Tierra Tower is a student housing project shaped by climate and material. Using earth sourced directly from site, it creates a vertical sequence of spaces that adapt to seasonal change and personal comfort. Thick earthen walls absorb and release heat, guiding movement through warm and cool zones. The building responds passively—through texture, temperature, and atmosphere—to … Read more
“A Digital Tool that facilitates Self-Redevelopment in Mumbai through the Participatory Development Method [PDM] and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations [DAOs] to Reduce Ecological Footprint[EP]. ”
Self Sufficient Buildings The project investigates esparto grass as a natural humidity moderator within urban student housing. By analyzing its hygroscopic response and recording relative humidity variations, a passive air filtration system is developed. Anchored in a double landscape strategy, the design links material cultivation, extraction, and environmental performance across urban and ecological contexts. Carrer de … Read more
Vernacular architecture has steadily lost relevance in contemporary practice. Industrialized construction methods, aesthetic shifts, and the pursuit of perceived reliability in materials like concrete and steel have overshadowed traditional techniques. However, these modern materials often come at a high environmental cost. Among the overlooked methods is quincha, a construction technique common in Latin America. It … Read more
Re-Rio is a vision to bring dignity, connection, and opportunity to the Gradim fishing community in Rio de Janeiro. Faced with poor infrastructure and social neglect, this project reimagines housing and public space through sustainable, affordable, and flexible design. It creates cool, breathable homes, shared learning spaces, and eco-tourism paths that celebrate local culture. By … Read more
Why – Problem context In the current forestry industry, only 40% of each harvested tree is actually used for construction or valuable products. The remaining 60% often ends up as waste — discarded, chipped, or burned as firewood. This imbalance sparked a fundamental question:Can we change this ratio? Driven by that inquiry, we began exploring … Read more
Jakarta’s rapid urbanization has outpaced the development of equitable mobility infrastructure, exacerbating safety disparities, particularly for low-income women navigating the city at night. While formal policies fall short, informal transport networks like Angkot fill critical gaps, despite exposing riders to physical and psychological risks. This study explores how machine learning can be used to fill … Read more
Designing Adaptive Framing System forWarped Wood: Exploring in to framing system thataccommodates different warped pieces of planks caused by uneven anisotropic bending characteristics of Pine Wood forfunctional applications in architectural design and construction. How can we create a Adaptable Frame System that accommodates different warped wooden pieces resulting from uneven anisotropic drying behavior of pine … Read more
Project Objective The project objective is to develop an interface where users can batch upload images of an established design, usually in the Design Development phase when materials and small tweaks are being considered. The goal is for a user in a traditional architecture office to batch upload images of their 3d model to quickly … Read more
Using Node Similarity and Machine Learning: How advanced graph analytics and spatial daylight autonomy analysis are transforming architectural design workflow Introduction In an age where climate-driven architecture is paramount, daylight performance remains central to both spatial experience and energy efficiency. Our project tackles this by combining IFC data, graph logic, and machine intelligence to create … Read more
Nestled within IAAC’s Master of Advanced Computational Design program, our recent investigation of Graph Machine Learning (Graph ML) sought to reimagine how we perceive, evaluate, and improve architectural spaces. Our team of Andrea, Leila, Lennart, and Mahnoor worked on a courtyard prototype to create a seamless process that combines parametric modeling, semantic data interchange, and … Read more
This project introduces a graph-based machine learning system designed to automate furniture placement in apartment layouts. The workflow was developed as part of an architectural design studio and played a key role in generating comfort-driven interior configurations. At its core, the system encodes spatial and functional rules such as placing a sofa near a window … Read more
A STORY OF SYNTHETIC LIFE FORM HAVE YOU EVER DREAMT OF A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF? The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat (Universal Pictures, 2024) This project simulates a linear evolutionary process in which a synthetic organism progressively transforms to become more human-like. The evolution is guided entirely by language models, with no human intervention … Read more
“Spatial Cognition in Robotics: Optimizing Construction Workflow with AI”Shu Xiao – MRAC02 Thesis, IAAC 2024–2025 Despite advances in manufacturing automation, the construction industry continues to rely heavily on manual labor due to its unpredictable environment, safety concerns, and fragmented workflows. This project explores how vision-guided robotics and real-time AI agents can close that gap by … Read more
Abstract In this project, we explore how graph-based thinking can reshape construction planning by bridging design data and scheduling logic. Drawing inspiration from modular architecture and network theory, we investigate new ways to visualize, analyze, and optimize the sequencing of building elements. By combining insights from BIM, parametric modeling, and graph analysis, the work aims … Read more
