Extending Habitats

Cities as we understand them have traditionally been catered to serve the human need. All around the world, cities have been designed with this approach in mind, which has led to a lack of awareness of the human impact on the environment and all the other species that we coexist with. Similarly, we see this … Read more

Climate-Responsive Design for Singapore

This project explores the relationship between Singapore’s tropical climate and architectural design. By analyzing climatic data—such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind patterns—we evaluated how a specific building shape interacts with the environment. Through computational tools, we simulated the building’s performance to address key challenges like heat gain and airflow. The results informed potential … Read more

Landscape of Consequence

Semi Aerial View

The Architecture of Second Chances Transforming Punishment into Progress Through Computational Design In the evolving discourse of criminal justice reform, the intersection of architecture, technology, and rehabilitation presents unprecedented opportunities to reimagine how we approach incarceration. Our project, “Landscape of Consequence,” proposes a radical reconceptualization of Alcatraz Island, transforming this symbol of isolation into a … Read more

The Re-iterating Maze

The Re-Iterating Maze helps inmates at Alcatraz develop meditative practices through rehabilitation, using their sentence to make a more peaceful existence possible. Our concept allows prisoners a mindful form of exercise, allowing them to use their time outdoors exploring multidimensional pathways. Mindful walking encourages the brain to focus on the activity of traversing a determined path. By … Read more

Flows 4 Santa Coloma

This project envisions a transformative rewilding of the Besòs River in Santa Coloma, integrating human and ecological systems through dynamic, data-driven design. By strategically restoring habitat continuity with green corridors and innovative avian nesting prototypes, it fosters a symbiotic relationship between urban life and nature. Leveraging 3D clay-printed nests inspired by natural forms and utilizing … Read more

FLUTTERING CONNECTIONS

This project is an experiment of connecting Plaça d’Albert Francàs with flora and fauna, giving a prospective of designing for more than humans. This design exercise was built upon the previous workshop “Co-creating Public Spaces”. For more information about the previous proposal, please visit the blog post. In our co-creation project, Spaces of Negotiation, we … Read more

Redefining the Urban

MICRO-ESSAY BY REUBEN DIAMOND “ A new conceptual lexicon must be created for identifying the wide variety of urbanisation processes that are currently reshaping the urban world” (“Planetary Urbanization,” Brenner, N., & Schmid, C., p. 13) BOUNDARIES DISSOLVED As planetary urbanization reconfigures social, economic, and spatial relations, the traditional frameworks of urban studies encounter profound … Read more

Understanding Planetary Urbanization and Capitalism

“capitalism as a mode of production has necessarily targeted the breaking down of spatial barriers and the acceleration of turnover time as fundamental to its agenda of relentless capital accumulation” (David Harvey.) 01. The Evolution of Urban Reading Urbanization, much like the transition from print to digital media, reflects evolving modes of engagement. The shift … Read more

Ecological Odyssey

During a week, 10 students from MAEBB, MAA, MaCT and MDEF got together as part of the Ecological Interactions class, that took part at the village at Benifallet, placed by the Ebro River. During this period, the students got in touch with the faculty’s land in order to come up with analysis, thoughts and solutions … Read more

CATALUNYA’s ‘TABLE’

Bringing Producers, Consumers and Nature Together This project aims to connect local food producers, consumers, and nature in a symbolic way. The metaphor of a “table” represents unity and sustenance, gathering people across different genders, ages, and social classes. This installation, built from waste materials and invasive plants like Pontederia Crassipes, doubles as an ecosystem, … Read more

CARABASSES

The aim of this workshop was to propose an interview in one of the many farms in Parc Agrari complex. It is understood by local municipality and consortium of the park that the whole Parc Agrari has been suffering pressure from the real state market, in order to give the land up for the construction … Read more

Changing Landscapes

ReCitying is a Workshop hosted by IAAC and Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat to explore sustainable design and creative recycling in rural spaces. The first phase of the Workshop, in October 2024, focused on developing proposals for an installation using waste from Parc Agrari and planting crops to integrate into the project. We explored initial … Read more

La Barceloneta: A District in Transition

As part of the Master in City & Technology Introductory Workshop, our team was tasked with studying La Barceloneta, a district characterized by its complex layers of social, economic, architectural, and administrative systems. This project aims to explore these dimensions, highlighting the interactions between tourism and the local community in one of Barcelona’s most iconic … Read more

VIDA Y MUERTE DE CIUDADES MINERAS. Estrategias territoriales para una nueva imagen del Cerro de Pasco, Perú 2065

El inminente fin de todo proceso extractivo plantea interrogantes sobre el futuro incier­to del territorio socio-urbano en el cual se ha emplazado o que ha generado. Por lo general, las operaciones mineras están intrínsecamente ligadas a la degradación y desterritorialización de los sistemas naturales, así como a la viola­ción de los derechos a la salud … Read more

Infraestructura cíclicas hídrico-sensibles.

Infraestructuras resilientes para el saneamiento y recarga de acuíferos: El caso de Valle de las Palmas El voraz crecimiento de las ciudades ha generado una degradación del medio natural. En este proceso, la participación de actores locales, tales como grupos sociales, asociaciones civiles, institutos y órdenes de gobierno, crea plataformas para la toma de acciones … Read more

RURBANISMO SOCIO- PRODUCTIVO

Construcción del Paisaje desde la bioeconomía y la gobernanza multinivel. Masaya, Nicaragua. “La mundialización de los intercambios constituye el dato esencial de la presente recomposición de la vida económica. Hoy en día hay que pensar en términos planetarios: la producción, el consumo, los intercambios y la relación con el entorno que les corresponde”. [Bertrand Hervieu] … Read more

Mediación de la Paz Urbana: Ideando un Campus-Parque para la Auto-Fabricación en San José de Costa Rica, CA.

La formulación de la paz es imposible para el consenso de las masas actuales. Esta misma perspectiva es igualmente negativa en el país que inició el desarme de sus tropas después de la dolorosa II Guerra Mundial y una sangrienta Guerra Civil en 1948, esta es Costa Rica. Una utopía en las américas, una deformada … Read more

¿Cómo desarrollar mejoramientos de barrios precarios, en los que además de mejorar el entorno legal y urbanístico, también se propicie el desarrollo económico de las comunidades que los habitan?

Fuente: https://mcdonalds.com.au/menu/big-mac Probablemente esta es la hamburguesa mas famosa del mundo. En países como España o Estados Unidos tiene un valor que oscila entre 5 y 6 dólares, lo que la hace asequible para muchas personas. Sin embargo, en el contexto latinoamericano, 209 millones de personas deben vivir diariamente con esa misma cantidad de dinero … Read more

PARQUE ARBORESCENTE VASCO DE QUIROGA

La creación de Santa Fe fue resultado de la intensa expansión que experimentó la Ciudad de México en los años setenta, concebida como parte de una estrategia de reordenamiento urbano. Aunque en ese entonces no se hablaba en términos de reciclaje urbano, esta iniciativa abordó aspectos que hoy se consideran fundamentales en ese concepto. Las … Read more

Planeamiento ecológico en el área periurbana de São Paulo: estratégias para vincular el crecimiento urbano con la naturaleza

La motivación de esta tesis surgió al observar la desigualdad ambiental presente en la ciudad de São Paulo. Para la vasta y diversa población que alberga esta metrópolis, se destaca un contraste revelador: gran parte de la población, residente en las periferias, sufre la escasez de espacios públicos que integren la naturaleza, lo que se … Read more

Predictive Coastal Erosion

Why? Coastal erosion is a dynamic and complex process influenced by both natural factors and human activities. Natural causes such as wave action, tidal patterns, weather events, and rising sea levels due to global warming significantly contribute to the gradual wearing away of coastlines. Additionally, human interventions like coastal construction, sand mining, and deforestation exacerbate … Read more

Riverine Alliances

The intensification of human activities has transformed river basins, characterized by the loss of natural floodplains, an increase in impermeable surfaces, and the escalation of surface runoff. This thesis explores the importance of tailoring flood prevention strategies to upstream conditions to aid in flood risk management for downstream urban areas. Specifically, it presents an incentive-based, … Read more