This programme is designed for architects, urban designers, engineers and design oriented profiles eager to explore computational and sustainable design. Students should have a strong interest in architectural and urban innovation as well as on emerging technologies.
CIEE Global Architecture & Design
Shaping the Future of Cities Through Innovation and Design
Why CIEE?
The CIEE Global Architecture & Design Programme fosters a new generation of architects and designers ready to shape the future. By combining advanced digital tools with sustainability principles, students will develop groundbreaking solutions for urban environments. Hands-on workshops, cutting-edge research, and access to world-class facilities ensure an unparalleled educational experience.
Programme Structure
Formats
CIEE
Future Cities Design Studio (6 ECTS)
This studio explores the relationship between cities, technology, and citizens, focusing on how emerging design strategies like algorithmic and computational design can reshape architecture. Through speculative design and experimentation, students will develop innovative solutions for urban challenges, integrating technology, sustainability, and insights from fields like computer science, ecology, and social sciences.
Science, Engineering & Technology Workshop (3 ECTS)
A hands-on approach to digital fabrication, and design for manufacturing methods. Students translate digital models into real-world prototypes within a fully equipped laboratory of digital fabrication including equipment of laser cutters, CNC milling machine & 3D printers.
Future Cities Seminar (3 ECTS)
This course examines global urban issues, from climate change to the evolution of modern cities, and explores the role of architects in shaping sustainable futures. It will address key challenges such as suburban sprawl, demographic shifts, environmental degradation, and social inequalities, highlighting how architects can contribute to more resilient and equitable urban environments.
Technical Skills
In this program, you’ll gain both hands-on design skills and a deeper understanding of the future of cities. Key technical skills include:
Student profile
Coordinators & Faculty
Kevin Matar
CIEE Academic Coordinator
Kevin Matar is an architect, urbanist, and environmentalist. He studied at l’Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts in Beirut and completed a Master’s in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities at IAAC in Barcelona. His research has focused on construction waste, natural materials, and mycelium. As an activist, he has worked on environmental projects with NGOs, communities, and companies in Lebanon.
Currently based in Barcelona, Kevin coordinates the second year of the Master in Advanced Architecture and the CIEE – Global Architecture & Design Programme at IAAC. He was part of the team that led theOtherDada’s expansion from architecture into urban afforestation, turning what began as pro-bono work into a core part of the business.
A member of Recycle Lebanon since 2017, Kevin has contributed to campaigns like “Break Free from Plastic” in the Dive into Action program. In 2021, he served as a data outreach consultant for Regenerate Hub, and he is now the lead architect of Terrapods Green Fab Lab in Lebanon.
Kevin Matar
CIEE Academic Coordinator
Kevin Matar
MAA02 & CIEE Coordinator / Timber Architecture Faculty (he/him)
Kevin Matar is an architect, urbanist, and environmentalist. He studied at l’Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts in Beirut and completed a Master’s in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities at IAAC in Barcelona. His research has focused on construction waste, natural materials, and mycelium. As an activist, he has worked on environmental projects with NGOs, communities, and companies in Lebanon.
Currently based in Barcelona, Kevin coordinates the second year of the Master in Advanced Architecture and the CIEE – Global Architecture & Design Programme at IAAC. He was part of the team that led theOtherDada’s expansion from architecture into urban afforestation, turning what began as pro-bono work into a core part of the business.
A member of Recycle Lebanon since 2017, Kevin has contributed to campaigns like “Break Free from Plastic” in the Dive into Action program. In 2021, he served as a data outreach consultant for Regenerate Hub, and he is now the lead architect of Terrapods Green Fab Lab in Lebanon.
Faculty Name
Position
Daniel Sorial
CIEE Faculty
Daniel Sorial is an architect and a computational designer with a background in conventional and parametric architecture. He graduated in Architecture and Building Technology from the German University in Cairo (GUC) holding a Master of Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).
He has studied and practised the field of computational design for more than 7 years, recently focusing on Neuroscience and algorithmic design.
He currently works as a Computational Designer at External Reference, and Leading Future Cities Design Studio at IAAC / CIEE.
Víctor Engelhard Suárez
CIEE Faculty Assitant
Víctor Engelhard Suárez is a computational designer from Munich whose interdisciplinary work lies between architecture and artificial intelligence. With a Master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), he explored the application of generative AI in architectural design processes during his thesis.
Currently, he is a faculty assistant at IAAC and has previously tutored in the Designing Future Realities postgraduate program in Innsbruck (UIBK), teaching AR app development for spatial experiences. As a guest speaker, he taught master classes on AI as a design tool at the LCI Barcelona.
Akshay Madapura
Advanced Computation Faculty (he/his)
Akshay Madapura is a Computational Design Specialist and Architect from India, with a strong foundation in advanced digital technologies and their application in architecture. He is a graduate of the Master in Advanced Architecture at IAAC, where he has played a key role in numerous projects and seminars that explore the integration of digital tools with physical design processes.
His areas of expertise include algorithmic design, machine learning, computer vision, interaction design, and robotic fabrication. Akshay’s primary focus is on applying data-driven algorithms to real-world architectural challenges, aiming to create innovative, efficient, and sustainable design solutions.
With a passion for advancing computational methodologies, Akshay is committed to driving the evolution of architecture through the informed use of technology, pushing the limits of how data and algorithms can shape the future of design.
Sheikh Rizvi Riaz
Fabrication Assistant (he/him)
Sheikh Rizvi Riaz is an architect and researcher focused on data-driven design and digital fabrication processes across scales. His work explores innovative building technologies based on additive manufacturing strategies. Sheikh holds a Master’s in Advanced Architecture and a Postgraduate degree in Large Scale Additive Manufacturing, both from IAAC.
He has been actively involved in various applied research projects, with a focus on developing new design tools, computation, and robotics to automate the production of design models and assist in the fabrication of finished constructions.
Shrey Kapur
Future Cities Design Studio Computational Support Assistant Faculty
Gabriel Wosiack Teixeira
Science, Engineering & Technology Workshop Assistant Faculty
Gabriel Wosiack Teixeira is an architect, focusing on digital fabrication techniques and exploring possibilities with timber from the product to the construction scale. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture & Urbanism from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and a Master’s in Advanced Architecture (MAA02) from IAAC.
With a varied experience in multiple disciplines of design, from skateparks to graphic design and great interest in woodworking and DIY guerrilla urban projects, his Master’s thesis explored the possibilities of non intrusive structural elements in the built environment as a tool for community engagement.
Mariano Gomez-Luque
Head of Curatorial Projects
Mariano Gomez-Luque is the Head of Curatorial Projects and Professor of Urban Theory and Design at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), co-director of FORMA, an office for general architecture based in Córdoba, Argentina, and an affiliated researcher at the Urban Theory Lab in the University of Chicago.
His research explores the intersections among the design disciplines, critical urban theory, and science fiction studies, with an emphasis on the status and potential of architectural production under conditions of planetary urbanization. Mariano holds a Doctor of Design (2019) and a Master of Architecture (2013) from Harvard GSD.
Jasser Sallas
Future Cities Seminar Assistant
Latest news – Student life
IAAC at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
IAAC – Advanced Architecture Barcelona presents a diverse selection of projects at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025—exploring regenerative architecture, circular material systems, and social impact through advanced design and technology.
CORA: Robotic Craftsmanship in Timber Vaults
CORA is a full-scale timber vault developed at IAAC, exploring robotic fabrication, material ecology and vernacular construction systems through architectural prototyping.
IAAC Alumni Dialogues: How a Master’s Journey Becomes a Life Path
What starts as a master’s project becomes a long-term shift in perspective. Five IAAC alumni reflect on learning, identity and future practice.
