-cloud data. The site of the study was at IAAC’s new building which is yet to be constructed. From this … Read more
Aim The project was aimed to develop a methodology to detect damages in walls with the help of Yolo’s trained models furthering to gain the quantitative and economic analysis of the development any project. Workflow Initially, we conducted a site scan using an RGB camera of Dji drone the site was mapped section by section … Read more
Aim The main objective is to generate a new formation of point cloud of the new IAAC building, that is inspired from a style (Artistic /Architectural) using AI / Machine learning and change the existing point cloud with the the new stylized point cloud. State of The Art Image-to-image translation is a class of vision … Read more
Brief Our aim in this project was to generate real time mapping with object detection and object avoidance with a Turtle_bot using ROS. Embracing Ubuntu and creating workspaces alongside docker, we were able to create a system which allowed us to map an environment and find obstacles within. From this we were curious into what … Read more
‘’To use a mobile robotics to aid in the accuracy of construction and installation planning by creating a new visual communication link using scanned data from the built environment.” The Site Assistant is an mobile robotic assistant designed to enhance efficiency on construction sites. It addresses the common challenge of locating specific objects within walls … Read more
Context I-P_Maper(Intersection Point Mapper) is a project based on ROS and scanning. It mainly focuses on controlling the robot tool path to scan and get the data we want. Given the time constraints, we maximized our efforts and performed a series of tests in order to develop a program that could accurately identify up to … Read more
