The Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis (FLORA) is an advanced and ecological building built in Collserola Natural Park (Barcelona), and developed by a team of students and researchers of the Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB)  FLORA is a scientific research facility built with timber from sustainable forest management, allowing a…

The primary objectives of the OPEN NATURE (Opening Public Edge Natures as Networks for Accessible Transitional Urban Re-connection and Education) project are to re-connect citizens with nature through the aesthetic and ecological regeneration of degraded spaces at the urban boundaries of Barcelona’s Collserola Natural Park, to educate young students in methods for re-naturalizing their city...

In September of 2021, the 3rd edition of the Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities completed their final thesis project, the Solar Greenhouse, a full-scale prototype that actively aids in the intensive food production efforts at Valldaura Labs. The design has two programs fitting within its maximum volume, and features a heliomorphic roof for...

Collserola park appears starkly from the sky as an island of green, surrounded on all sides by the sprawling Barcelona metropolitan area. The park has been accurately referred to as Barcelona's “green lung”, and its dense forest has become home to a truly ambitious project in the realm of ecological architecture. Just as the natural...

The Ecohouse V01 Prototype (The Niu Haus) is the collective final project of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia’s (IAAC) 2018-2019 Master of Advanced Ecological Buildings program (MAEB). The program is an immersive experience of learning by living in which students engage with the complete seasonal cycle as residents for 11 months at Valldaura...

Supported by the Europe Forest Institute (EFI) and in collaboration with a number of organizations throughout Europe and beyond, Valldaura Labs has begun co-authoring the Green Book of Biocities, a seminal text which will define the new paradigm of Biocities and the key strategies to make them a reality. By synthesizing inputs from stakeholders and...

Hacking Ecology provides high accuracy water monitoring systems using the most powerful open source tools. Hacking Ecology builds the most powerful and accessible open source tools for water monitoring, and a secure, unalterable, distributed and accessible database. Hacking Ecology empowers communities to find information and data to take and demand action! Hacking Ecology is a...

The Dronecoria team believes technology can help to fight the climate crisis. One of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change and restore the health of our ecosystems is reforestation. To speed up this process we Dronecoria offers an open-source set of tools for large-scale, low-cost reforestation. The system includes everything necessary from automated...

COACT is an environmental technology accelerator and innovation hub, supporting the development of early-stage solutions to the world‘s most pressing ecological and climate-related challenges. COACT was founded by a group of climate technology enthusiasts, makers and successful entrepreneurs sharing a vision for technology that serves a purpose beyond profit. COACT focuses on innovative technologies in...

OSBeehives is on a mission to technify the beekeeping industry by building a global network of beekeepers and identifying causes and solutions for colony health deterioration. This mission is founded on the principles of citizen science, open data, and collaboration between beekeepers. OSBeehives’ integrated hardware and software solutions make use of the latest deep neural...

To date, quantifying the amount of carbon or energy embodied in an architectural project has been a complex procedure. This was by necessity, as obtaining accurate figures requires thorough tracing of each constituent component through every transformation from raw material to finished product throughout its entire respective life cycle. So-called life-cycle analysis/assessment (LCA) methodologies are...

Barcelona will be the European Forest City of 2022 and will organize the annual conference of the European Forest Institute as decided by its annual Assembly held this year in Bonn. Barcelona, which presented its candidacy led by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), the Center for Ecological...

The Valldaura estate comprises 135 hectares of forest within the 1300 hectare Collserola Natural Park. Looking at the stark contrast between this dense green mass and the surrounding urbanization of the Barcelona metropolitan area with an untrained eye, one would be forgiven for thinking the park represents an natural oasis unchanged since its primeval origins....

RAW Nature was a design + build seminar combining the expertise of Bureau Chekharda, a world leader in naturalistic playscapes, with the advanced technologic and ecologic capacities of Valldaura Labs. The course began by familiarizing students with the principles of sustainable forest management and natural succession to enable them to select appropriate trees for harvest....

To enable restaurants and bars to remain open during COVID-19 while respecting social distancing requirements, the city of Barcelona authorized more than 2.600 terraces to occupy what was formerly street or parking space. Though these reclamations represent an encouragingly widespread step toward further pedestrianization of the city, the unfortunate reality is they still feel very...

The main objective of the FURNISH project was to generate a series of Mobile Urban Elements (MUE) designed to be temporarily installed in public space, newly expanded to fight against COVID-19 while promoting social cohesion. FURNISH has digitally fabricated and deployed urban elements for the purpose of adapting temporary public spaces to meet the new...

This exhibition was a presentation of various projects completed at the Valldaura Labs Campus of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. The core of this innovative project is a laboratory to promote investigation and set a new benchmark for self sufficiency. The Valldaura Labs represents a new paradigm for sustainability established by IAAC with...

Valldaura Labs values how, when and where materials and products used on the campus are sourced. The campus is not only active in the generation of energy, food and materials used for consumption, but in understanding how the processes for production and harvesting can be optimized and refined. As a result, Valldaura Labs actively traces...

The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia coordinates the EU project Robotics for Microfarms (ROMI) under the framework H2020. IAAC is part of a consortium formed by a team of interdisciplinary experts in computer science (Inria, Sony), robotics and electronics (UBER, Sony, IAAC), plant modelling and agronomy (CNRS, INRIA), as well as microfarming (SCEA-PC, SCEA-CM)...