Everyday life at the Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia
Image above: Critics discussion around a wind prototype.
MIT and IAAC´s Self Sufficient Building studio has developed a common agenda of work during the last months. They had conducted a common workshop with both groups, at IAAC on April and 2 months later they conclude their projects in Boston in MIT.
During the seminar Form Finding the MAA students disconnected themselves from digital modeling and worked on physical models that they could help them find form and structure at the same time.
The students presented their outcomes out of the experimentation that they had with clay and Kuka Robot from the MAA seminar with Michael Knauss and Mirjan Ammar. Most of the teams were working with compression techniques to form their clay mold so as to cast concrete. Each group fabricated their own tool that they adjusted with the Kuka robotic arm. Working with digital models for the positive and negative design for the mold and the cast, students had to deal with information coming out from the tool geometry and material properties. Pressure techniques leaded to material displacements that needed to be taken into account, while other teams worked with material extraction.Following the above different process’s, a variety of results was delivered.
Benedetta Tagliabue yesterday presented the most recent projects of her office EMBT. From her presentation the audience could distinguish a sentimental spectrum. Benedetta´s ¨stories¨ included information on transparency and light, comfort, crafts and artisans among others. Spanish pavillion in Shangai fullfilled a dream that she had from child to build projects in China and opened to her office, the way for numerous projects in different cities in China with trips from which she profited great knowledge.
IAAC Faculty Areti Markopoulou (Director R+D IAAC) and Tomas Diez (FabLab Bcn Director) talked last Saturday at TEDx Thessaloniki in Greece. Under the theme The Courage to Create Areti and Tomas talked about new methods of production based on Computer Numerically Controlled machines and the idea of Personal Fabrication. Showing projects of IAAC and Fab Lab Bcn they debated on how can we change economical and social models by changing the ways we consume and produce in our current cities, how can we empower the citizens with offering tools and knowledge for collective innovation to occur.
In the lecture of Nader Tehrani ¨DA DA A NADAAA¨ , the architecture of the classical era and the Greeks, to the Roman time or even the late 80´s and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, with a closer view on the structural and geometrical decisions, was the opening chapter. Structural and geometrical decisions were explored not only in terms of stability but more importantly as philosophical or social gestures with the certain meaning that they implied, or better said: in an understanding beyond utility. Following this path, of decoding the history of architecture, someone could clearly distinguish its traces of its influence in Nader projects. In Nader´s presentation the historical reference anticipated the explanation of each of his projects, unfolding charismatically his reading or interpreting sensibilities. Some of the projects presented among others were: Dortoir Familial, Ordos 20+10 – NADAAA/Himma Studio, Urban Folly, Gwangju Design Biennale – NADAAA.