Digital Tectonics Studio Project- Recycled FaBric(k)

By iaac | Published: June 21, 2011

MAA Students: Saiqa Iqbal (Bangladesh), Vittal Sridharan (India), Amay Gurkar (India), Harshad Sutar (India)

Studio: Digital Tectonics
Studio Instructor: Marta Malé-Alemany, MAA Co-Director

Project: Recycled FaBric(k)

Student Summary:
Recycled FaBric(k) is a project targeting recently demolished sites or disaster hit areas and re-instating the site-found broken bricks as potent design components. The project utilizes the atypical geometry of broken bricks towards researching on possible emergent forms. The resultant is an emergent outcome of user-controlled design inputs & inherent properties of the bricks. The project also succeeds in establishing a site based active design system with a real-time interaction between the design and execution alternate to the conventional office-site interaction.

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IAAC Open Lecture: Fernando de Porras-Isla

By iaac | Published: June 20, 2011


On Friday, IAAC welcomed Fernando de Porras-Isla for an open lecture in the IAAC Auditorium. Porras-Isla discussed the “River Manzanares Project” which is a big scale project for the people of Madrid which increases the quality of everyday life by connecting natural landscape with the urban environment.

Fernando de Porras-Isla graduated from the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura (ETSAM) in Madrid and is a partner of the Porras y La Casta Studio. He is co-author of the ”Landscaping of the Banks of the River Manzanares Project” in Madrid, covering a surface area of 120 hectares, built between 2006 and 2011. He recently received the Biannual Architecture Prize, awarded by the Association of Architects of Cantabria, for the design of the San Felices de Buelna sports centre (2010).

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Self Sufficient Buildings Studio Project- Algae Farm Block

By iaac | Published: June 17, 2011

MAA Student: Maria Marghariti (Greece)
Research Studio: Self- Sufficient Buildings

Studio Instructor: Vicente Guallart, IAAC Director, and Javier Peña

Project: Algae Farm Block

Student’s Summary:

Basic element of the project is the algae and its cultivation, that consists a powerful source of energy, an effective water cleaning system and captures great amounts of CO2 (essential for its growth), emitting at the same time O2. The algae is cultivated in photobioreactors that are hanged from the free ends of the beams of the light steel structure forming in that way the north-east and north west facades of the building that work as a filter between the interior and the exterior space. Furthermore, the terraces that are behind the photobioreactors consist a transitional space that can be unified at will with the interior space controlling in that way the conditions and the microclimate of the interior spaces. Moreover, principal circulation of the building are ramps and bicycle lines that follow the facades of the atrium of the building and that lead up to a green roof of a neighbor existing building.

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Digital Tectonics Studio Project- Material Networks

By iaac | Published: June 16, 2011


MAA Students: Jordi Portell i Torres (Spain), Martin Firera Alessandri (Italy), Ohad Yaacov Meyuhas (Israel), Julian Hildebrand (Germany)

Studio: Digital Tectonics
Studio Instructor: Marta Malé-Alemany, MAA Co-Director

Project: Material Networks
Student Summary:

Material networks is about the development of a site-conscious  multi-material additive deposition process combined with a subtractive material recycling strategy. With this process we are able to generate desert dwellings which from the outside provide a very rough appearance which merges with the surroundings and features an inner climate based on natural airflow and cooling through convection. The architecture’s potential ranges from permanent desert housing  in the appearance of Nomads’ villages to bungalow units  for adventure hotels.

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Studio Desk Crits

By iaac | Published: June 14, 2011

Last week, MAA students in the three Development Studios (Emergent Territories, Self Sufficient Buildings, and Digital Tectonics) had their final projects reviewed by the MAA co-directors as well as the studio assistants. The Emergent Territories Studio had their projects reviewed by outside guest, and IAAC Alum, Francisco Villeda from JDS Architects in Copenhagen.

Students will continue to work on their projects for the next two weeks in preparation for the MAA Final Presentations which will be held on the final week of the month. The final presentations are open to the public. More information about the presentation schedule will be available closer to the end of the month.

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Humanizar la Ciudad. Arquitecturas de Madrid y Barcelona

By iaac | Published: June 10, 2011

On Thursday, June 9, IAAC and Santa & Cole opened the exhibition Humanizar la Ciudad. Arquitecturas de Madrid y Barcelona.

The exhibition brings together 30 proposals by architects from Barcelona and Madrid which propose a new paradigm for the twenty-first century where the needs of citizens take precedence over arbitrary urban growth and where sustainable urban development is addressed through technological development and creativity. That is, in short, to humanize the city.

This exhibition will be on display at IAAC Monday through Friday from 9 until 19.30h until the 1st of July.

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Closing in on Final Presentations

By iaac | Published: June 9, 2011

MAA students are working hard in preparation for their final presentations at the end of the month.

This year final presentations will be held the week of June 27. All presentations are open to the public. We invite you to come to see the students present. More information will be provided closer to the week of presentations. Read More »

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