Educational Program - Global Summer School

/IAAC GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2012
Barcelona, 13-25 July

SMART itSELF
Key words: ecology, metabolism, responsive architecture, artificial intelligence, data-driven structures, open data, multiscalarity, digital fabrication, parametric design, DIY tools

Abstract: The IAAC Global Summer School for the 2012 academic year will continue to investigate multiscalar strategies for the (re) construction of our inhabiting environments (home, city, planet). The last few years of technological, social, political, economic and cultural changes (at both the global and the local scale) demand that we rethink what kind of habitat humanity will live in in the coming decades, given that space in all its aspects (landscapes, cities, places, buildings and bodies) is undergoing dramatic transformations.

The growing interest in managing climate change, in embracing of the green agenda in urban development, in the development of techniques for local energy generation, in the incorporation of information technology into the physical space and other relevant situations, call for a new vision of the evolution of the city and architecture.

This opens up a wide range of possibilities for the development of projects and initiatives that will help transform habitable spaces in keeping with the new requirements of both global and local users.

SMART itSELF is an agenda with research and education goals that combines science and technology with architecture and urban planning. Smart Cities, Smart Citizens, Self-Sufficiency, Self-Fabrication, Self-Organization, Self- Design and Self- and Collective Intelligence are some of the key words on which the academic agenda of the programme will focus.

The final outcome of the programme will include design proposals and the testing of SMART itSELF at different scales.
The intention is not simply to interface with the built environment but to implement strategies that will transform built environments themselves into information systems.

Aimed at: The programme is aimed at students from a variety of compatible fields, such as Architecture, Engineering, Fine Art, Design, Landscape Architecture, Programming, etc.

Calendar: Programme duration: 13-25 July 2012

The programme is structured in three sections:
1. Digital Design and Parametric Modelling (13-17 July)
2. Interactive and Informational Development (18-21 July)
3. Digital Fabrication Prototyping (22-25 July)

Software: Rhino 4, RhinoCam, Grasshopper, Ecotect, Arduino

Programme Activities: Lectures, Master Classes, Building Visits

Language: The course language is English, and all sessions, classes, lectures and meetings with supervisors are in English; knowledge of Spanish is not required.

Fee: The tuition fee for the IAAC Summer School 2012 is 2,000 euros.

Scholarships: IAAC will be offering four special scholarships, to be awarded on the basis of the applicant’s portfolio:

One partial scholarship of 50% of the total tuition fee
Two partial scholarships of 30% of the total tuition fee
One full scholarship (Mohamed Omer Scholarship) of 100% of the total tuition fee

*Scholarships are subject to change according to applicants profiles.

Certification: All participants will receive an official certificate from IAAC and the Fab Lab BCN testifying to their participation in the course and accrediting their knowledge of the software used and expertise in Digital Fabrication techniques.

Previous IAAC Summer Schools: Visit the previous IAAC Summer Schools, which focused on:

1. Hyperhabitat /2008
2. Fab Lab Solar House  /2009
3. Informalism /2010
4. Networked Smart Cities /2011

Application Documents: Applications must be accompanied by the following documents:

- A completed IAAC Summer School Application Form (available from applications@iaac.net)
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- A photocopy of a valid passport or other accredited I.D.
- Proof of payment of the non-refundable application fee of 60 euros, payable by bank transfer to the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya

Bank: Caja de Arquitectos, Barcelona (Spain)
Account Number: 3183-0800-8200-0064-8636; IBAN: ES86 3183 0800 8200 0064 8636; BIC/SWIFT: CASDESBB

For more information contact applications@iaac.net