Energy Attack Team: Architecture and the ‘Third Industrial Revolution

‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change’ – Charles Darwin

Diploma 18 continues its exploration on territories affected by global warming by focusing on the natural patrimony of the Galápagos Islands. It is within this isolated archipelago that Darwin encountered the complex biodiversity that enabled him to complete his taxonomies and construct his theory of evolution. These islands are still used as a ‘live laboratory’ to investigate and understand microevolution and speciation. However, this fragile environment (on UNESCO’s list of Endangered World Heritage sites) is highly threatened by invading species, pollution, over-exploitation and, most importantly, climate change, and can be seen as a microcosm of the changes occuring in our world.

This year we will start in Barcelona, exploring on lightness, space, structure and geometry, as well as physical and climatic phenomena, through an investigation of soap films. We will run a series of seminars on generative design methodologies through the application of algorithmic techniques in processing. Students will analyse the archipelago, using a taxonomy of resources such as recursion, branching, swarm behaviour, cellular automata and fractals.

The design projects will be initiated by a unit trip to the Galápagos. From there, each student will select a specific theme of analysis related to climate change that will ultimately unfold into a design thesis addressing social, political, economic and ecological matters.

The unit proposes a research-based agenda that will compel students to take an independent position towards the role of the architect in a world affected by global warming, with empathy, leading to a new environmental consciousness in architecture.

Unit Staff

Enric Ruiz Geli studied architecture in Barcelona. He founded Cloud 9 in 1997, an interdisciplinary architectural team in Barcelona that works on the interface between architecture and art, digital processes as well as technological material development.

Edouard Cabay graduated from the AA in 2005. After working for FOA and Cloud 9, he founded his studio, Appareil, in Barcelona in 2011 and is currently working on projects in Europe and Latin America. In parallel he also teaches at the IAAC in Barcelona and at the ESA in Paris.

Pablo Ros received his Masters of Science in Advanced Architectural Design and Architectural Research (MSAAD+AAR) from GSAPP, Columbia University. He has been the Director for Foreign Office Architects in Spain and is currently Head of the Office at Cloud 9.