Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD)

MAAD is a one-year post-professional design studio intended for those who have a professional (accredited Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture) degree, and who wish to continue to explore current design issues in a stimulating, rigorous, and experimental studio setting. As of the 2020-2021, students who complete the program will receive a non-accredited Master of Advanced Architectural Design degree

The year-long studio is at the core of the program, integrated with seminars and lectures in design theory, history, digital applications, and building technology. Students also have the opportunity to enroll in other elective classes in the College of Environmental Design. The studio director is joined by a team of several other faculty from the department and the college.

Students who complete the program will receive a Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) Degree beginning with the Class of 2020-2021. The MAAD Degree is not accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB). The degree nomenclature is changed to distinguish it from the Accredited M.Arch Degree that is used by NAAB only for two-year or three-year architecture programs.

Applications for the 2020-2021 cycle are now closed. For the 2021-2022 cycle, applications will be available online at grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply, specifying the one-year Master of Advanced Architectural Design option in the College of Environmental Design.

View/Download the Master of Advanced Architectural Design (M.AAD) '21-22 Handbook

Plants undergo various protocols that inhibit decomposition. Strategies can range from the secretion of plant resins to mineralization. Vegetal resin secretion is generated to protect from pathogens including fungal deterioration particularly in woody species. Dependent on the plant, protection mechanisms can also be accompanied by morphological changes in their tissue, producing encapsulation. Additionally, plants can undergo mineralization processes, including wood petrification inhibiting aerobic decomposition.

In the petrification process of plants, the bulk of the organic matter decomposes, but lignin remains. The unique material and structural defense strategies of plants are multifold, spanning from resistance to microbial deterioration, harboring pathogens, to preventing water permeation. Along with researching plant microbial protection mechanisms, scientific investigations have recently focused on beneficial synergies of plant tissue with bacteria and fungi for phased degradation and water sorptivity, detoxification, and energy generation. Can defense strategies and intentional incorporation of bacteria and fungi in plant tissue including woods lead to unprecedented material functionalities in the built environment?

This studio will explore new architectural enclosure strategies stemming from this inquiry. Students will explore the design and prototyping of enclosures with plant microbial defense mechanisms and synergy with bacteria and fungi for detoxification, water management, and energy generation. Through it, the studio will foment new models of lignin-based architecture and healthy environments.

UC Berkeley architecture professor Maria Paz Gutierrez will direct the one-year Master of Advanced Architectural Design Studio on new frontiers in the abiotic and biotic processes of indoor microbiomes, occupants, and health. The studio will explore deep technology and design of abiotic-biotic processes as potential cooperation having natural material invention at its root. The studio will function in collaboration with HOK (Paul Woolford- Design Principal) emphasizing the relevance of rendering natural materials innovation translatable into practice as required by pressing health, environmental, and cultural challenges. The course will be offered in the 2021-2022 academic year through UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design. Students who complete the program will receive a post-professional Master of Advanced Architectural Design degree.