Studio: Term 2 – MRAC + MAA For our third term MRAC paired up with MAA students to investigate how vernacular materials and techniques of Catalonia could be modernised with robotic precision to create new typologies. Our group chose to work with Canya; more specifically Arundo Donax, Giant Reed. Two vernacular techniques we looked to … Read more
The Living Fibers MAA/MRAC, Studio Term 2, 2025/2026 Group 1: Brooklyn Edsall, Elias El asmar, Leonard elias Böker, Nikolaos Kalaitzidis, Nisanth Anil Menon Abstract:This project challenges the hyper-standardization of modern construction by investigating the architectural potential of raw, locally sourced Catalan wool. Our research elevates wool from a passive insulation material into an active, rigid, … 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. Introduction This project proposes a system that transforms a flexible surface into a rigid, three-dimensional structure. … Read more
Introduction Can centuries-old vernacular intelligence inform the future of robotic construction? Willow Protocols is a research project developed at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) that bridges traditional Catalan basketry techniques with advanced robotic fabrication. By re-evaluating historical construction methods like Zarzo and Wattle and Daub, this project proposes a highly sustainable, hyper-local … Read more
Explore HB03, a hyperbuilding developed through parametric design, structural engineering, and adaptive façade optimization. Discover a data-driven approach to sustainable vertical urbanism, daylight performance, and human-centric high-rise design. Introduction: Engineering the Skeleton of Vertical Urbanism In the Vertical Machine studio, architecture is treated as a dynamic urban organism rather than a static object. Within this … Read more
“Carbon-breathing panels: a regenerative material system for climate-adaptive architecture.”
Hyperbuilding One is a data-driven ecosystem that achieves seamless connectivity between Static and Kinetic spaces through an optimized large-scale integrated environment. Architecture is No Longer Static: How Hyper Building One Turns Geometry into Code The traditional architectural blueprint is a corpse. It is a static snapshot of an idea that begins to age the moment … Read more
A vertical ecosystem in Santiago where architecture, wind, and energy converge. The hyper Lung captures, cleans, and redistributes polluted air through a breathing core, transforming the tower into living infrastructure that breathes with the city! THE ALVEOLAR SPINE – THE LUNG ANALOGY The core of Hyper building 01 is defined by the Alveolar Spine. Taking … Read more
Introduction Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly required in the building industry, yet it remains difficult to integrate into the design workflow. The challenge is that LCA operates across multiple scales, from macro-level building decisions to micro-level material choices. This is especially relevant for designers, since they have to engage with these considerations from the … Read more
Case study of a 3D printed project Site Organization The site plan was developed to support a continuous and efficient design-to-production workflow, integrating material preparation, digital control, and on-site fabrication into a single coordinated system. The spatial organization follows a clear operational sequence, from raw material handling to final deposition, reducing unnecessary movement, interruptions, and … Read more
Designed for the IAAC rooftop, this pavilion merges computational design with advanced robotic fabrication. The geometry originates in Grasshopper, where a basic mesh is transformed into an optimized vault using Kangaroo’s physics-based dynamic relaxation. A reciprocal frame pattern is then applied, translating the continuous shell into short, mutually supporting timber pieces. Because every interlocking element … Read more
This project, titled Recursive Shell, is located at Plaça del Pi. The pavilion explores form-finding through inverted arch logic and modular timber shells. Using a Kangaroo Bouncy Solver, the design optimizes structural stability via parameters like pressure, edge lengths, and vertex loads. The system consists of interlocking triangular panels and joint discs extracted from a … Read more
This proposal envisions an agent-based ecological simulation where human and non-human actors, farmers, water, soil, plants, fungi, and climate, interact within a shared bioregion defined by watersheds rather than political borders. Agricultural technicians serve as mediators between data and local knowledge. Agents are not merely data points but active participants in a living network, continuously … Read more
As the generations who have grown up around video games reach an age where they are beginning to buy homes, architects should provide advanced and easily navigable interfaces for people to interact with architecture. We should provide basic information on project mission and sustainability etc. and then allow potential customers to explore the designs in … Read more
A Model for Connected Stewardship Context The Montseny landscape is shaped by terraced slopes, a system that historically functioned as both agricultural infrastructure and ecological stabilization. These terraces were carefully constructed to retain soil, slow water, and create productive microclimates along steep terrain. Stone walls regulate moisture. Layered planting stabilizes slopes. In this system, humans … Read more
The Purpose of AI in the Age of Resource Scarcity Introduction: Redefining the Question The question “What is the purpose of AI in AEC?” often elicits a predictable response focused on speed. For years the industry has viewed Artificial Intelligence primarily as a mechanism for automation. It is seen as a faster way to produce … Read more
