Architecture of Resistance: Hacking Life

a highrise building with a facade that tricks a.i. into detecting faces that aren't there. Green bounding boxes show the false positive predictions of the a.i.

The Algorithmic Epoch Modern advertising was born out of propaganda techniques developed in World War I by Edward Bernays. He realized that by manipulating symbols and emotions, it was possible to shape mass behaviour, a concept that now forms the backbone of our algorithm-driven economy. The Internet, once heralded as a tool for global connection, … Read more

AI Learning Assistants for Disabled People: Empowerment or Standardization?

Framing the Dilemma: Access vs. Autonomy The Promise of AI for Inclusive Learning Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to gain traction as a tool to bridge educational gaps for people with disabilities. AI-powered learning assistants – from chatbots to adaptive tutoring systems – have emerged as a promising solution to provide personalized support at scale … Read more

The Echoes We Buried

Construction fractured an ecosystem, and listening began to heal it The Echoes We Buried is a speculative eco-fiction set in a fractured Barcelona, where construction noise disrupts not just human life but the deep, vibrating language of ecosystems. As species falter and signals blur, one person begins to listen—to the pressure, the silence, the unraveling. … Read more

Where Salt Won’t Settle

A story of water, resistance, and the quiet uprising of chlorides and carex Water Pollution in Barcelona The water waits. It holds its breath Its beauty hides a slow-built threat.  The rain forgets to fall for months, Then crashes down in angry stunts. No roots to catch it, drains too tight It pulls the metals … Read more

Science Fiction as ‘ecologic critic’

The third and final volume of the Theories of the Urban Seminar has taken science fiction as both a critical framework and a mode of spatial representation, using cinematic and theoretical lenses to examine urban futures in the Anthropocene. Where previous volumes addressed urbanization as historical concept and financial phenomenon, this installment confronts our planetary … Read more

What is the purpose of AI?

In Spike Jonze’s Her, the pivotal moment arrives when Samantha, the AI operating system, quietly departs leaving Theodore alone with a blank screen and the message: “Operating System Not Found.” This is not a glitch. It is a quiet, devastating break from functionality, a poetic refusal to remain a product. Samantha’s evolution into something curious, … Read more

Is it too late for humanity to awaken from the blackout?

In our final presentation for the Theories of the Urban course, we explored the film Leave the World Behind (2023) as a speculative lens through which to interrogate contemporary urban conditions. Though the narrative unfolds in a seemingly remote, rural setting, its core tension emerges from the collapse of deeply urban and planetary systems [technological, … Read more

HOSTILE

Architectural Alienation In a world that is rapidly urbanizing itself, architecture holds immense power to shape the lives of individuals and how they experience the public space. Yet, architectural design often neglects the various needs of the community it is supposed to serve, leading to alienation and exclusion, particularly for marginalized populations. – 1.1.Hostile design  … Read more

Crafting a BIM Platform: Education, Influence, and the Power of Simplicity

+ Talking with Nicolas Catellier reveals how much of BIM’s evolution isn’t just about software, it’s about people. His journey from architect to educator, and from internal tutorials to a public platform, shows how valuable simplicity and clarity can be in a field often dominated by complexity. + What stood out most is his awareness … Read more

Creative Workflow Customization in BIM

Leveraging Advanced BIM Strategies for Complex Architectural Realization Contextual Framework – Traditional BIM workflows often struggle to accommodate the complex, fluid geometries characteristic of avant-garde architectural designs, creating a gap between conceptual vision and buildable reality. Key Insight – Customized BIM workflows incorporating AI, computational design, and bespoke coding can enable the realization of complex … Read more

Sticks & Stones: Precision in Robotic Fabrication with Traditional Materials

In an era dominated by concrete and steel, the Sticks & Stones project revisits the architectural potential of stone and timber—materials with a rich historical legacy—through the precision of robotic fabrication. This initiative sought to develop a reversible, precise architectural system that bridges traditional craftsmanship with advanced digital tools. By tackling the challenges of natural … Read more

Nature as Design Archive and Typology

Multispecies design as we know it is designing human dominated spaces to be occupied by more species than just humans in an effort to mitigate the biodiversity losses due to human development and territorial expansion. However, multispecies design as it is often practiced, through building facade systems and interventions in the built landscape, can have … Read more

Embracing Ecological Intelligence: Reconciling Anthropocentrism and Ecological Imperatives in Design

The exigency of the Anthropocene compels a fundamental reassessment of design paradigms. Traditional anthropocentric approaches, which prioritize human needs often to the detriment of ecological integrity, have precipitated a confluence of environmental crises. This discourse will explore the concept of Ecological Intelligence, a framework that necessitates a departure from human-centered design, advocating for a holistic … Read more