The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) is pleased to announce that Valladaura Labs has received an Honorable Mention at the 2023 REGEN Award. The REGEN Award aims to acknowledge the outstanding contributions to social and environmental impacts in the fields of architecture, urban planning and the development of new forms of coexistence in different spaces.
Photo Adrià Goula
The REGEN Award, promoted by Triodos Bank, recognizes efforts that promote regeneration in the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, and the development of original layouts for occupancy in multiple settings. These consist of educational, residential, cultural, commercial, agroecological, and tourist environments to name a few.
The Valldaura Labs, located in the Collserola Natural Park, is a project promoted by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia for the creation of a self-sufficient habitat research center. By focusing on a circular economy, ecological design, and social design it continues to push the limits of co-creating and incorporating educational methodologies. Since 2018 the Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities is an immersive postgraduate programme for students from all over the world. The mantra of “learn-by-living” allows students to be part of an immersive experience, as the goal is to develop human activities in harmony with the environment and society. In participating in this programme they have the opportunity to be part of several aesthetic experimental projects like Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis (FLORA).
Innovation, immersion, and aspiration to create new forms to aid the environment continues. Next year, as the MAEBB expands, Valldaura Labs will foster local, state and international collaborations to secure funding for a Horizon Europe project addressing wood-based decarbonisation pathways to renovate the built environment, thereby leading to innovative actions with a global impact.