IAAC GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2024

The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) opens the doors to a new edition of the Global Summer School (GSS), novel onsite and online programme creating a common platform for students all over the world with IAAC network of experts and renowned lecturers in the main educational experience of summer 2024.

For more than 14 years, IAAC faculties and students have been working side by side both physically and digitally, with the aim of fostering knowledge sharing and expertise exchange with a global learning academy for architects, engineers, designers and innovators.

This summer, IAAC proposes a modular workshops model for the GSS,  aiming to enhance hands-on experience at IAAC Barcelona while maintaining its digital routes within an agile online format. GSS24 comprises 4 workshops focussing on the latest digital tools and softwares toward the exploration of Bamboo architecture & fabrication, computational & environmental design, digital data & urban analytics and artificial intelligence for architecture.

Over the years, GSS programmes has represented a celebration of forward-looking education, inviting participants to define a new paradigm of Advanced Architecture at different scales. GSS learning objectives promote the investigation of new design solutions, architectures and tools, empowering participants in becoming change makers in such an evolving world and society.

Thanks to its dynamic format, GSS participants can trace their own learning journey, by joining a two-week workshop at IAAC or by selecting a single or more online modules taking place in the month of July 2024. GSS courses are led by IAAC faculties and Alumni, looking forward to bringing  participants into immersive workflows, individual projects investigation and development. During the month of July, GSS students will have exclusive access to the Global Lectures, weekly online gatherings featuring experts from the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, relevant to each workshop topic.

This summer, join the IAAC GSS program, choose one or more workshops to become part of the GSS community!

GSS24 WORKSHOPS OVERVIEW

GSS24 ON SITE

Key topics:  parametric tools & softwares, digital fabrication, prototyping.
Location: IAAC Barcelona & Valldaura Labs
– modality: in person course // GSS diploma certificate of completion

SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE here

APPLY HERE

Eligibility. The GSS24 Bamboo at work workshop is open to creative and innovative people who are interested in fields such as architecture, urban planning, digital fabrication, design, arts searching for a multidisciplinary experience in an international environment. No previous skills are required, although CAD design, programming and digital fabrication skills are welcome. The official language of the course is English.

Credits. After the course, participants will have gained theoretical and applicative knowledge about current design, fabrication and urban innovative strategies. They will become familiar with parametric software, data visualisation and the use of digital machines. At the end of the workshop all participants will receive a Global Summer School Diploma certificate of completion.

GSS Bamboo workshop fee is 1200€ for early bird offer within 31st May 2024, final application deadline is 24th June. From June the fee is 1500€ and includes all material costs needed for the course. No additional registration fee is required. Flight tickets, accommodation and food are not included in the fee. Each participant should bring his/her own computer with the software installed. Further details about the software will be given to the participants closer to the workshop’s beginning.

Visa. Each participant is responsible to investigate the documents required via the embassies in their country of origin. IAAC can provide an invitation letter regarding the attendance in the course, and will assist where possible in the visa process. You can refer to [email protected] for any further questions.

Accommodation in Barcelona will not be included. IAAC will advise participants providing staying solutions and support. Transportations between IAAC facilities in charge of IAAC. Upon arrival, participants will be equipped with the IAAC students access card and IAAC welcome kit.

ADVANCED STEREOTOMIC   
Computational descriptive geometries

“Stereotomy” is the art and science of cutting three-dimensional solids into particular shapes. Formulated in the 16th–17th century, stereotomy is valuable in contemporary architecture, and research about it continues today in various centers around the world. The reason for this is a sense of constructive rationalisation inherent to the discipline of stereotomy which permits the optimization of structural form through the knowledge of geometry and cutting techniques and to simplify it using advanced technologies and techniques for design and production of building elements.  

The course will focus on the design of shell structures with discretised building blocks for 3d printing technology. With the help of computational design workflows and optimization processes, we will deal with form finding exploration with live physics simulations, FEM analysis and stereotomic subdivision for the production of rationalised interlocking structural elements that can self-support structural loads. 

Learning objectives

  • Understand fundamentals of computational design
  • Be introduced to logical algorithm thinking 
  • Have knowledge of basic concepts of generative design
  • Be capable of generating parameterised processes
  • Learn how to create dynamic modelling and fabrication workflows
  • Learn basic concepts of funicular structures and basic structural analysis methods
  • Learn about  Stereotomic subdivision and voussoirs generation

FACULTY: Rodrigo Aguirre // IAAC Computational Design Expert
FACULTY ASSISTANT: Ashkan Foroughi // IAAC Computational Designer

Full Syllabus & Schedule 

GSS24 ONLINE

Key topics: complex geometry, environmental analysis, machine learning.

– modality: online // GSS diploma certificate of completion

SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE – here

APPLY NOW

Workshop calendar type: each participant will choose to join the workshop following the Synchronous or Asynchronous format. You find more information on the Synchronous and Asynchronous connection time within the course syllabus.
Schedule: Monday to Friday, including the closing Diploma ceremony. Participants will join live lectures, mentoring and practice with exercises and reviews.
Eligibility. The Advanced Computation for Design workshop is open to all applicants with a bachelor degree (also in progress) in any field related to Architecture, Design, Arts and Engineering. Any skills and understanding of parametric tools (Grasshopper) is welcome. CV and portfolio are not required to take part in the workshop.

DESIGN FOR ROBOTICS 
Fabrication through remote controlled robots

Although reusing reclaimed material can significantly reduce the environmental impact in building construction, current design processes are not set up for this shift in thinking. Contrary to conventional practices, designing within the constraints of available material means that geometry and topology cannot be fully pre-determined. What if an industrial robotic arm had to perform different tasks in unknown environments? 

In order to challenge the conventional conceptual framework posed by notational systems, this workshop will focus on the design and fabrication of 2D no-standardised elements, offering the opportunity to develop experience on working with robotic sensor data and integrate the data into the computational design. The students will explore different design intentions through the definition of performance criteria parameters, which are constantly evaluated and adjusted in real-time.  The application generated at the end of the workshop will be the assembly of a mosaic using recycled leftover pieces where the closed-loop system will guide the robotic arm to choose the right piece in each step of the process. Participants will have the unique opportunity to remote control robots in IAAC and will learn about the necessary technology to execute the project while having the possibility to design and make their own assembly processes.

Learning objectives

  • Be introduced to integrated computational design and robotic fabrication
  • Be introduced to robotic fabrication
  • Learn the concepts of sensor feedback and machine vision
  • Learn how to perform online robotic control methods

FACULTY: Soroush Garivani // IAAC Robotic Fabrication Expert
FACULTY: Seyed Mobin Moussavi // TWE and EDEK Robotic Fabrication Expert

Full Syllabus & Schedule 

GSS24 ONLINE

Key topics: digital innovation, participatory design, data analytics, inclusive cities, public space, data driven design.

– modality: online // GSS diploma certificate of completion

SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE – here

APPLY NOW

Workshop calendar type: each participant will choose to join the workshop following the Synchronous or Asynchronous format. You find more information on the Synchronous and Asynchronous connection time within the course syllabus.
Schedule: Monday to Friday, including the closing Diploma ceremony. Participants will join live lectures, mentoring and practice with exercises and reviews.
Eligibility. The Urban Analytics for Participatory Design workshop is open to all applicants with a bachelor degree (or in progress) in any field related to Architecture, Design, Social Sciences, Arts and Engineering. Any skills and understanding of parametric tools (Grasshopper) is welcome. No previous knowledge of scripting is needed. Students need to use their laptop and a list of installable links will be sent a few days before the program starts. CV and portfolio are not required to take part in the workshop.

URBAN ANALYTICS
Understanding cities through big data mapping

Data is everything, and is everywhere. From our social interactions to the way we work, there is not a single moment of our days that isn’t propelled nor generating some sort of data. These bits of information have saturated our cities radically transforming their productive sectors, and are now food for training models and AI, which are promising to drastically alter our perception of society. It became clear that quantity does not stand quality and data ownership, interoperability, scalability, and – more important – objectivity are key topics around which the future is currently being debated. 

These challenges call for designers and creative thinkers to reconsider our interactions with data. They demand innovative solutions that hack the current status quo and switch the paradigm from a mere bits-to-product extraction to a real citizen empowerment. Participants will be introduced to geospatial data analytics with a specific focus on the understanding and representation of urban patterns, following the question of what is the nature of the city through the lens of its services and urban fabric. 

Main tools: Rhinoceros, Grasshopper 3D.

Learning objectives

  • Manipulate and combine data from different data source and data typologies
  • Set up a flexible protocol to analyse different urban contexts in the world
  • Learn the fundamentals of APIs
  • Learn how to creatively represent geospatial data and how to create a web map

FACULTY: Iacopo Neri // IAAC Computational Urban Design Expert
FACULTY: Eugenio Bettucchi // IAAC Engineer & Computational Design Expert

Full Syllabus & Schedule

GSS24 ONLINE

Key topics: sustainable design, regenerative design, AI-driven workflows, stimulation, generative design

– modality: online // GSS diploma certificate of completion

SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE – here

APPLY NOW

Workshop calendar type: each participant will choose to join the workshop following the Synchronous or Asynchronous format. You find more information on the Synchronous and Asynchronous connection time within the course syllabus.
Schedule: Monday to Friday, including the closing Diploma ceremony. Participants will join live lectures, mentoring and practice with exercises and reviews.
Eligibility. The AI for Regenerative Design workshop is open to all applicants with a bachelor degree (or in progress) in any field related to Architecture, Design, Arts, Engineering and understanding of any parametric tools. Participants do not need any prior coding or parametric design knowledge. Getting familiar with Rhino and Grasshopper ahead of the workshop will make progress easier. CV and portfolio are not required to take part in the workshop.

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN   
Computational modelling and simulations

Over the last years, sustainability has become a key topic in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Professionals involved in AEC have the opportunity to impact change within the environment, and thus the responsibility to do so from a standpoint of knowledge and diligent evaluation. Aligned with the necessity for performance-aware design, a growing suite of environmental analysis and simulation tools are developed and readily available within mainstream CAD frameworks. Literacy around environmental data analysis and the ability to use environmental simulation as drivers of the design process is key to the toolset of the emergent architects, urban planners, and decision-makers. This workshop aims to take students through the complete workflow of evidence-based environmental design supported by a generative optimization framework to enable the exploration of vast design spaces.

Starting from the analysis of an existing unused plot or a site selected for rehabilitation, students will formulate the design problem, develop an optimization hypothesis, parametrically explore the wide solution space and propose an optimal solution supported by data. This hands-on investigation will enable students to apply state of the art analytical techniques to complex problems in real context.

Learning objectives

  • Learn key concepts of environmental analysis using parametric tools
  • Understand concepts of multi-objective optimization
  • Understand how to define sustainability goals as measurable design parameters
  • Learn to setup a generative optimization process
  • Be capable to perform multi objective optimization on a parametric model
  • Be able to set out an optimization strategy on a given problem

FACULY: Oana Taut // IAAC Computational Design Expert
FACULY ASSISTANT: Ivan Marchuk // IAAC Computational Designer

Full Syllabus & Schedule

HOW TO APPLY

Are you looking for summer courses focussing on architecture, digital fabrication, computational and environmental design, urban analytics and AI?

In order to register to the Global Summer School, participants need to submit the online application form, where they will be asked to upload their personal details and the workshop(s) choice. No CV or Portfolio is required. The applications are open until the 24th of June 2024 for the in person workshop. For the online workshops the application deadline is the week before each workshop begins:

> Advanced Computation for Design workshop: apply within the 28th June, 6pm (CEST)
> Urban Analytics for Participatory Design workshop: apply within the 5th July, 6pm (CEST)
> AI for Regenerative Design online: apply within the 12th July, 6pm (CEST)

BAMBOO AT WORK

Date: From the 1st July until the 12th July

Apply now 

DIGITAL DATA & URBAN ANALYTICS

Date: From the 8th until the 12th July

Apply now 

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

Date: From the 1st until the 5th July

Apply now

AI FOR ARCHITECTURE

Date: From the 15th until the 19th July

Apply now

Requirements: No previous extensive knowledge is required. Participants will be introduced to the workshops topics, softwares and tools through lectures and reviews.

WORKSHOP FEES

GSS24 Applications are open!

Applicants have diverse possibilities to participate in the GSS24 courses, applying to the on site workshop, either choosing the on site workshop combined with any online workshops, or being remote applying to one or more online workshops. Applications early birds fees deadlines is 31st May.

  • ON SITE WORKSHOP

  • 1200
    EURO
  • € 1500
  • APPLY

  • 1 WORKSHOP

  • 350
    EURO
  • € 300
  • APPLY

  • 2 WORKSHOPS

  • 595
    EURO
  • € 500
  • APPLY

  • 3 WORKSHOPS

  • 735
    EURO
  • € 650
  • APPLY

Applications will be accepted until the maximum number of students is reached and considered valid once the online application form has been submitted.

The GSS fee is a non-refundable payment. GSS Mainland China Partner: Studio Alpha. 

GSS FACULTY TEAM

GLOBAL TEAM

IAAC GSS NETWORK

IAAC has an active Alumni community distributed around the world, allowing a decentralized expansion of IAAC expertise and knowledge.

Thanks to the Alumni collaborations, IAAC empowers the bonds with the community members placing them in strategic countries to allow the GSS program global extension in different Nodes-cities around the world, such us: Barcelona, New York City, Hong Kong, Pune, Manila, Tehran, Melbourne, Beirut, Budapest, Shanghai, Quito and more.

Counting on this network, the GSS participants can therefore choose the node to which apply to between the ones present in the IAAC GSS nodes network.
Explore our GSS nodes and APPLY to one of them from the list below! Coming soon nodes will open soon.

IAAC Global Summer School 2020 dates are from the 29th June to the 11th July 2020. You can submit your application until the 31st of May 2020 // seats are limited.

Applications will be accepted until the maximum number of students is reached and considered valid once all required documents mentioned in the online application form of each node, including the receipt of the fee payment, have been submitted. Find detailed information about the fee payment and requirements within each node’s webpage.

FAQ

  1. Can I apply to the GSS courses?
    GSS courses are tailored for participants willing to improve their skills in one or any tools proposed in the GSS workshops.
    Participants can therefore choose to apply for one GSS  course or more than one (see EARLY BIRD OFFER > APPLY section).
  2. Does each GSS course provide a certificate?
    Yes, it does. After the completion of any GSS workshop, each GSS participant will receive the GSS Diploma certificate issued by IAAC.
  3. How can i get the full GSS certificate?
    By applying and attending to the full set of GSS online courses, the GSS participant will receive a full GSS diploma stating all the courses attended during the program.
  4. There will be any in person classes with instructors?
    The GSS Bamboo at work will be an on site workshop taking place at IAAC Barcelona and at Valldaura Labs.
    During the GSS online courses, participants will attend classes, lectures and final presentations connected into a unique online platform with IAAC faculties and international keynote speakers.
  5. How can I interact with other participants?
    For the GSS on site workshop Bamboo at work, daily in person interaction will happen in Barcelona, at IAAC. The GSS online courses make use of  ZOOM video meeting & conferencing platform, a very powerful tool which allows participants to interact during the classes with faculties and invited lecturers. A specific Slack channel will be available for chat support for the students during each workshop.

CONTACTS

Pujades 102 baixos, Poble Nou, 08005 Barcelona

Direct phone:
(+34) 93 320 95 20

IAAC GSS info at:
[email protected]