The AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) Industry evolves firmly, so professionals must be skilled with the most advanced tools and methods to address new challenges regarding Project Generation, Computer Graphics and New Technologies. Advanced Computation tools such as Parametric Design, Structural and Environmental Real-time Analysis, Building information Modelling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Scripting Methods for Automation and Resarch, Rendering and Space Rrepresentation in Real-time, Inmersive Environments and Virtual Tours, Digital Twins, Machine Learning (ML), requires new skills that must be learned by the different agents that take part in the construction process from early stages of design creation, to get a more sustainable, creative and responsive projects.

Starting from a deep knowledge of the tool and the processes involved in the student's workflow during the development of the master, the necessary resources are provided for the realization of a project with a technological approach that starts from the premise of intervening in the root of a social need, with a technical and economic approach, so that the student has a direct way to apply their knowledge in today's society.

MIAU Program is intended for Architects, Designers, Engineers who want to become experts in Advanced Computation and build a critical project in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry.

The aim is to earn new tools and methodologies working with proficient experts and faculty, in an innovative educational structure

The application period is continually open. If you wish to apply, please, send your CV and portfolio, to miau@miautics.com. The academic committee will evaluate your application and we will contact you as soon as possible. Application period for next year's edition is open until 1st December.

We also arrange meetings with aplicants interested in our Program. If you wish to meet us, send an email to miau@miautics.com

Scholarships

Applications until September xx, 202X.

The possibility of four 50% scholarships is established. These scholarships will be assigned based on academic merit. Fellows may be assigned teaching support tasks.

To apply for the scholarship you must register in the ordinary way and additionally send the following documents to miau@miautics.com:

-Personal motivation letter.

-Academic and/or professional merits.

-Academic and personal portfolio.

-Accreditations of the merits that are considered relevant, letter of recommendation

The Master In Advanced Architecture, Urbanism and Computational Design, based on a Learning by Doing and Design by Research Methodology, offers a singular educational experience, articulated in 3 modules with a Master Thesis Project (TFM). MIAU consists of two Semesters, both structured according to three interconnected fields as academic blocks: Project Generation (PGE), Computer Graphics (CGR) and New Technologies (NTE). The subjects are packed into six interconnected, transversal and unified areas: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERIGN, ART AND DESIGN, AND MATHEMATICS (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), BIG DATA (BD), EXTENDED REALITIES VR/AR (XR), GENERATIVE DESIGN (GD), BIM - AECO INDUSTRY (BA), COMPUTER AND MOTION GRAPHICS (CG)...)

KEY CONCEPTS: TER= TERM OR SPECIALIZATION COURSE / ARE= AREA / SUB= SUBJECT / WOR = WORKSHOP / MCL = MASTERCLASS

ARE / SCI SCIENCE (72h)

(COMPUTER GRAPHICS, SIMULATIONS, MULTIDICIPLINAR FRAMEWORKS)

Description: 

Contains the fundamental “why” of the course. Through Digital Fundamentals, Digital Morphologies and Digital Systems, students will learn about algorithmic geometry, parametric systems and the foundations of working with data in architecture. In Disciplinary Simulations and Multidisciplinary Design Systems those theories are transformed into concrete algorithms that simulate and generate solutions. 

• Application of the scientific method to computational design.

• Data-driven optimization (environmental simulation, energy performance, sustainable material analysis).

• AI-based predictive modeling in architecture.

Computational design is not only an innovation toolbox, but also a new method of approaching the way the world around us is built and created. It is a set of form-finding processes that can recreate nature's evolving approach to design,  or even explore full artificial workarounds  . You can start with design goals and then explore countless possible permutations of a solution to find the best fit. By using cloud computing, generative design can walk through thousands or even millions of design options, testing configurations, and learning from each iteration what works and what doesn't. These processes allow designers to generate new options, to reach an effective design. As Lars Hesselgren explains: “ Generative design is not about designing the building – Its' about designing the system that builds a building. ” It is a method to automatically generate forms from the modification of the variables that define them, chosen by the designer. 

Principles, methods, and applications on how simulations can model, predict, and optimize complex systems in design, science, architecture, engineering, and other disciplines. Students learn to harness computational tools to replicate real-world phenomena, enabling data-driven design decisions.

Leader: Sergio Del Castillo Tello (MIAU)

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty: Sergio Del Castillo Tello (MIAU) 

Contents:

SUB AWF - Advanced Workflows. Multiplatform operational workflows for the creation, realization and presentation of achitecture and urbanism projects. Global overview of design methodologies.

SUB DFU - Digital Fundamentals. Basic concepts and terminology to conceive computational design as a field of knowledge and production based on algorithms, geometries, structures, shapes and images within the current context and the prospective evolution of digital tools regarding to project designing.

SUB DGM - Digital Morphologies. 3DModelling. Form generation, nature and properties based on the customized selection of variables in its design: Typologies vs topologies.

SUB DGS - Digital Systems. Geometric automation based on the assembly, sets and aggregation of related components conforming complex entities.

SUB PAR - Advanced Prototype Parameterization. Visual programming of reactive and adaptive parametric projects. PVB, PVI, PVA: Visual Programming: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced Levels.

SUB DSM - Disciplinary Simulations. Generation of subsystems integrating the project based on several disciplines (structural, bioclimatic, constructive, physical, infrastructural). The result is the elaboration of FEM calculation documents and structural dimensioning, and decision making regarding thermodynamic bioclimatic strategies.

SUB MDS - Multidisciplinary Design Systems.  Dynamic models programming as a support to transversely cross routines of different disciplines. Understanding the project as an assembly of interrelated sub-elements. Adaptive parametric projects designing the behavior of their architectural elements between them and in relation to the outer and inner context

ARE / TEC TECHNOLOGY (72h)

ARE SIM / 

Description:  

Once the concepts are clear, we dive into the tool-set. Advanced Prototype Parameterization (Visual Programming Basic–Advanced) is where students will master Rhino and Grasshopper and its plug-ins (Kangaroo, Galapagos, etc.); parallel sessions show how the same logic carries over to Dynamo inside Revit. Programming Languages adds Python scripting for automation, while the Advanced Workflows and BIM Programming seminars teach cross-platform data exchange, BIM APIs and digital-twin coordination. By the end of the term students will be able to chain Grasshopper definitions, Dynamo graphs and BIM databases into a single, reproducible workflow. 

• Digital tools and BIM + parametric design platforms.

• Integration of generative AI into architectural workflows.

• Digital fabrication, robotics, and rapid prototyping.

Leader: Iago Romero Ogando (MIAU) 

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty: Iago Romero Ogando (MIAU)

Contents:

ARE / ENG ENGINEERING (72h)

Description:  

The fully practical part of the course; we turn the algorithms we have learned to generate, into objects you can hold. Mechanics covers joints, auxetic skins and soft-body rigs; Advanced Digital Fabrication allows students to prototype with 3D printing, making micro-structures, kinetic façades or snap-fit assemblies at scale. Short exercises culminate in a physical mock-up - whether printed, milled or otherwise - that tests tolerances, assembly logic and material behaviour within the classroom setting. 

• Structural innovation through optimization algorithms.

• Simulation of construction processes.

• Complex systems engineering applied to the built environment.

ARE AAI / ALGORITHMS (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

Impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on urban environments. It examines how AI technologies, including machine learning and computer vision, are transforming city planning, governance, and services. Students delve into AI-powered solutions for traffic management, energy efficiency, public safety, and citizen engagement. Case studies showcase successful AI implementations in various urban contexts worldwide. Ethical considerations surrounding AI in cities, such as bias and data privacy, are also discussed. Through hands-on projects, students develop AI solutions addressing urban challenges and gain insights into the future of AI-driven cities.

Director: Iago Romero Ogando (MIAU) 

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty: Iago Romero Ogando (MIAU)

Contents:

SUB ADP - Algorithms, Data and Processes. Programming basics. Introduction to opensource development environments.

SUB DDD - Data Driven Design. Case studies about Algorithms to automate decisions. Decision-making methods.

SUB MCH - AI and Machine Learning Methods. An introdution on algorithms to allow computers to learn from experience datasets.

SUB EVO - Prototype Evolutionary Design. Evolutionary problem solving mimics the evolution employing the same trial-and-error methods that nature uses in order to arrive at an optimized result.

ARE / ART ARTS AND DESIGN (72h)

ARE DAZ DATA (BIG DATA AND DATAVIZ)

Description: 

The Image Production, Hyperrealism and Diagramming & Graphic Design studios walk step-by-step through lighting, texturing and compositing pipelines to produce high quality renderings, both using classic VRay workflows, as well as modern AI tools.

In addition, workshops on Real-Time Engines Realism and Digital Landscapes teach students to export models into Unreal or Unity for interactive walkthroughs and atmospheric videos. The result is a toolkit for crafting clear visuals, cinematic renders and immersive XR experiences that communicate both concept and craft. 

Intersection of big data and arch-urban environments. It delves into how cities collect, process, and analyze vast amounts of data to improve urban planning, infrastructure, transportation, and services. Students learn about data sources such as IoT sensors, social media, and government records. They examine case studies and applications of big data analytics in addressing urban challenges like traffic congestion, environmental sustainability, and public health. The module also covers ethical considerations, privacy issues, and the potential for data-driven smart cities. Students gain practical skills in data analysis and visualization relevant to urban contexts.

• Architectural design as the synthesis of creativity and computational logic.

• Digital aesthetics and visual narratives.

• Generative art and formal exploration through AI.

Leader: Manuel Monterserín (MIAU)

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty:  Iago Romero Ogando (MIAU)

Contents:

SUB MOD - 3D Animation and Motion Design. Designing and visualizing processes, change, evolution, transformation. Creating illusions of life animation. Abstract living spaces. Visual story-telling. Movement thinking. Dinamic graphic art. Rigging motion systems

SUB CGI - History and Technique of the Image. Contextual evolution of the pictorial representation related to the production techniques.

SUB DIG - Diagramming and Graphic Design. Production of graphic representation of a proposition, of the project´s scheme, of the relations between the different parts or elements of a set or system.

SUB IMG - Image Production. Specialization on digital imaging production, postproduction and narratives. 

SUB HYR - Hyperrealism. Understanding the retoric of the real, allows us to get into de realness as a creative material, throught advanced CG technics. Approaching the realness in image making not as a goal itself but as a research field.

SEM DLA - Digital Landscapes. Virtual-Natural Ecosystem emulations

SEM ABS - Three-Dimensional Abstraction. Hiporealism. Abtract interpretations with virtual techniques. Graphic Design and Branding. Motion Graphics.

SUB RVI - Virtual Reality. Space exploration for a digital nature. Virtual reality experiences allows us to experiment an inmerssive digital experience. Rather than replicating or transforming condition of the real world, genuine digital immersive experience. 

SUB ARX - Augmented and Hybrid AR/VR (XR) Realities. Virtual layers over the real environment. 

SEM REA - Real Time Engines Realism. Not only mimic the real, but reinterpreting it as the new digital. 

SEM ECO - Ecology and Virtual Ecosystems. Biodiversity, modelling and prospection of interactive natural biotopes.

ARE / MAT MATHEMATICS (72h)

ARE XRE / INTERFACES (EXTENDED REALITIES VR/AR/XR)

Description: 

Finally, we introduce the geometric rules behind the course so far. Digital Morphologies introduces computational geometry; Geometric Conflicts tackles collision detection, mesh optimisation and topological surgery; Mathematical Explorations and Mathematical Simulations give you the calculus of curvature, differential growth and dynamic relaxation. Combined, these subjects will teach students about advanced geometry, whether for form-finding, complex NURBS or mesh structures. 

• Mathematical foundations of parametric and algorithmic design.

• Computational geometry applied to architecture.

• Mathematical models for optimization and simulation.

Convergence of Extended Realities (XR), including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), with urban planning and architecture. Students examine how XR technologies are reshaping city design, visualization, and user experiences. They delve into XR tools for urban modeling, digital twins, and interactive architectural design. Case studies highlight innovative XR applications in urban development, heritage preservation, and urban tourism. Ethical considerations, such as data privacy in XR urban environments, are discussed. Through hands-on projects, students create XR-enhanced urban and architectural prototypes, gaining a deeper understanding of the future integration of XR in city planning and architecture.

Leader: Alvaro Sanchez Garda (MIAU) 

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty: Alvaro Sanchez Garda  (MIAU)

Contents:

SUB PRG - Programming Languages. Scripting in Python

SUB HAK - Object Hacking. Digital Twins for testing Project Conditions

SEM REC -  Digital Reconstruction. Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry. Digital Twins from point clouds. Geometry reconstruction. Topology and retopology. Geometry conversion modes from real to digital and back.

SUB GIS - Geographical Information Systems. Urban Territorial Analysis.

ARE BAI / INDUSTRIES (BIM / AECO / ENTREPRENEURSHIP)

Description: Entrepreneurship in computational design focuses on leveraging cutting-edge computational tools, algorithms, and technologies to create innovative solutions within architecture, engineering, and design industries. It combines creativity, technology, and business acumen to address inefficiencies, enhance performance, and push the boundaries of traditional design practices.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its application in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industries. Students learn the fundamentals of BIM, including 3D modeling, data integration, and collaboration. They explore how BIM revolutionizes project design, management, and sustainability. Practical exercises involve creating BIM models and analyzing real-world AECO projects. 

Leader: Antonio Canero Esteban (MIAU) 

Credits: 5 ECTS

Faculty: Antonio Canero Esteban (MIAU) 

Contents:

SUB BIM - Building Information Modelling. Set of processes and methodologies for the generation and management of data of a building or civil engineering work during its life cycle, using a digital model shared between different actors in the value chain. The objective is to reduce time and resources in the design, construction and management of the asset. 

SEM BMM - BIM Managers. BIM Case studies.

SEM BAP - BIM Programming. BIM APIs.

Description: This academic module serves as the culmination of the Advanced Architecture and AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations) program, providing students with the opportunity to showcase their expertise. Students choose a research topic relevant to advanced architecture or AECO industry challenges. They conduct in-depth research, design innovative solutions, and present their findings through a comprehensive thesis. The module emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and advanced research methodologies. Ethical considerations, sustainability, and cutting-edge technologies are integrated into the thesis process. Graduates emerge with a master's thesis that demonstrates their advanced knowledge and readiness to tackle complex issues in the fields of architecture and AECO.

Leader: Sergio del Castillo Tello (MIAU)

Contents:

SUB PRO - Final Master’s Project, guided by one or two instructors from the faculty as codirectors. Flexible personal tuiton during the creation of the TFM.

SEM PAP - How to Structure a Research Paper.

SEM INV -  How to Structure a Research Thesis

Academic final structure: MIAU I (Multipurpose toolkits 1st Academic term) October 16 till February 16 + MIAU II (Advanced Specialization 2nd Academic term February 19 till June 22) = 2 x Specialization course 300 h= 2 x credits 30 ETCS + TFMIAU Final Thesis Project (3rd Academic term, June 22 till October 8-12 , credits 12 ETCS).

Each Advanced Infographics course can be done independently as a UPM specialization course. Tuition fee payment can be split in two times each academic term.

TRIP MODULES (To be chosen 1 out of 3)

MODULE A - TAIWAN

MODULE B - BERLIN

MODULE C - MENDRISIO