BIArch Blog » curriculum

MBIArch Overview

BIArch — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:55:32 +0000

We’ve started uploading documents to a library on Issuu. Please feel free to flip through our 2010-11 Catalog or consult the MBIArch Overview, where you’ll find more details regarding the master’s program. The documents are browsable, downloadable and easy to share.

The MBIArch program starts in September, and BIArch is accepting late applications at the moment. For more information, please visit www.biarch.eu

MBIArch 2010-11 Faculty: Josep Acebillo

BIArch — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:19:33 +0000

Josep Acebillo participating in the “Energy” BIArch Seminar

Josep Anton Acebillo was born in Huesca, in north-eastern Spain, and received a degree in architecture from the ETSAB the School of Architecture in 1974. He currently teaches at the Architecture Academy at the Università della Svizzera italiana and is a partner at AuS Architecture and Urban Systems in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Acebillo is one of the key figures in the recent history of urban planning in Barcelona: he was director of Urban Projects for the city between 1981 and 1987, a period that marks the begging of the deep urban transformation experienced by the city in the last decades of the twentieth century. Acebillo led the Urban Development Insititute of the City of Barcelona between 1988 and 1994 and was responsible for the large-scale urban development projects carried out in the frame of the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Port Olimpic, Barcelona

His contribution to urban change in Barcelona earned him the Honorific Medal awarded by the city in 1992, as well as a Prince of Wales in urban design prize, awarded to him in 1990 by Harvard University. In 1994 he became CEO of Barcelona Regional, a think tank dedicated to the development of strategic urban projects and infrastructures for the city. In 1998 Acebillo was appointed “Commissioner of Infrastructures and Urban Planning” of Barcelona, and he became the city’s Chief Architect briefly after that. In 1999 he was named honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Barcelona in Progress exhibition, organized by Barcelona Regional

Josep Acebillo is a member of the BIArch Board of Directors, and will be teaching Territorial & Urban Studies in the first edition of the MBIArch program. Focusing on a “post-crisis” context of accute socio-economic and environmental tensions associated with rapid urbanization, Acebillo will lead students to concentrate on the observation and analysis of the increasingly socio-technical nature of cities, exploring the impact of networks on territorial phenomena.

MBIArch Discussion Board

BIArch — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:21:18 +0000

After receiving a good deal of questions regarding the MBIArch Master’s Degree Program via email, and even finding conversations regarding the Institute popping up in other forums, we’ve opened a discussion board of our own on BIArch’s Facebook page to answer questions or simply share thoughts regarding the program.

We hope this encourages further interaction with prospective students and whomever is interested in knowing more about the Institute. We are also planning a series of exciting events for the spring, involving members of the BIArch Advisory Council with the purpose of offering further insights to the program. Details will be posted here shortly, so be sure to check in, or simply subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed.

In the meantime, we’re very happy to be receiving our first round of applications to the program, just in time for our first deadline which is this Friday, March 19th. Just out of the sheer assortment of applications, from very different corners of the world, we can already say we’re expecting to have an incredibly diverse, stimulating group of people joining us in September.

An outline of the MBIArch Architecture Master’s Program

BIArch — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:18:26 +0000

Looking forward to our first deadline for applications to the MBIArch Post-Professional Master’s Degree Program this coming Friday, March 19th, we’ve posted an outline of the program contents on the BIArch webpage. We’ve managed to distill a huge amount of work and effort dedicated to drawing up the program and curriculum into a single DIN A4 page (which you can download here). We’re also offering potential students a first glimpse into the program’s five areas of interdisciplinary study: Architectural Design, Territorial & Urban Studies, Digital Media; Theory, History & Criticism; and Energy & Building Technologies. We’ve updated the information regarding other program highlights as well, including the Design and Critical Seminars, the Productive Land Program and the Optional Advanced Research phase. Please feel free to browse the contents of the program, and if you’re considering applying to the BIArch, make sure you go over our application requirements.

Presenting the MBIArch, our Post-Professional Master’s Degree

BIArch — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:49:32 +0000

This year the Barcelona Institute of Architecture launches the first edition of its post-professional master’s degree: the MBIArch. We are very excited and working hard to follow up on the success of the Institute’s Fall 2009 public program, which was a fittingly stimulating preamble to the launch of the master’s program.

Looking forward to receiving our fist class in September 2010, and to the first admissions deadline on March 19th, we want to share some details about the program. The highlights of the MBIArch include:

1) Academic & Professional Vigor – a highly demanding curriculum that encompasses disciplinary and technical knowledge to direct a professional practice.

2) Outstanding International Faculty - including members of the Institute’s Advisory Council and Board of Directors comprised of leading Academics and practitioners from around the world.

3) Cutting-Edge Curriculum – 5 Areas of Interdisciplinary Studies: The MBIArch concentrates on five areas of research that define courses, seminars and design studios:

– Architectural Design
– Territorial & Urban Studies
– Energy & Building Technologies
– Architectural Theory & Contemporary Thought
– Digital & Media Studies

4) Worldwide Network – access to a prestigious network of architectural experts around the world.

5) Envirornment Conducive to Design – set in the city of Barcelona, internationally recognized for it’s level of design, creativity and artistic culture. Program facilities include one of Antonio Gaudí´s masterpiece buildings, “La Pedrera”.

Program requirements are the following:

– A Professional Degree in Architecture (or related studies), or current students due to receive their Architecture Degree in 2010.
– Overall academic excellence. Action-oriented individuals with a strong intellectual drive and potential to excel in the 5 areas of Interdisciplinary Curriculum in research and/or design.
– Proficiency in English.

More information regarding next steps to applying can be found on the BIArch website. You can also download the structure of the MBIArch masters program here.