CODA

LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES AND COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN THAT RETHINK THE CITY

CODA (Computational Design Affairs) is a consulting and design agency based in Barcelona.

This collective moves naturally within a hybrid territory: halfway between innovation, technological research, and academic teaching. Its team, made up of architects, engineers, and computer scientists, shares a common conviction: technological efficiency can improve the world we live in.

At the core of their practice lies computational design applied to lightweight structures. Drawing on geometry, construction, structural systems, and computer science, CODA explores new ways of optimizing processes and rethinking how we produce and inhabit spaces.

Among their projects, ‘Mlus’ stands out: an urban oasis built in Plaza de España in Madrid during the South Summit. It consists of an undulating timber shell that was built in just two days thanks to active bending and digital optimization techniques. The result was an artificial forest of birch trees: a fresh and luminous refuge in the heart of the city, showing how geometric experimentation can be transformed into lightweight, sustainable, and striking solutions.

CODA’s trajectory is marked by numerous milestones: experimental pavilions at international festivals, collaborations with laboratories and associations, and solid academic teaching in architecture schools. Their work has also been consistently recognized, with awards such as the ILEK Lightweight Structures Competition (2013), honorary mentions at Andreu World (2014), and distinctions from the Barcelona carpenters guild.