" ...genetic architectures,
new bio & digital techniques, we've been given the conditions for a new architecture, that with the digital organicism has become the first avant-garde of the XXI century: definitely, science has beaten fiction. Today's utopia is tomorrow's reality (and today is tomorrow!)." Alberto T. Estévez |
The iNSTITUTE FOR BiODiGITAL ARCHITECTURE & GENETICS (iBAG), within the UIC Barcelona (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya), has three fields of action: research, teaching and professional practice. It all started in 2000, with the foundation by Alberto T. Estévez of the Genetic Architectures Research Group & Office (research and professional practice), which leads the Master in Biodigital Architecture program (teaching), that also started in 2000, at ESARQ - UIC Barcelona, the School of Architecture founded by Alberto T. Estévez, its first Director.
Basically it is about applying the new biological and digital techniques to architecture and design. This led to the creation of the world's first genetic architecture laboratory in 2000, where genetics began to be applied to architecture (bioluminescent trees, biolamps, bioprinting, electron microscopy structures research, etc.), and the first digital architecture laboratory located in a Spanish school of architecture (design and digital manufacturing). And all organizing an interdisciplinary group of architects, designers, artists, engineers, geneticists and philosophers.
Basically it is about applying the new biological and digital techniques to architecture and design. This led to the creation of the world's first genetic architecture laboratory in 2000, where genetics began to be applied to architecture (bioluminescent trees, biolamps, bioprinting, electron microscopy structures research, etc.), and the first digital architecture laboratory located in a Spanish school of architecture (design and digital manufacturing). And all organizing an interdisciplinary group of architects, designers, artists, engineers, geneticists and philosophers.
Alberto T. Estévez, Director iBAG-UIC Barcelona Members of the iBAG (from left to right), A. Harib, D. Brescan, A. Valenzuela, J. Villà (UIC ViceChancellor of Research), M. Gómez, G. Fernández, A. Fontarnau, A. T. Estévez, A. Orciuoli, Y. Abdullah, P. Baquero, J. Corcó, E. Giannopoulou, A. Warang. Missing in this photo, M. Borrell, D. Dollens (in the US), K. Chu (in the US), D. Frogheri (in Mexico), M. Halabi (in Lebanon), D. Torreblanca (in Colombia) and I. Pérez.
Then, the objectives of the Group (& Office), officially accredited as consolidated and competitive, together with its corresponding Master, deal with the application of genetics to architecture in an interdisciplinary way from two points of view: the real, natural and direct, that works with geneticists (for the first time in the history of architecture), and the metaphorical, artificial and digital, which uses CAD-CAM technologies. From a new point of view at the environment that introduces biological techniques, and seeks with digital tools a biodigital fusion in architecture and design. Focusing on the relevance of the new digital paradigms in the process of architectural design, in digital architecture, in the most advanced experimental architecture. Understanding from nature and computation, from natural intelligence and artificial intelligence, from bio-learning and machine-learning, the potential of bio-manufacturing and digital-manufacturing.
In a pioneer, international and interdisciplinary environment, long demonstrated over two decades, more specifically, it can be mentioned the work in the research and teaching of architecture and computation, with concepts such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ambient Intelligence (AmI), Deep Learning (DL), Evolutionary Computation (EC), Logistic Regression (LR), Machine Learning (ML), Muti-Agent Systems (MAS), Shape Grammars (SG), etc.
Thus, since 2000, the results of its research, teaching and professional practice are very numerous: countless events, activities, publications and projects carried out, apart from the aforementioned Master, doctoral theses, conferences, annual seminars, workshops, triennial congresses and exhibitions, from graphic designs and objects to architecture and urban planning projects, from lamps, furniture, renovations and pavilions, to housing, schools, markets, museums, communication towers, urban areas, parks, etc.
In short, it is about, from the frontier of knowledge, putting a grain of sand in the largest anthill in the known universe, helping its progress, its sustainability, its culture...
In a pioneer, international and interdisciplinary environment, long demonstrated over two decades, more specifically, it can be mentioned the work in the research and teaching of architecture and computation, with concepts such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ambient Intelligence (AmI), Deep Learning (DL), Evolutionary Computation (EC), Logistic Regression (LR), Machine Learning (ML), Muti-Agent Systems (MAS), Shape Grammars (SG), etc.
Thus, since 2000, the results of its research, teaching and professional practice are very numerous: countless events, activities, publications and projects carried out, apart from the aforementioned Master, doctoral theses, conferences, annual seminars, workshops, triennial congresses and exhibitions, from graphic designs and objects to architecture and urban planning projects, from lamps, furniture, renovations and pavilions, to housing, schools, markets, museums, communication towers, urban areas, parks, etc.
In short, it is about, from the frontier of knowledge, putting a grain of sand in the largest anthill in the known universe, helping its progress, its sustainability, its culture...