Tuition fee EU nationals (2026/2027)
2250.00 €Programme Structure for 2026/2027
| Curricular Courses | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Year | ||
|
Data Processes and Technologies
6.0 ECTS
|
Mandatory Courses | 6.0 |
|
Culture and Challenges of the Digital Age
3.0 ECTS
|
Mandatory Courses | 3.0 |
|
Digital Production Processes
6.0 ECTS
|
Mandatory Courses | 6.0 |
|
Innovation Management and Entrepeneurship
3.0 ECTS
|
Mandatory Courses | 3.0 |
|
Research Studio by Design
6.0 ECTS
|
Mandatory Courses | 6.0 |
|
Material Technologies and Sustainability
6.0 ECTS
|
Optional Courses | 6.0 |
|
Digitization and Simulation Technologies
6.0 ECTS
|
Optional Courses | 6.0 |
Data Processes and Technologies
LO1. Dominate the most used technological approaches in CD, AI and IoT to understand and find innovative opportunities in design practices;
LO2. Identify real problems to apply concepts, techniques and tools derived from CD, AI and IoT;
LO3. Identify the techniques to be used in addressing problems where CD, AI and IoT can be fundamental and be aware of the expected results of using these techniques;
LO4. Integrate, associate and simulate specifications acquired from various domains of knowledge CD, IA and IoT in solving specific problems;
LO5. Develop a critical view regarding constraints in conception, design, implementation and exploration of solutions within the context of CD, AI and IoT and innovation of design practice processes in company / industry context;
LO6. Promote the ability to deal with research and innovation through concepts, technologies and tools in the areas of CD, AI and IoT;
LO7. Train collaborative work skills.
The UC will consist of theoretical introductions and practical exercises:
S1. Introduction to an integrated view of technological processes and data (programming, visualization and sensing) and the challenges emerging from design practices in the era of digital transformation. Analysis of paradigmatic examples in a company / industry context;
CP2. Concepts, techniques and tools on CD. Discuss and apply CD knowledge (capture, treatment and visualization) through practical exercises in solving specific problems;
CP3. AI concepts, techniques and tools. Discuss and apply AI (Phyton programming, algorithms and machine learning) through practical exercises in solving specific problems;
CP4. IoT concepts, techniques and tools. Discuss and apply IoT (systems, communication, sensing) through practical exercises in solving specific problems.
Continuous evaluation:
- Individual assignments in class and final report weighing 80%.
- Presence and participation 20%.
Final evaluation by exam not foreseen for this course.
https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/20-091.pdf
Verganti R., Vendraminelli L., Iansiti M. (2020). Design in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. available:
Tamke, M. , Nicholas, P. Zwierzycki, M. (2018). Machine learning for architectural design: Practices and infrastructure. In IJAC 16(2):123-143
Ramakrishnan, R., Gaur, L., (2019). Internet of Things: Approach and Applicability in Manufacturing, Chapman and Hall/CRC
Krijnen, T. Tamke, M. (2015). Assessing Implicit knowledge in BIM Models with Machine Learning. In M. R. Thomsen et al., eds. Modelling Behaviour. Springer, pp. 397?406
Lea, P., 2018. Internet of Things for Architects: Architecting IoT solutions by implementing sensors, communication infrastructure, edge computing, analytics, and security, Packt Publishing
Haider, M. (2016). Getting Started with Data Science: Making Sense of Data with Analytics. IBM Press
Burry, M. (2011). Scripting Cultures. Architectural design and programming. John Wiley & sons
Culture and Challenges of the Digital Age
At the end of the frequency of this Course, it is intended that students will be able to:
O1. Understand the conditions for the emergence of the digital age, as well as the main distinctive features compared to previous periods;
O2. Analyze the interference of the computer in creative production in the areas of architecture, art and design;
O3. Combining cultural and technological references that allow to discuss the transformations that occur globally in today's society;
O4. Identify emerging global challenges and the role of architecture e design in their approach to;
O5. Question and debate, in a critical and informed way, the trends of future evolution of the digital age.
The syllabus (S) of this UC includes the following themes:
S1. Fundamentals of the digital age - brief history and theories of the computer.
S2. Concepts and interferences of digital in architecture, art and design - cybernetics, programmed art, patterns, systems and networks, generative design, interactivity, biodigital;
S3. Society and culture in the digital age - information, communication, biotechnology, virtualization, materiality, simulation, automation, globalization, personalization, socialization, creativity, technology.
S4. Emerging challenges for project practices - climate change, circular economy and sharing, automation and the future of work, industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, big data, health and safety, mobility and transport, smart cities, urbanization, space
Students will be evaluated on a continuous assessment basis, through the:
- development and presentation of a written paper (80%);
- attendance and participation in the debates (20%);
The possibility of a final evaluation regime is not foreseen in the functioning of the Course.
Schwab, K. (2018). Shaping the future of the fourth industrial revolution. World Economic Forum.
Picon, A. (2010). Digital culture in architecture: an introduction for the design professions. Birkhauser.
Papanek, V. (2019). Design for the real world. Thames & Hudson
Mau, B. (2020). Bruce Mau: MC24: Bruce Mau?s 24 principles for designing massive change in your life and work. Phaidon Press
Harari, Y.N. (2018). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Penguim Random House.
Colomina, B., Wigley, M. (2017). Are we human? Notes on an archaelogy of design. Lars Muller Publishers.
Ceruzzi, P. (2012). Computing, a concise history. MIT Press.
Carpo, M. (2017). The second digital turn: design beyond intelligence. MIT Press.
Burry, M. (Ed.) (2020). Urban futures: designing the digitalized city. AD. Wiley.
Armstrong, H. (Ed.) (2016). Digital design theory: readings from the field. Princeton Architectural Press.
Youg, L. (Ed.) (2019). Machine landscapes. Architectures of the post Anthropocene. AD. Wiley.
Tegmark, M. (2018). Life 3.0: Being human in the age of artificial intelligence. Penguim Books.
Susskind, D. (2020). A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond. Penguim Books.
Simon, H. (1996). The Sciences of the Artificial. MIT Press.
Picon, A. (2015). Smart cities: a spatialized intelligence. AD Primer. Wiley.
Nastasi, J., May, E., Snell, C. (Eds) (2018). SU+RE: Sustainable + Resilient design systems. AD. Wiley.
Kurzweil, R. (2006). The singularity is near: when humans transcend biology. Penguim Publishing Group
Kolarevic, B. & Duarte, J.P. (2018). Mass customization and design democratization. Routledge.
Kolarevic, B. (Ed.) (2005). Architecture in the digital age: design and manufacturing. Taylor & Francis.
Gorman, C. (2003). The industrial design reader. Allworth.
Fok, W. & Picon, A. (Eds). (2016). Digital property: open-source architecture. AD. Wiley.
Ford, M. (2018). Architects of intelligence. The truth about AI from the people building it. Packt Publishing.
Deamer, P., Bernstein, P.G. (Eds.) (2010). Building (in) the future: recasting labor in architecture. Princeton Architectural Press.
Corse, R. (2010). Fabricating Architecture: Selected Readings in Digital Design and Manufacturing. Princeton Architectural Press.
Anderson, C. (2014). Makers: the new industrial revolution. Currency
Digital Production Processes
O1 Know historical and theoretical references related to the introduction of digital technologies applied to the project in architecture, construction and design
O2 Understand the principles underlying a computational approach to the project, through the definition of the project intention based on rules and geometric relationships
O3 Understand the principles underlying the different digital fabrication processes - additives, subtractive, formative - and the innovation introduced by robotization
O4 Understand the principles underlying BIM processes, understanding their implications in terms of 3D modeling methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration dynamics
O5 Acquire foundational practical skills in the use of relevant software and equipment associated with computational design, digital fabrication and BIM.
O6 Understand the challenges and opportunities for innovation underlying the integration of these processes in project practice, and formulate strategies for implementation.
The development of this UC is structured according to the following syllabus (S):
S1. Introduction to the history of digital technologies related with design practices: calculation / representation / information / materialization / communication.
S2. Introduction to computational thinking and design: principles, methods and applications;
S3. Practical experimentation in computational design with Rhinoceros / Grasshopper;
S4. Introduction to digital fabrication (eg: 3D printing, CNC cutting, robotics) - principles, methods and applications;
S5. Practical experimentation in digital fabrication ? file to factory- with additive and / or subtractive processes;
S6. Introduction to BIM (building information modeling) - principles, methods and applications;
S7. Practical experimentation in BIM methodology with ArchiCAD or Revit;
S8. The present and future of the integrated digital project.
Students will be evaluated on a continuous assessment basis, through the:
- development and presentation of practical assignments (80%);
- attendance and participation in the debates (20%);
The possibility of a final evaluation regime is not foreseen in the functioning of the Course.
Yuan, P.F. & Leach, N. (2018). Digital Fabrication. Tongji University Press.
Terzidis, K. (2006). Algorithmic architecture. Architectural Press.
Picon, A. (2010). Digital culture in architecture. Birkhauser.
Menges, A. & Ahlquist, S. (Eds). (2011). Computational design thinking. AD Redear. Wiley.
Leach, N. & Yuan, P.F. (2018). Computational design. Tongji University Press.
Kolarevic, B. (Ed.) (2005). Architecture in the digital age: design and manufacturing. Taylor & Francis.
Garber, R. (2014). BIM Design. Realizing the creative potential of building. John Wiley & Sons
Eastman C., Teicholz P., Sacks R., Listo K. (2011). BIM Handbook: a guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Engineers and Contractors, John Wiley & Sons
Corse, R. (2010). Fabricating Architecture: Selected Readings in Digital Design and Manufacturing. Princeton Architectural Press.
Bernstein, P. (2018). Architecture ? design ? data: practice competency in the era of computation. Birkhauser
Innovation Management and Entrepeneurship
LO1. Promote an integrated approach of innovation management and entrepreneurship in design practices;
LO2. Acquire precision skills in the field of management and innovation processes;
LO3. Identify, explain, relate methodologies to specific sustainable solutions;
LO4. Develop skills that allow the identification, analysis, creation and implementation of innovative digital solutions from a strategic and sustainable perspective.
The compulsory biannual UC will consist of the following contents:
S1. Creative thinking and digital transformation;
S2. Innovation management: Concepts, intellectual property;
S3. Introduction to entrepreneurship: motivation, leadership and team management;
S4. The process of creating new businesses?/companies? models in the 4th industrial revolution;
S5. Elaboration of a Pitch.
Assessment throughout the semester:
The individual assessment will be based on a theoretical-practical work with a scientific basis.
i) Elaboration of a Paper or a Project - 55%;
ii) Presentation of a Communication or Project - 30%;
iii) Attendance and Participation in the Debates - 15%.
The minimum grade for each component is 8 points. The passing grade is 10 points.
The possibility of a final evaluation regime is not foreseen in the functioning of the UC.
- Bosma, N., & Kelley, D. (2023). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2023). Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. Available at: https://www.gemconsortium.org/reports/latest-global-report
- Hirsch, R. D., Peters, M. P., & Shepherd, D. A. (2020). Entrepreneurship (11th ed.). McGraw Hill.
- European Commission. (2024). Innovation Union Scoreboard 2024. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/
- OECD/Eurostat. (2018). Oslo Manual 2018: Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation (4th ed.). OECD Publishing.
- Soltanifar M., Hughes M. & Göcke L. (2021). Digital Entrepreneurship. Springer Cham.
Research Studio by Design
LO1. To develop an integrated vision of design practices through research (hands on / learning by doing);
LO2. To develop the ability to question in the field of Digital Innovation for Design Practices in the context of the company / industry;
LO3. To develop the ability for analysis and evaluation in the process of new ideas aimed at solving specific problems (social, environmental and economic) in the context of the company / industry;
LO4. To justify the conceptual, theoretical and practical options that support the proposed research;
LO5. To demonstrate critical autonomy skills concerning applied research methodologies through collaborative processes;
LO6. Clearly present the Individual Project Plan (PP) that is intended to develop in the 2nd semester.
The mandatory semiannual UC will be structured by introductory laboratories on processes of design and digital innovation in specialization themes.
S1. Research topics launch. Colloquium with industry;
S2. Methodologies of applied research in Digital Innovation for Design Practices in the context of the company / industry;
S3. A collaboration model for industry and academy;
S4. Laboratory hands on / learning by doing;
S5. Individual Project Plan (Internship);
S6. Presentation and evaluation of the Individual Project Plan.
The assessment will be based on practical work with a scientific basis of one of the themes launched and an Internship development plan. Participation in oral presentations of invited experts.
Students will be assessed on a continuous assessment basis through:
Evaluation of the quality of the response of the analyzes and partial syntheses, quality of the final proposal and Individual Project Plan - 80%
Attendance and participation in the debates - 20%
Final evaluation regime is not foreseen.
Y?lmaz, O.& Tüfekçí, S. (2017) Handbook of Research on Applied Optimization Methodologies in Manufacturing Systems. IGI Global
Marble, S. (ed). (2012). Digital Workflows in Architecture. Designing Design-Designing Assembly-Designing Industry. Birkhauser
Koskinen, I., Zimmerman, J., Binder, T., Redstrom, J. & Wensveen, S. (2011). Design Research Through Practice. From The LAB, Field, and Showroom. Morgan Kaufman
Deamer, P. & Bernstein, P.G. (2010). Building (in) The Future. Recasting Labor in Architecture. Princeton Press
Kolarevic, B., e Duarte, J.P. (ed). (2019). Mass Customization and Design Democratization. Routledge
Groat, L. e Wang, D. (2001). Architectural Research Methods. London: John Wiley & sons
Carpo, M. (2017). The Second Digital Turn. Design Beyond Intelligence. The MIT Press
Awasthy, R., Flint, S., Sankarnarayana, R. and Jones, R.L. (2020). A framework to improve university?industry collaboration. Journal Industry - University Collaboration, 2, pp. 49-62
Material Technologies and Sustainability
OA1. Identify and evaluate emergent materials for digital innovation;
OA2. Describe and criticize circularity principles applied to materials and design;
OA3. Calculate and analyse the environmental and social impacts of materials and building assemblies;
OA4. Implement selection methodologies for materials applied to digital systems.
CP1. Sustainability and regenerative design;
CP2. Emergent materials;
CP3. Circularity principles in design;
CP4. Environmental impacts in the life cycle of materials and building assemblies;
CP5. Social impacts in the life cycle of materials and building assemblies;
CP6. Streamline methodologies for the selection of materials applied to sustainable digital systems;
CP7. Multi-criteria analysis applied to materials selection.
The individual assessment will be based on a science-based theoretical-practical assignment.
i) Writing of a paper or development of design assignment (50%);
ii) Oral presentation of paper or design assignment (35%);
iii) Participation in the debates (15%).
Plessis, C. D., & Brandon, P. (2015). An ecological worldview as basis for a regenerative sustainability paradigm for the built environment. Journal of Cleaner Production(109), 53-61.
Cheshire, D. (2016). Building Revolutions - Applying the Circular Economy to the Built Environment. Newcastle upon Tyne: RIBA Publishing.
Beurskens, P., & Bakx, M. (2015). Built-to-rebuild. Eindhoven: Eindhoven University of Technology.
Ashby, M., Brechbuhl, E., Vakhitova, T., & Vallejo, A. (2019). Social Life-Cycle Assessment and Social Impact Audit Tool - A White Paper. Cambridge: Granta Design Limited.
Ashby, M., & Johnson, K. (2014). Materials and Design. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Ashby, M. (2015). Materials and Sustainable Development. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Digitization and Simulation Technologies
LO1: Describe the evolution of architectural design methodologies for which the areas of VR, AR, the natural modalities of HCI are useful and IPC and digitization / 3D modelling.
LO2: Identify key state-of-the-art topics (in VR, RA and IPC), with applicability in solving contemporary design practices problems, through the investigation and critical analysis of literature sources.
LO3: To know the principles and digital methods of 3D survey and their applicability, foreseeing possibilities of innovation in the processes.
LO4: Know the development environment of VR and AR applications in use at ISTAR-IUL as well as the basic principles to design a VR and an AR experience.
LO5: Discuss the contribution of the tools to the innovation processes in the design practices.
S1: Introduction to VR, AR and HCI, and its contextualization in Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and buildings maintenance.
S2. Introduction to Digitization and 3D Modeling in contexts of intervention in heritage, atelier, product design;
S3. Laboratory Digitalization and 3D Modeling: basic design principles, technologies used;
S4. AR Laboratory: design basic principles, used technologies, an experience in AR, and evaluation of use and satisfaction.
S5: Production of a short article comparing the results of the two experiments.
S6. Discussion of the current situation and future innovation perspectives.
Students will be assessed on a continuous assessment basis, through:
- Conducting practical exercises and/or writing a final report - 80%
- Attendance and participation in the debates - 20%
The possibility of a final evaluation regime is not foreseen in the functioning of the CU.
Mazuryk, T. & Gervautz, M., 1996. Virtual Reality: History, Applications, Technology and Future. Viena, Áustria : Institute of Computer Graphics and Algorithms, Vienna University of Technology.
HEIM, M. 1993 The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, Oxford University Press, 208 pages.
Kalay, Y.E. (2004). Architecture?s new media: principles, theories and methods of computer-aided design. MIT Press
Egels, Y., Kasser, M. 2002. Digital Photogrammetry. Routledge
Bowman, D. A., Kruijff, E., Laviola, J., Poupyrev. I., ?3D User Interfaces, Theory and Practice?, Addison Wesley 2004
Achten, H., Jessurun, J. & Vries, b., 2004. A Low-Cost Versatile Virtual Reality Design and Research Setup Between Desktop and CAVE. Eindhoven, Holanda, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, The NetherlandsBernstein, P. (2018). Architecture ? design ? data: practice competency in the era of computation. Birkhauser.
Azuma, R. T. A survey of augmented reality. Presence, 6(4):355?385, 1997