Daniel Ibáñez is the Director of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), a leading educational and research institution in Barcelona. Ibáñez holds a Doctor of Design degree from Harvard University and specializes in the architectural and urban applications of advanced timber construction. As co-director of IAAC’s Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB) and the Master of Mass Timber Design (MMTD), Ibáñez focuses on sustainable building methodologies, including Spain’s tallest timber-framed social housing project. He is also the co-author of Wood Urbanism: From the Molecular to the Territorial (Actar, 2019).
The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), located in Barcelona’s 22@ district, is a globally recognized center for research, education, and innovation in architecture and urbanism. IAAC offers pioneering master’s programs that integrate digital fabrication, ecological design, and material research, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary challenges. The institute’s facilities include Fab Lab Barcelona, the first and most advanced digital production laboratory in the European Union, and Valldaura Labs, a self-sufficient research center focused on sustainable living. Notable projects such as the Fab Lab House, Endesa Pavilion, and the world’s first 3D-printed bridge exemplify IAAC’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. IAAC has received international recognition, including the UIA 2030 Award for Sustainable Architecture and the GAEA Award for Impactful Innovation, positioning it at the forefront of advanced architecture and urbanism.
What inspires IAAC, its directors, professors, and students?
IAAC’s work is not merely inspired but emerges as a critical response to contemporary socio-environmental and technological imperatives. Architecture, in our view, is not an isolated discipline but an integrated, systemic practice that engages with material innovation, ecological intelligence, and computational methodologies.
Nature serves as a foundational reference, guiding our exploration of bio-based materials, regenerative processes, and digital fabrication. Our faculty and students operate within a highly interdisciplinary ecosystem, fostering an avant-garde approach that continually challenges architectural conventions and anticipates the built environment’s evolution.
How would you describe your design philosophy as applied to your projects?
Our design ethos is futuristic, exploratory, and deeply rooted in material and technological innovation. As the Institute for Advanced Architecture, our projects serve as prototypes for the built environments of tomorrow, investigating emerging paradigms in urbanism, sustainability, and construction technologies.
We approach architecture as an experimental field, synthesizing computational design, AI, robotic fabrication, and ecological strategies to develop novel, scalable solutions. This transdisciplinary methodology allows us to bridge research, design, and production, ensuring that our work remains at the frontier of architectural innovation.
What is your favorite project done by IAAC?
Selecting a singular project is challenging, as IAAC’s portfolio spans multiple disciplines. Key milestones include: Fab Lab House, Endesa Pavilion, Acciona 3D Printed Bridge, the pavilion designed for the Mobile World Capital, Smart Citizen, TOVA, Acciona Energía Pavilion.
Each project represents a radical rethinking of architecture, driven by sustainability, material research, and technological advancement.
Could we say that wood is your favorite material?
Yes. Mass timber is at the forefront of our explorations due to its exceptional carbon-sequestering potential, structural efficiency, and prefabrication capabilities. Unlike steel and concrete, which have high embodied carbon footprints, timber enables lightweight, rapidly assembled, and low-impact construction.
While we investigate a range of bio-based materials, including earth, algae composites, and mycelium, timber remains a primary focus for its versatility and regenerative properties, aligning with our commitment to decarbonizing architecture.
What is your process for starting a new project in IAAC master’s programs?
Our approach begins by identifying contemporary global challenges that allow students to engage in research-driven architectural experimentation. Rather than engaging in abstract design exercises, IAAC prioritizes real-world problem-solving, tackling issues such as climate resilience, material circularity, and resource efficiency.
Through an iterative, research-based methodology, students integrate computational design, biomaterials, and advanced fabrication to prototype solutions that contribute to the evolution of architectural practice.
How do your students balance function and creativity in their designs?
The equilibrium between function and creativity defines architecture as a discipline. At IAAC, students learn that innovation is born from constraints, where rigorous material, environmental, and technological considerations shape new design frontiers.
We emphasize that creativity is not mere formal expression but an advanced form of problem-solving, allowing for a synthesis of aesthetic, structural, and ecological intelligence that results in transformative architecture.
How does the environment influence your work?
Ecological considerations are paramount in our design approach. IAAC views architecture as an agent of ecological integration rather than disruption, ensuring that all projects engage with bioclimatic, territorial, and material sensibilities.
We work with a range of key topics:
Passive thermodynamic and climatic strategies – Optimizing thermal performance through design rather than mechanical systems.
Bio-based materiality – Prioritizing regenerative, low-carbon resources such as timber, earth, and algae-derived composites.
Circular and regenerative design principles – Repurposing materials and integrating adaptable, deconstructable systems.
Renewable energy – Embedding photovoltaic and wind-generated power to foster energy self-sufficiency.
How do you collaborate with clients to achieve their vision?
Rather than conventional client-architect relationships, IAAC engages in partnerships that drive architectural and technological innovation. We collaborate with institutions, corporations, and urban agencies to develop experimental frameworks that merge design research with real-world applications.
Through an iterative process of co-creation, we ensure that visionary ideas are materialized through cutting-edge methodologies, bridging architectural theory with impactful, tangible solutions.
What inspired the ACCIONA Energía Pavilion?
The pavilion was conceived in response to Acciona Energía’s ambition to create the most sustainable pavilion for the 37th America’s Cup. Given the regatta’s reliance on wind propulsion, the pavilion draws direct inspiration from wind energy as both a symbolic and functional driver.
Incorporating circular design principles, the pavilion integrates decommissioned wind turbine blades, mass timber, and recycled textiles, aligning with Acciona’s commitment to decarbonization and resource efficiency.
How did materiality shape the design and sustainability of the ACCIONA Energía Pavilion?
Material selection was the cornerstone of the pavilion’s ecological agenda, guided by principles of circularity, carbon sequestration, and passive performance:
- Recycled wind turbine blades – Upcycled into façade elements, reinforcing Acciona’s renewable energy expertise.
- Mass timber construction – A carbon-negative structural system, storing more CO₂ than emitted in production.
- Photovoltaic integration – Enabling self-sufficiency through on-site energy generation.
- Passive cooling strategies – Maximizing natural ventilation and thermal efficiency to minimize energy consumption.
By prioritizing bio-based and repurposed materials, the pavilion redefines ecological temporary architecture, serving as both an exemplar of circular design and a manifesto for renewable energy.
