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Urbanitree is a design and research studio founded by architects Vicente Guallart and Daniel Ibáñez, both trained at prestigious institutions and with international credentials. Guallart, born in Valencia in 1963, served as Chief Architect of Barcelona from 2011 to 2015. Ibáñez, born in Madrid in 1981, holds a doctorate in design from Harvard University and currently directs the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
Operating from offices in Barcelona, Boston, and Shenzhen, Urbanitree focuses on ecological architecture and urban innovation. The firm approaches projects as solutions to social and environmental challenges, combining research with practical implementation across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The studio has gained recognition through several notable projects. "Terrazas para la Vida" stands as Spain's tallest industrially-manufactured solid wood social housing building, containing 40 units in Barcelona's Verneda and Pau neighborhoods. The firm designed post-COVID housing in Xiong'an, China, and completed the African Flow kindergarten in Cameroon, which deliberately employs local materials and construction methods to strengthen community capacity.
Currently, Urbanitree is overseeing the New IAAC Headquarters in Barcelona, a 5,617 square meter facility featuring a wooden structure with integrated greenhouse spaces for food production. The project emphasizes wood as the primary structural material while incorporating sustainable design principles.
Beyond built projects, both founders maintain academic roles, with Guallart leading the Master's program in Advanced Ecological Buildings at Valldaura Labs. Ibáñez serves as senior consultant at the World Bank, advising governments on wood-based urban development. Guallart has exhibited at the Venice Biennale four times and was selected for Spanish architecture exhibitions at MoMA in New York.