IAAC MRAC Scholarship Challenge 2021

Mathilde Marengo is an Australian – French – Italian Architect, with a PhD in Urbanism, whose research focuses on the Contemporary Urban Phenomenon, its integration with technology, and its implications on the future of our planet. Within today’s critical environmental, social and economic framework, she investigates the responsibility of designers in answering these challenges through circular and metabolic design. She is Head of Studies, Faculty and PhD Supervisor at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia’s Advanced Architecture Group (AAG), an interdisciplinary research group investigating emerging technologies of information, interaction and manufacturing for the design and transformation of the cities, buildings and public spaces. Within this context, Mathilde researches, designs and experiments with innovative educational formats based on holistic, multi-disciplinary and multi-scalar design approaches, oriented towards materialization, within the AAG agenda of redefining the paradigm of design education in the Information and Experience Age. Her investigation is also actuated through her role in several National and EU funded research projects, among these Innochain, Knowledge Alliance for Advanced Urbanism, BUILD Solutions, Active Public Space, Creative Food Cycles, and more. Her work has been published internationally, as well as exhibited, among others: Venice Biennale, Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale, Beijing Design Week, MAXXI Rome.

Areti Markopoulou is a Greek architect, researcher and urban technologist working at the intersection between architecture and digital technologies. She is the Academic Director at IAAC in Barcelona, where she also leads the Advanced Architecture Group, a multidisciplinary research group exploring how design and science can positively impact and transform the present and future of our built spaces, the way we live and interact. Her research and practice focus on redefining the architecture of cities through an ecological and technological spectrum combining design with biotechnologies, new materials, digital fabrication and big data. Areti is co-founder of the art/tech gallery StudioP52 and co-editor of Urban Next, a global network focused on rethinking architecture through the contemporary urban milieu. She is the project coordinator of a number of European Research funded Projects on topics including urban regeneration, circular design and construction and multidisciplinary educational models in the digital age. Areti is the founder and is currently chairing the Responsive Cities International Symposium in Barcelona while she has served as Head Curator of international exhibitions such as Future Arena and On Site Robotics (Building Barcelona Construmat 2017-19), Print Matter (In3dustry 2016), HyperCity (Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale, 2015) and MyVeryOwnCity (World Bank, BR Barcelona, 2011). Her work has been featured in exhibitions worldwide and together with Lydia Kallipoliti she has been appointed the Head Curator for the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2022.

Alexandre is an architect and researcher combining new technologies in an attempt to improve how we build and live in our cities. He holds a Master degree of Architecture & Engineering from EAVT & ENPC (France) and a Master Degree of Architecture from IAAC, with a specialization in robotic fabrication and large scale additive manufacturing (FabBot 3.0). Alexandre holds as well a French architectural licence (HMONP) and worked in several architectural offices, from competition stage to delivery (Libeskind, Atenastudio, iDonati, AREP) while exploring the potential of scripting and coding in a separate practice (Collectif277). Since 2012, he is working at IAAC as expert in digital and robotic fabrication. Alexandre is now leading the Open Thesis Fabrication program as well as the Master in Robotic and Advanced Construction at IAAC. Together with IAAC staff, students and industrial partners, he is investigating how new advances in material, digital fabrication and computational design could lead to a better construction ecosystem, toward a more efficient, affordable, sustainable and personalized built environment.

Aldo is an architect, researcher, expert in computational design and digital fabrication. Master in Architectonic Design in 2007, Master in Advanced Architecture at IAAC in 2012, Fab Academy diploma in 2014 at Fab Lab Barcelona, Aldo is currently involved in several projects running in parallel. Since 2011, he is founder and manager of Noumena, data-driven design firm, investigating between the boundaries of new digital paradigms and design strategies applied to architecture, robotics and fabrication. Aldo is founder of Fab Lab Frosinone and director of Reshape, a digital platform promoting interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in the field of wearable tech and fashion design. Since 2015 he is faculty at IAAC, leading as director the IAAC Global Summer School, as co-director the Master of Robotics and Advanced Construction, and as instructor of digital tools. Aldo represents one of the Supernode of Fab Academy, educational platform founded by Neil Gershenfeld from the MIT’s Center of Bits and Atoms. For the same program, he is also coordinating the Fab Academy Paris.