The USL redefines the potential of design in an era marked by rapid urban expansion, the global climate emergency, and technological acceleration.
The Urban Sciences Lab is a platform dedicated to critical thinking and transformative design, integrating social, cultural, technological, and ecological dimensions of contemporary urbanisation.
From individuals and buildings to communities and planetary geographies, the USL investigates spatial, human, ecological, and technological boundaries. This interdisciplinary approach challenges conventional thinking and proposes innovative projects and scenarios, acting today to shape the urban world of tomorrow.
By employing an iterative and evidence-based methodology to design and research the urban sphere, the USL positions itself at the intersection of quantitative and qualitative approaches, integrating cutting-edge academic research with innovative practice.
Leveraging urban and territorial computation and innovative design for climate vulnerable ecological systems, towards healthy and more-than-human urban and peri-urban environments.
Developing innovative urban design methodologies, practices and policies for socially just, gender and intersectionality inclusive cities and spaces, while bridging the data gap to enable evidence-based equitable and inclusive urban development.
Implementing urban analytics, from data collection to its cleaning, transformation, analysis and visualisation enabling informed decision-making in the development of innovative infrastructure, affordable housing strategies and mobility justice in spatialising the urban form.
Capacity building and applications of city sciences to develop critical and creative visions towards cutting-edge, innovative and spatially just urban transformations and digital innovation in developing urban environments.
Mathilde Marengo is an Australian–French–Italian PhD Architect whose research focuses on contemporary urban phenomena, its integration with technology, and its implications for the future of the planet. In today’s critical environmental, social, and economic context, she explores how designers can address these challenges through circular and metabolic design.
She is the Urban Sciences Lab Director, Head of Studies, Co-director of the Master in Advanced Urban Planning & Data Analytics (formerly City & Technology), and a PhD Supervisor at IAAC. In this setting, she designs and tests innovative educational formats, promoting holistic, multi-disciplinary design approaches that emphasise materialisation and reframe design education in the Information Age.
Her work extends to National and EU-funded research projects, including URBiNAT, InnoChain ETN, and BUILD Solutions. Mathilde’s work has been published and exhibited internationally.
Mathilde Marengo is an Australian–French–Italian PhD Architect whose research focuses on contemporary urban phenomena, its integration with technology, and its implications for the future of the planet. In today’s critical environmental, social, and economic context, she explores how designers can address these challenges through circular and metabolic design.
She is the Urban Sciences Lab Director, Head of Studies, Co-director of the Master in Advanced Urban Planning & Data Analytics (formerly City & Technology), and a PhD Supervisor at IAAC. In this setting, she designs and tests innovative educational formats, promoting holistic, multi-disciplinary design approaches that emphasise materialisation and reframe design education in the Information Age.
Her work extends to National and EU-funded research projects, including URBiNAT, InnoChain ETN, and BUILD Solutions. Mathilde’s work has been published and exhibited internationally.
Laura Guimarães is a Brazilian architect and urbanist with a Master’s Degree in City & Technology from IAAC. She currently serves as the Urban Science Lab Manager at IAAC.
Before moving to Barcelona, Laura worked as an urban planner in Brazil, first in a city government entity overseeing mobility projects, and later as an Urban Planner and Project Coordinator at one of the country’s leading urban design firms. Her expertise in masterplans and large-scale projects is complemented by her master’s studies, which explore the intersection of urbanism and data science.
Laura’s research focuses on integrating data-driven and human-centred approaches to urban development, using digital analysis and citizen participation to inform decision-making. Her award-winning final graduation project, the Urban Regeneration of Campus 1 in Goiânia, Brazil, earned recognition in the 29th Ópera Prima National Competition for Architecture and Urbanism (2017-2018).
Willy Müller is a Spanish-Argentinian architect and urbanist, with a PhD from the Università degli Studi di Genova (UNIGE). He is one of the founders of IAAC, where he created the Urban Sciences Lab. He co-directs the Maestría en Urbanismo Próximo and has led the X-Urban Design Studio of the Master in Advanced Architecture since 2003. Willy has co-authored several books, including Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture and Hipercatalunya.
In 1996, Willy founded WMA – Willy Müller Architects, winning multiple international competitions, including projects in St. Petersburg, the Puerto de Almería, and the Mercabarna Flower Market, which earned the International Real Estate Award for Best Public Services Building in Europe (2010).
From 2011 to 2015, Willy was the CEO of Barcelona Regional Agency, overseeing strategic planning and urban development. He has led major urban projects worldwide, including Dream City in the Dominican Republic, Vitoria Bay in Brazil, Moscow Agglomeration, and the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Master Plan (PDUI).
Ana Gallego is an architectural and urban designer, as well as a researcher at IAAC’s Urban Science Lab, focusing on innovative and sustainable projects at various scales. She was recently recognized as one of the 25 emerging researchers in architecture and urbanism by the Learn, Interact, and Networking in Architecture Programme, a European Union initiative.
Her work has been showcased by institutions such as the New European Bauhaus, the Mostra di Architettura di Venezia, MODEL Festival de Arquitecturas, and Barcelona Architecture Week. Ana has also lectured on urban design at various European universities and is currently collaborating with organisations like the Kosovo Foundation of Architecture, the Timisoara Architecture Biennale, and the Haus Der Architektur Research Lab.
Previously, she worked at prominent architectural and urban planning firms, including AMB – Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, Sol89 Arquitectos, and Pargade Architectes.
Maria Isabel da Rocha Lima is an urban development professional with over seven years of international experience in Brazil, Portugal, The Netherlands and Spain. With a background in architecture and a Master’s degree in Urban Management and Development from the IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Isabel has dedicated her career to fostering spatial justice, equitable urban strategies, and collaborative approaches to city-making.
Currently she works as the Coordinator of the Master in Advanced Urban Planning & Data Analytics (formerly MaCT) at IAAC, where she is also the lead researcher on Urban Communities, with overarching topics such as participatory urban planning, inclusive urban design and spatial justice within the Urban Science Lab.
Iacopo Neri conducts research at the intersection of architecture, computer science, and urban planning. He holds a Master of Science in Architecture with Distinction from the Polytechnic University of Milan and completed the Master in City and Technology (currently Master in Advanced Urban Planning & Data Analytics) at IAAC. During the Responsive Cities Symposium (2017, Barcelona), Iacopo presented a paper on Swarm Intelligence for crowd-based analysis.
Since 2015, he has been a teaching assistant at the University of Florence, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and currently at IAAC, where he is part of the City and Technology computational research team. Iacopo also works as a computational designer at External Reference Architecture Bureau in Barcelona.
Mauro Izarra is a Venezuelan Architect, with a Master’s Degree in “Urbanismo Próximo” from IAAC. He is currently the Urban Sciences Lab Assistant for the Coordination of the Lab’s Master courses.
He teaches at Universidad Simón Bolívar in Caracas, Venezuela, in the course “Digital Expression” displaying the use of different softwares for architectural and urban design.
Mauro’s research focuses on the representation of architecture through digital virtual space and how its potential is a clue to research the past, present and future of cities. His work is based on a dynamic of human-machine cooperation, as the use of technology, data and analysis can lead to accurate interventions on urban settlements.
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