Master in Advanced Architecture

rof Mark Burry AO FRAIA FTSE is a registered architect and the Founding Director for Swinburne University of Technology’s Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI). His role is to lead the development of a whole-of-university research approach to ‘urban futures’, helping ensure that our future cities anticipate and meet the needs of all – smart citizens participating in the development of smart cities.

Mark Burry is a practising architect who has published internationally on two main themes: putting theory into practice with regard to procuring ‘challenging’ architecture, and the life, work and theories of the architect Antoni Gaudí. He has been Senior Architect to the Sagrada Família Basilica Foundation since 1979, pioneering distant collaboration with his colleagues based on-site in Barcelona concluding in late 2016.

Recent publications include an edited 4-volume 1,600-page collection of papers setting out the grounds for Digital Architecture as a critical concept, including a 9,000-word introduction to the set with accompanying introductions to each volume (Routledge – Taylor & Francis, March 2020), and an edition of AD titled ‘Urban Futures – Designing the Digitalised City’ (Wiley, May-June, 2020).

Alexandre Duboris an architect and researcher integrating new technologies to improve how we build and live in cities. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture & Engineering from EAVT & ENPC (France) and a Master’s in Architecture from IAAC (Spain), specialising in robotic fabrication and large-scale additive manufacturing (FabBot 3.0). Alexandre is also a licensed architect (HMONP) in France and has worked in various architectural firms, including Libeskind, Atenastudio, iDonati, and AREP, from competition to delivery stages. In parallel, he explored coding and scripting through his practice at Collectif277.

Since 2012, Alexandre has been working at IAAC as an expert in digital and robotic fabrication. He currently leads the Robotics Lab and co-directs the postgraduate program in 3D Printing Architecture and the Master in Robotic and Advanced Construction. Alongside IAAC staff, students, and industry partners, he investigates how advancements in materials, digital fabrication, and computational design can create a more efficient, affordable, sustainable, and personalised construction ecosystem.

Chiara Farinea is an Italian architect and urban planner. She holds a PhD in Urban Planning from IUAV (Venice), a Master in Advanced Architecture from IAAC (Barcelona), and an architecture degree from Politecnico di Milano. She also studied at ETSAB (Barcelona) through the Erasmus Programme and has been a member of the Association of Architects of Genova for over ten years.

Chiara’s research focuses on environmental planning and design. She is currently Head of European Projects at IAAC’s Advanced Architecture Group, coordinating several EU-funded projects related to education, research, and sustainable development. She also serves as faculty in IAAC’s educational programs.

Previously, she was a professor of Urban Planning at the Faculty of Architecture of Genoa and co-founded Gr.IN Lab, exhibiting installations at the Venice Arsenale and the Italia-China Art Biennale.

Her past experience includes managing international cooperation and smart city projects at D’Appolonia, where she led the award-winning proposal for the Rome City of Science competition. She has also worked as a Senior Architect at Open Building Research in Genoa and as a Junior Architect at KSP Engel und Zimmermann in Berlin.

Tom Svilans is an architectural designer, design consultant, and researcher, focusing on digital fabrication, materiality, and emerging technologies. He is currently an Assistant Professor at CITA (Centre for IT and Architecture) at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark. His research focuses on digital design across the timber value chain – from forestry to construction – and methods of integrating new imaging and information-communication technologies in the design and fabrication of engineered timber elements. As a consultant, he specialises in the computational modelling, design development, and fabrication coordination of complex timber structures. Tom holds a PhD from the Royal Danish Academy, as part of the EU-funded InnoChain research network. The PhD develops a digitally-augmented material practice for the design and manufacture of large-scale free-form timber structures. It was supported by close collaborations with leading Swiss timber contractor Blumer Lehmann AG and multi-disciplinary Scandinavian architecture practice White Arkitekter. He has presented and published his work internationally.

Tom has taught at a number of academic institutions, among them the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL; the Architectural Association (AA); the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC); and the Royal Danish Academy.

Manja van de Worp is the director of YIP Structural Engineering London, holding Master degrees in Architecture, Structural Engineering and in Emergent Technologies and Design. She is a structural engineer with 15 years professional experience in the Construction Industry focusing on Structure Geometry and Fabrication, while teaching at the RCA, & IAAC. She has worked for Arup in London in the Advanced Geometry Unit and at the Advanced Technology and Research group in ARUP, designing structures with a complex geometry and moveable structures.

Manja has Launched YIP (former NOUS engineering LONDON) in 2013 an engineering consultancy bearing extensive knowledge of advanced structural analysis tools, complex structural systems, materials and fabrication technologies. Current projects involve a FRP shell and a modular steel roof structure. YIP also focuses on structural product design and research based projects, looking at innovative ways to use timber, 3d printing of concrete, searching how materials not conventionally used in structural design and how they could find their way into building engineering.

Rodrigo Aguirre is a Nicaraguan architect based in Barcelona since 2011. He studied architecture at the American University-UAM of Nicaragua and has a master’s degree in advanced architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia-IAAC.

As an architect and researcher, he has specialised in algorithmic design and design engineering applied to new manufacturing technologies such as digital fabrication, robotic fabrication, and 3D printing.

He has more than 8 years of experience in the use of parametric tools and teaching, being an instructor of computational design on different platforms. At the IaaC, his work as a professor/researcher tries to question the relationship between the designer, computer representation, and matter. Seeking in this way, through the development of design processes, to push the limits of form, structure, and space.

His expertise has led him to participate in international workshops in Iran, Russia, Brazil, Egypt, England, and China, as well as in the Versailles Architecture and Landscape Biennial.

He currently works at the architectural firm Mangueras Yvars architects-MYAA as a senior computational design specialist.

Oana Taut is a Romanian architect and computational designer specialised in the field of AI in architecture. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.

Oana is the co-founder and CPO of Infrared City where she leads product efforts with the goal of enabling AI powered environmental simulations as a driver for urban climate resilience. Oana is also a dedicated educator leading studios and seminars on topics related to AI and algorithmic design in various master programs at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.

Her overall professional aim is to design quality space based on objective data, and materialise it in a sustainable wa

Marziah Zad is continuously cultivating an architectural design approach that is positioned at the intersection of investigative, computational design and a celebration of existing narratives related to place and identity. Marziah developed professional experience in Lebanon, Spain, Iran, and West Coast USA before cofounding Ashrafi & Zad Design in 2019. The practice is founded on aspirations rooted in experimental design and construction innovation, with projects ranging from the intimate scale to the territorial. The firm has been awarded multiple distinctions for designed and completed projects.

Marziah has architecture instructional experience at the University of Oregon and San Jose State University in California, USA. As an instructor in practice, much of her teaching is based in research, and her design courses focus on the link between experimental digital design techniques and social empowerment issues. She has also collaborated on various research initiatives, including an extensive Global Justice Project focused on lightweight structures for adaptive refugee housing. This research was funded by a grant from the Savage Endowment for International Relations and Peace.

Through defining geometry as a language of expression that communicates with identity, Marziah takes advantage of her technical experience and personal background to explore how generative design systems can benefit communities. She is committed to finding design solutions that are at once deeply rooted in locality while acknowledging a universal identity in a globalized world.

Alejandro Haiek Coll is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Genova, Man-made Geographies MA Studio Leader at Umeå School of Architecture (UMA), and Affiliate Researcher at RISE and the Arctic Research Center of Umeå University. He is the founder of the Laboratory of Experimental Applied Arts Lab-Pro-Fab and the Laboratory for Planetary Diplomacy.

His research explores planetary ecosystem services for the future, aiming to reorient life existence within established geopolitical territorial control. His project-based practice focuses on social and environmental re-engineering, investigating human geographies and self-governance as political forms of environmental diplomacy and territorial justice. With projects ranging from performances to large-scale public eco infrastructures, Haiek and his laboratory work cooperatively alongside an international and interdisciplinary research network, exploring infrastructural ecosystems and material excess. Their landscape interventions are transformative both socially and politically, from micro to macro scale. The projects open feedback loops between the different levels of knowledge, from designer to builder.

His area of expertise revolves around regenerative projects in fragile natural and social ecosystems, addressing civic deficits, including unrest, poverty, and inequality. His work straddles art, architecture, design, geography, engineering, and performance.

Andrea Balestrini is a landscape architect who studied at the Politecnico di Milano and at the University of Stuttgart. During his studies, he delved into the discipline of landscape planning with a focus on the topics of green infrastructures and sustainable urban drainage systems both in the context of European metropolitan areas and in megacities such as Seoul, Cairo and Lima. In the Peruvian capital, he collaborated with SERPAR (Lima’s Parks Service) and developed his thesis in cooperation with universities and local NGOs.

His professional background includes experiences in the academic field at the University of Stuttgart (Department of Landscape Planning and Ecology, and Department of Urban Planning) and in private firms both in Germany and Italy.

Andrea has been working since 2014 in the LAND Group and is currently Director of Research at LAND Research Lab, a landscape research and innovation think tank involved in major spatial transformation processes, climate adaptation studies and public space activation initiatives. In the course of his career he obtained a diploma in Arboriculture at the Scuola Agraria del Parco di Monza, attended the Terra Institute’s course in Sustainable Development Consulting and the Europa Business School’s Master in Europlanning.

Andrea is currently also Ecological consultant for the Municipality of Merano within the European project JustNature.

Pablo Ros graduated as a Phd architect at ETSAB. He received his Post Professional Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (MSAAD) from the GSAPP at Columbia University in New York. After concluding the Advanced Architectural Research Program (AAR) at Columbia University.

He is the recipient of the Arquia-Fundación de Arquitectos´03, La Caixa’09, Gatsby Arts Foundation´12 and Kinne´12 grants. He has worked for different international practices, most notably Cloud 9 and Foreign Office Architects (FOA). He is Founder of Scanarq and multidisciplinar Ros+Falguera Architectural Office. His work has been awarded by the Mies Van der Rohe, FAD and Think-Space Prizes, amongst others.

Combining academic and professional experience he has been previously teaching at the Architectural Association of London, GSAPP Columbia University and Barnard College of New York.

Jordi Vivaldi is a writer, philosopher and architectural theorist based in Vienna.

PhD Architect (IOUD, Austria) and PhD Philosopher cand. (EGS, Switzerland), Jordi is the author of the forthcoming book Limit-Space: Agency and Form in a Xenological World (Actar Publishers, 2021). His areas of research include 20th and 21st century’s theory of experimental architecture, art and technology, as well as various forms of Speculative Realism and New Materialism. His current field of investigation orbits around the notion of “limit” together with associated terms such as “finitude”, “determination” and “reduction”, both in its philosophical and architectural registers.

Jordi’s philosophical work focuses on constructing an ontology of limits within the framework of Speculative Realism, articulating the limit as an ontological territory of differential sameness and auto-referential difference. From an architectural perspective, Jordi’s research focuses on instrumentalizing the limit as a space of notational abundance associated with composite forms of agency.

Jordi is currently working as theory faculty and researcher in several international universities such as IaaC in Barcelona, UCL Bartlett in London, IOUD in Innsbruck and PROPUR in Buenos Aires. Besides his curatorial tasks as editor in chief of the architectural magazine IaaC Bits, his work has crystallised in several articles, essays and lectures. Jordi is also the co-author of the book The Threefold Logic of Advanced Architecture (Barcelona: Actar Publishers, 2020).

Mireia Luzárraga is co-founder of TAKK, an architecture and design studio based in Barcelona. Their projects investigate how architecture can catalyse the development of more democratic lives through the incorporation of feminist thought, ecology and politics in spatial practices. Takk co.fouders are currently professors at GSAPP, Columbia University, the University of Tokyo, and the IAAC, Institute of Architecture Advance of Catalonia. Their work is part of the collection of the Frac Center Val-De-Loire. Some of their remarkable distinctions are the FAD award, the COAM award and the “Temps de les Arts” award.

Angel Muñoz is a Programmer from La Rioja in Spain. Passionate about art, science, music and retro-futurism, he started programming (self-taught) at the early age of 9.

In 2001 he moved to Barcelona where he began to work in international advertising agencies (EURO RSCG and Doubleyou). He also worked in the interactivity and multimedia departments for brands like Coca-Cola, AUDI, Danone, SEAT, Adolfo Dominguez, and more, winning various prizes in international advertising festivals such as Cannes, El Sol, among others.

In 2006, looking to extend the digital world to the physical world, he began developing an interest in open hardware and studied Electronic Product Design obtaining a Higher Vocational Training Qualification. He then began collaborating with the Hangar Medialab.

Since then he has also been collaborating on various projects, also with IAAC and the Fab Lab Barcelona Pro team, including The machine to be another, Omnipresenz, First Vision, Smart Citizen.

Andrea Graziano is an architect and computational designer, member and co-founder of Co-de-iT – Computational Design Italy, currently engaged in teaching international workshops about computational design, digital tools and robotic fabrication in architectural design, lecturing and consultancy work. Andrea is member and co-founder of digifabTURINg, a research cluster focused on digital fabrication, computation, robotics and material research applied in the field of architecture, design & art. Andrea acts as an active catalyst through his intense activity of social networking of the paradigm-shift in the fields of architectural research, computation and science. A ‘digital explorer’ and ‘knowmad’ aiming to research, curate and envision the rapid evolution of science, technology, art and philosophy, their possible convergence and tooling into design and architecture.

Davide Rovera is an Entrepreneurship Lecturer and Startup Mentor, with international experience in the consulting and industrial industries as well as the b2b SaaS and growth spaces.

Davide is a Lecturer at the Department of Strategy and General Management at Esade Business School, where he teaches Entrepreneurship and Product Management courses both at the undergrad and graduate level. He is the co-founder and Manager of eWorks, Esade’s venture creation program, which provides support to students and recent graduates working on the creation of high growth companies. He’s an adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship for IAAC and Porto Business School, and an Advisor to Feat Ventures and Fondazione CRT. He’s the Managing Partner of Kili Ventures.

From 2017 to 2019 he collaborated with Fusion Point, a project created in partnership between Esade, UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalunya) and IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) and part of the Design Factory Global Network. He has been part of the founding team of Fusion Point, then covered the role of Industry Collaboration Manager.

Davide is particularly interested in supporting early stage ventures, especially at the intersection between technology, design and business with a particular focus on AI, Education and Web3. He is an investor and advisor to multiple early stage startups in different industries.

Davide is a volunteer for the Startup Africa Roadtrip program, supporting sub saharan African entrepreneurs.

Before joining Esade, he worked as a Consultant in the Business Development and Special Projects area of CNH Industrial, one of the world’s largest capital goods companies. He acquired international startup experience by leading the US Business Development efforts in San Francisco for an Italian startup, Vivocha and co-created an incubator for web 2.0 projects, Treatabit.

He holds a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management from Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and completed his studies at RWTH Aachen (Germany) and Kent University (UK).

Nico Schouten joins Metabolic as the team lead of the Built Environment team. He focuses on the implementation of circular principles and systems-thinking in building projects. He works with architects to create clear frameworks on how to design and realise the circular buildings of the future.

While undertaking a Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and the Built environment at the TU Delft, Nico became interested in using what he was learning to build a more sustainable world. This led him to further research the concept of systems thinking, and how to implement circular strategies in his designs.

Nico has worked on a wide range of building projects, focused on urban natural ecologies, waste systems, renewable energy, and happy and healthy communities in different geographies.

His background as an architect, coupled with his experience in collaborative urban design processes and systems thinking, allows him to integrate knowledge on ecological impacts with creative solutions that engage novel technologies and are sensitive to social issues.

Oriol Carrasco is a PhD architect from Barcelona and a senior fabrication expert at IAAC, with extensive expertise in composite manufacturing. He currently teaches in the Master in Advanced Architecture (MAA) and 3D Printing Architecture (3DPA) programs. Since 2013, Oriol has co-led the Design with Nature research line and teaches in the Metabolic Introductory Studio.

With a career spanning since 2005, Oriol has combined teaching with professional work in the engineering and architectural fields, collaborating with major firms on projects across Europe and South America. He is passionate about computational design, prototyping real-scale mock-ups, and exploring novel fabrication methods.

Nuria is a post-doctoral researcher at Complex Systems Laboratory at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in the PRBB. She holds a major in Biology and a engineering in informatics and performed her research thesis about Biocomputation, that it is at the interface of both fields. Nuria teaches biology for architects, artist and designers of IAAC, Elisava or Massana universities and is a founder member of the DIYBioBcn, the first biohacking group of Spain.

Jonathan Minchin is a multidisciplinary designer and architect, working between the built environment, digital fabrication with a particular focus on rural contexts. He founded the Green Fab Lab at Valldaura Labs, IAAC Campus in Barcelona in 2013 and is currently the Project Manager of an EU Horizon 2020 program that develops tools for Climate Resilient Agriculture. (ROMI, Robotics for Microfarms.) He founded ‘Open Source Beehives’ in 2015 and directs the research organisation ‘Ecological Interaction’.

In the field ‘International Cooperation, Sustainable Emergency Architecture’ he has worked on housing and development projects alongside ‘UN habitat’ in Barcelona, ‘Habitat for Humanity’ in Costa Rica, ‘UNESCO’ in Cuba and with ‘Basic Initiative’ in Tunisia. He holds a particular interest in appropriate technology and local manufacturing. His writing on “Geographic referencing for Technology Transfer” was published in the book “Reflections on Development and Cooperation”. He has studied and taught in the Fab Academy, Bio Academy and set up the Zero Series workshops in Biology, Agro Ecology and Forestry. He has co-founded the Open Lab platform for technology transfer.

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.

Shyam Francesco Zonca is a product designer, who focuses on creating truly durable and richly detailed goods within the creative process.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Politecnico di Milano and with two academic experiences in Brazil and Portugal, and a Master of Science in Product Design for Innovation.

Since he moved to Spain in 2017 he has been working with digital manufacturing in the academic area, IED and IAAC; and in projects that integrate digital technologies with handcrafted finishes.

In Milan and Rio de Janeiro he worked as Creative and Project Manager in different areas of design, including products, furniture, digital fabrication, events and visual merchandising. Following this line, he has executed not only creation works, but also collaborated with craftsman and production control.

Nikol Kirova is an interdisciplinary Bulgarian architect with an educational background in interior design, urban planning, and advanced architecture. Currently, Nikol is a teaching assistant and a researcher at IAAC, developing her PhD with a focus of her research is the integration of material innovation in design and architecture, as part of the IAAC-SWIN offshore PhD program, developed with the Swinburne University of Technology.

The common feature of her work is the search for alternative solutions for optimised construction, material informed design, and spatial communication. Her research interest lies in investigating how materiality in architecture and construction can be reestablished and propose better communication between the built environment and its inhabitants.

For a couple of years Nikol was developing Synapse, a smart material system for real-time urban flow data collection toward responsive environments and informed decision making. The novel research was awarded the Digital Matter and Intelligent Construction and the Artificially and Materially Intelligent Architecture excellence awards in 2018 and 2019.

Fiona Demeur is an architectural designer passionate about working with nature to find architectural solutions for cities and rethinking architectural education. She currently works as the project manager for Erasmus+ EU projects at IAAC’s Advanced Architecture Group, contributing to several EU-funded research initiatives. Fiona also teaches across IAAC’s Master programs, focusing on seminars related to start-up education, nature-based solutions, and research methodologies for second-year thesis development.

Fiona has been involved with two start-ups: eiria, developed during IAAC’s BUILDs program, and add.apt, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Both start-ups merge sustainable solutions with technological strategies.
She holds a BSc in Architecture from the University of Bath (2018), a Passivhaus Designer certification (2018), and a Master’s in Advanced Architecture (MAA02) from IAAC (2020), where she focused on food circularity, nature-based solutions, and living systems.
Her involvement in EU-funded projects includes Urban Shift, Green Skills for Cities, CoCoon, and CiD.

Ricardo Mayor Luque holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid and a Master’s in Advanced Architecture from IAAC, specialising in digital and robotic fabrication.

Graduating in 2012 with awards for both his academic performance and final project, Ricardo is one of the four founders of Design of Architectural Territories (DAT Pangea), which won the Best Young Architects in Europe prize for sustainable construction, awarded by the LafargeHolcim Foundation.

His professional experience spans architectural and engineering offices in Madrid, Ljubljana, Paris, and Barcelona, where he has collaborated on renowned international projects with architects such as Frank Gehry, Kengo Kuma, and OMA.

Ricardo’s research focuses on design, fabrication, and politics, with a particular interest in addressing social issues through his professional and academic work.

Valentino Tagliaboschi is an architect and building engineer passionate about digital fabrication technologies for the AEC industry. He currently works as a Digital and Robotic Fabrication Expert at IAAC.

Valentino graduated from the University of Pisa in 2020 with a thesis on the design and robotic fabrication of the HexBox Canopy—a rapid assembly timber shell structure. This project, developed with an international research team from the University of Kaiserslautern and the University of Sydney, led to a conference paper that won the Tsuboi Award for the most outstanding paper at the IASS Annual Symposium 2020/21.

Following his graduation, Valentino worked at Matter Make in Malta, where he focused on the engineering and fabrication of complex architectural and interior design projects. He utilised computational design methods and digital manufacturing processes, including robotic and CNC milling, 3D printing, and laser cutting.

Marielena Papandreou is a designer with technical, manufacturing and academic background. She holds a MArch (Hons) in Design for Manufacture from the Bartlett School of Architecture which led her to a Lectureship position in Numerical Manufacturing in UCL. Her specialisation lies in parametric production pipelines and robotic fabrication and she has been responsible for the delivery of various projects with a focus on computational design, automated workflows and electronics. Moreover, she has been a design tutor in the MArch Design for Manufacture with focus on sustainable, value engineered solutions for the construction industry.

By leveraging algorithmic pathways and digital fabrication her research involves the practical, procedural and economic drivers behind the materialisation of building products. She studied Architecture & Engineering in the National Technical University of Athens and in the Escola Tècnica superior d’arquitectura de Barcelona, UPC. Finally, she has worked in two international practices in Amsterdam (SeARCH and Equipe) where she gained valuable knowledge on how leading Dutch architectural firms work with regard to BIM frameworks.

Cristian Rizzuti is an interactive media artist based in Barcelona and Rome. He graduated in Visual and Multimedia Art and completed the M-IA Master at IUAV University of Venice, specialising in interactive immersive environments.

Cristian has exhibited his work at major European events and venues, including Sonar Barcelona, MAXXI museum in Rome, Venice Biennale, and ZKM museum in Karlsruhe. Drawing inspiration from science and mathematics, his work explores human perception and the creation of synesthetic spaces, combining emotional soundscapes with physical experiences.

His installations, influenced by digital arts, live media, and interactive experiments, are often described as light sculptures.

Eugenio Bettucchi is a civil engineer with a degree in Building Engineering & Architecture from Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna (IT). He developed his thesis focusing on robotic material deposition based on real-time feedback. Actually he is senior designer at Noumena, his interests and skills lie in computational design and digital fabrication. He is part of the IaaC team assisting students in MRAC (master in Robotic and Advanced Construction) and OTF (Open Thesis Fabrication) master programme. He is also involved in the ROMI project (Robotics for Micro Farming) contributing to the development of autonomous aerial solutions.

Sebastian Amorelli is a Uruguayan architect graduated with honours from ORT University in Montevideo, Uruguay with a Masters in Advanced Architecture from IAAC.

Sebastian is the Head of Computational design at External Reference Architects where he specialises in the development of complex geometries through parametric design and digital fabrication. His current research focuses on the development of parametric processes that are able to translate complex systems into design and the fabrication techniques needed to materialise them. His projects have been recognized by different publications, being featured in A+D, Designboom and the Architecture Research Journal of Architecture in Uruguay.

He is also the Tutor of Parametric Tools for the Masters in Experiential Interior Design at LCI Barcelona.

Stasya Fedorova is a Machine Learning Engineer currently working at H&M Group. She has a combined background of Computer Science and Architecture and Urban Planning, having studied those at Politecnico di Milano. Specialization: computer vision, 3D, computer graphics, automation, software engineering. Stasya’s interest lies in optimization and automation of work processes with the use of applied machine learning and computer vision

Serjoscha is a PhD Candidate in the City Intelligence at the Austrian Institute of Technology in Vienna. He teaches at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, the Bauhaus University in Weimar and the University of applied arts Vienna.
Before joining the AIT, he studied economics and china studies at the university of Hamburg and Integrated Urban Development and Design at the Bauhaus University Weimar and Tongji University Shanghai.
His research interest lies in cities as complex systems and the interplay of spatial configurations with socio-economic patters of self organization. For his PhD he focuses on developing integrated workflows for performance driven urban design and simulation.

Serjoscha is interested in applying spatial data analysis with simulation methods in the realm of performance driven urban planning and design with a particular interest in the intersection of top?down driven development and evolutionary city growth.

Daniil Koshelyuk is a computational designer, creative coder, and architect holding a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Advanced Architecture (MAA02) from IAAC. Daniil has been working with interactive installations, merging physical computing and computational design tools; mixed reality projects in a range of applications from product design to urban analysis; and teaching and assisting seminars and workshops in computational design, physical computing, and mixed reality.

In his career, Daniil has been exploring situations where, in a broad sense of the words, physical and digital layers intersect. His interests centre around creating smarter, more responsive, and interactive environments by digitally enhancing architecture, creating tools for unconventional interactivity, and managing and designing complex systems.

Firas is a leading practitioner whose work spans architecture, urbanism, design, Ecology, and neurotechnology. He coined “Electrical Ecologies” and aims at designing the first ‘architecture brain implant’.

With the mission to redefine the spatial design discourse, Firas is the founder and executive strategist at Spatial Forces, a next-gen spatial design practice operating across scales and media, from the microcontroller to the territory.

His professional involvement goes beyond design, to strategy, writing, community building, and academia. He is the Chief Architect at Gamium, Founder and Creative Strategist at Urbanitarian, author at UrbanNext, and Chapter lead at NeurotechBCN, the Barcelona chapter of NeurotechX.

He holds a bachelor’s in Architecture from the University of Balamand through the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts and a post-professional master’s degree from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya through the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and certifications from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT on Smart Mobility and Emerging Design and Technologies beyond Smart Cities.

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).

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.

Jasser Salas is a Peruvian architect with an Italian degree in architecture and a Master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). His expertise lies at the intersection of Urban Ecologies, Design, Big Data, and Digital Fabrication.

Currently Jasser works as an architect and urban designer at the studio oik, aiming to re-design public space, support local economies and foster ecological balance through the field of architecture.

Andrea Conserva is an Italian architect, building engineer, and researcher. He currently serves as the EU Project Manager at the Advanced Architecture Group at IAAC in Barcelona, where he coordinates and contributes to various EU R&D projects focused on urbanism and sustainability.

Andrea holds a Master of Science in Architectural Engineering from the Politecnico of Milan (2013) and began his career as a technical researcher and project manager at the Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE) in Zaragoza, Spain. There, he managed several EU-funded projects, including FP7 and H2020, and gained expertise in energy efficiency and sustainable building modelling, simulation, and assessment.

His research explores how design, advanced technologies, and innovation can help architects and urbanists create more livable and efficient cities.

Dídac Pérez currently leads video production at Videocation.es, an e-learning platform and has over 10 years of experience in the filmmaking industry, including roles as Senior Video Producer, Filmmaking Lecturer, and Audiovisual and Social Media Officer at the European Parliament, he specialises in producing high-quality visual content that enhances user engagement, supports business growth, and effectively communicates complex ideas through digital outreach.

Lora Fahmy is an architect and computational designer specialising in the design of tall and supertall buildings. A former student of the Master in Advanced Computation for Architecture and Design at IAAC, she has worked on projects across Asia, the US, and even space-related initiatives.

Her professional focus lies in integrating advanced technological tools with architecture to create a sustainable built environment. Currently, her work centres on data analysis, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and user experience (UX) to design more efficiently, sustainably, and consciously.

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.

Antoine Jaunard is a graphic/software/hardware designer and developer from Brussels (BE) based in Barcelona (ES). He is passionate about low technology, home-made tools, electronic music, art, and how to bring it all together. He studied art and graphic design at the École de Recherche Graphique (ERG) in Brussels, where he learned how to learn, how to hack systems, how to find the right tone to communicate with others. He then ran a web design studio called Variable, where he focused on creating his own custom tools to remain task-specific, lightweight and versatile in response to client needs.

Dídac Torrent is an industrial engineer and product designer from Barcelona, with extensive experience in digital fabrication and rapid prototyping. He holds a BA in Industrial Design and Product Development Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and a Master in Design for Emergent Futures from Fab Lab Barcelona (IAAC) and ELISAVA.
In recent years, Dídac has worked at LaMáquina by Noumena, Ateneu de Fabricació de Nou Barris, and as a Precious Plastics researcher. He currently serves as Fabrication Lab Manager and Assistant at IAAC, where he also teaches and assists in various seminars and workshops.
Passionate about overseeing projects from ideation to final fabrication, Dídac is a strong advocate of collaborative work. His projects are driven by a social mission, aiming to develop functional and meaningful ideas that benefit others.

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.

Tim Bruder  is a designer, architect, and researcher working with complex geometries, biomaterials, and living matter. He holds a Master’s degree from the Computation in Architecture studio at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Before joining IAAC as a design and fabrication expert on the EU Project Team, he worked at CITA, contributing to several research projects and exhibitions.
Tim’s work bridges research with industrial production and speculative scenarios, integrating complex design systems in both materials and geometry. His projects include the development of 3D-printed urban furniture exhibited in Barcelona, studies on biophotovoltaic batteries powered by algae and plants, a 3D-printed bone glue panelling system, and exploring plant roots as architectural-scale composite materials.
He has led workshops at CITA and the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on conceptual development and visual representation of new material ecologies, incorporating natural processes like decay and growth.

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.

Secil Afsar graduated from Koc University’s Chemical and Biological Engineering department in 2016. She worked as a process development engineer at an H2020-funded biotechnology company, focusing on generating enzyme mixes from microorganisms for hydrolysis experiments on paper sludge waste. Her work contributed to biogas production and green technology, including using hydrolyzed paper sludge as a cement substitute in mortar. Secil also participated in H2020 SME applications and was a Cleantech Open Global finalist.

Driven by her interest in sustainable environments, Secil earned a Master’s in Biodigital Architecture from the International University of Catalonia. During her studies, she interned at Fab Lab Barcelona, worked on European projects like Foodshift and Siscode, and was part of the Remix el Barrio team, which won the Grand Prize for Innovative Collaboration at Ars Electronica.

Secil now teaches as an Associate Professor at UIC Barcelona, focusing on 3D printing with biocomposites, while pursuing her doctoral degree. She also works as a fabrication laboratory assistant at IAAC, specialising in robotic fabrication and biomaterials for design. She has co-authored several book chapters and academic articles throughout her career.

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.

Aleyna Gültekin is an architect, researcher, and designer from Turkey with a Master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from IAAC, Barcelona. She earned her BSc in Architecture with Honours from TOBB University of Economy and Technology in Ankara. Aleyna’s professional interests span sustainability, digital fabrication, robotics, machine learning, and material intelligence.

After graduating, she founded NERA ECO CONSTRUCTION, a startup revolutionising the construction industry through bio-based materials, energy efficiency, and carbon sequestration.

Currently, she works as a Junior Project Manager and Researcher at the Advanced Architecture Group of IAAC, contributing to EU-funded projects. Her recent research focuses on upscaling bio-based and upcycled materials, digital fabrication, bio-photovoltaic microbial cells, and nature-based solutions to create environmentally conscious architecture.

Neslihan Gülhan is an architectural designer with a passion in nature-based solutions and 3D prototyping. She has completed her Bachelor’s (Honours) in Architecture degree at University of Westminster in 2019. After graduation she started working at NODE Architects, in Istanbul, where she was involved in project management of the graphics team for competition projects of different scales. She recently graduated from the Masters in Advanced Architecture programme at IAAC where her research focuses on air particles and urban greenery. Her thesis aims to design a framework which is used for an agent-based modelling algorithm to design a growth pattern for the urban vegetation to bring new strategies to particles in air and urban design.

Rebecca Rudolph: Master’s degree in architecture and urban design from Umeå School of Architecture, Sweden. Guest teacher in BA Studio 3: The City as a Laboratory / Architectural Experiments in the North at UMA. Project coordinator in Lab.Pro.Fab. Researcher in the Laboratory of Planetary Diplomacy. Her research field investigates the relation between Nomadic Cultures and Pneumatic Systems, translating traditional and contemporary knowledge into lightweight hybrid technologies, enabling minimal footprints in fragile contexts.

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.

Pit Siebenaler is an architect with a degree from La Cambre Horta in Brussels and a Master’s in Robotics and Advanced Construction from IAAC. At IAAC, Pit specialised in integrating sensing workflows with robotic manufacturing to repurpose waste wood, promoting sustainable building practices. Currently, Pit serves as a research assistant at IAAC, supporting the Master’s program in Robotics and Advanced Construction.

Matteo Ferrari is a strategic designer and place-maker passionate about community engagement and urban regeneration. He currently works as a Junior Project Manager for Horizon EU projects within the Advanced Architecture Group at IAAC, contributing to research on mobility, circular economy, and gamification in various EU-funded projects.

Matteo earned his BSc in Management of Creative Industries from Bocconi University in Milan (2017) and completed his MSocSc in Strategic Design and Entrepreneurship (2021), with a focus on circular urban systems.

He has been involved in diverse initiatives, including a climate education start-up focused on gamification and a cultural festival. His contributions to EU-funded projects include P2Green and Elaborator.

Dimitra Gavriela Roumelioti is an architect and designer who graduated from the National Technical University of Athens. She is an alumna of the IAAC’s MAA02 program, class of 2024, and currently works as a computational designer in Barcelona. Her passion lies at the intersection of architecture and technology, with a particular focus on computation and parametric design.