10 Architecture Studios Led by women [XIII]. 13 years, 130 architects and more...

In this edition, the 13th, we pay tribute to the work and talent of ten architectural studios led by women whose projects, although always relevant, are not always sufficiently known.

These are the studios and architects selected this year.- Barbara Buser. Natalia Matesanz - Cumulolimbo Studio. Huang Wenjing - OPEN Architecture. Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet and Clara Vidal - Cierto Estudio.  Patcharada Inplang - Sher Maker. Ana Paula de Alba - APDA. Clàudia Raurell. Carmen Maurice. Rocío Pina - ENORME Studio. Ana Vida - Vida Architecture.

• Barbara Buser.

Barbara Buser  born and raised in Basel. In 1996, he and his partner Eric Honegger founded Bauteilbörse, the first building materials recycling center in Switzerland. He has developed a pioneering career focused on sustainability, material reuse, and the social responsibility of architecture, demonstrating a material ethic based on reducing resource use and extending the lifespan of buildings. 

Buser and Honegger, along with other colleagues, also founded the Swiss architecture firm Baubüro In Situ, the urban planning firm Denkstatt Sàrl, and an initiative promoting the temporary use of vacant private properties called Unterdessen. In 2001, Buser launched Zirkular, which collects and maintains a catalog of reusable components from buildings, demolitions, and donors throughout Switzerland, which can be used in new construction. Currently, Barbara Buser is responsible, as the future tenant, for the sustainable development of the Franck Areal, a project that reflects her vision of adaptable, demountable architecture designed for future deconstruction. Recognized with numerous awards in the field of sustainability, she is now a key figure in the European debate on the circular economy and architecture.

• Natalia Matesanz - Cumulolimbo Studio.

Natalia Matesanz holds a PhD in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSAM) and a degree from the University of Alcalá de Henares (ETSAG UAH). She completed postgraduate studies at ETSAM UPM, where she earned a Master's degree in Advanced Architectural Projects in 2013 with a scholarship. A professor of Architectural Projects at the University of Alcalá, she has also taught at national and international universities such as the University of California, Berkeley, and New York University (NYU), as well as at ETSAM and IE Segovia.

She has collaborated with various architecture firms, including Eli (Oficina de Arquitectura), Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, EAS Estudio Álvarez-Sala, Carlos Arroyo Architects, Jaramillo & Kreisler, Bau Obras, and Ángel Verdasco Arquitectos. Between 2010 and 2014, she collaborated with Spanish collectives such as Basurama, Pez Estudio, Zuloark, and Paisaje Transversal on participatory urban projects. She is a co-founder of the urban project Campo de Cebada (2010) and the co-working space Espacio Ucrania (2013). She researches and develops projects at cumuloLimbo studio, regularly collaborating with other professionals and organizations.

• Huang Wenjing - OPEN Architecture.

Huang Wenjing, founding partner of OPEN, Kenzo Tange Design Critic in Architecture at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. HUANG received her B. Arch. from Tsinghua University in 1996, and her M. Arch. from Princeton University in 1999. She is a licensed architect in New York State and a member of the AIA.

Huang Wenjing and LI Hu co-founded OPEN in New York City in 2006 and established the studio’s Beijing office in 2008. Prior to OPEN, HUANG was an associate at the New York-based firm Pei Cobb Freed and Partners. Huang has been named one of the “50 under 50: Innovators of the 21st Century, and 2022 Wallpaper* China Design Awards | Designer of the Year. Huang taught at various institutions, including Tsinghua University, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the University of Hong Kong. The publications co-authored by Huang Wenjing and Li Hu and on their works include Reinventing Cultural Architecture: A Radical Vision by OPEN (2022), OPEN Questions (2018), Towards Openness (2018), and OPEN Reaction (2015).

• Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet and Clara Vidal - Cierto Estudio.

Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet and Clara Vidal is a group of female architects that founded Cierto Estudio in 2014. Born from a pluralistic background, their thinking is inevitably diverse and is reflected in their collaborative work methodology, which strives for maximum architectural expression and a distinctive character.

They are particularly fascinated by collective housing, with innovative designs intended to adapt to different lifestyles. In this field, the studio won its first award in 2017 for "Illa Glòries" in Barcelona. Their "Kitch-room" project also won first prize for the development of a 68-unit apartment building. Finally, their recent selection to lead the New Green Axes Model of the "Superilla Barcelona" urban plan has allowed the studio to lay the groundwork for the sustainable transformation of the Eixample district over the next decade.

• Patcharada Inplang - Sher Maker.

Patcharada Inplang is a prominent Thai architect, born in Udon Thani in 1990, whose academic journey began at the School of Architecture, Art and Design at KMITL. There, she graduated with second-class honors in 2008, laying the foundation for a career defined by technical excellence and a creative vision characteristic of contemporary Southeast Asia.

Her professional development was further solidified through experiences at high-profile firms, beginning with an internship at the innovative Supermachine Studio in 2010. Subsequently, in 2014, she joined the Studiomake team, where she has developed her architectural practice, participating in projects that are often distinguished by their sensitivity to materials and the local context.

• Ana Paula de Alba - APDA. 

Ana Paula de Alba is an architect, having graduated from Anáhuac University in Mexico. Her training was furthered in New York, where she earned the Excellence in Design distinction from Parsons The New School of Design. This experience allowed her to gain experience in the New York residential scene with Shaker Inc. before returning to Mexico to collaborate with studios such as Esrawe Studio and Gloria Cortina.

In 2018, she founded her own firm, apda Interior Design Studio, in Mexico City, where she manages hospitality and residential projects both nationally and internationally. Her work is distinguished by its fusion of a contemporary design language with a deep connection to Mexican culture, resulting in a curated aesthetic that adds value through concepts specifically designed for the context and needs of each space.

• Clàudia Raurell. 

Clàudia Raurell is a Barcelona-born architect, born in 1986. After graduating from ETSALS in 2014 and completing her studies at London Metropolitan University, she co-founded the CRÜ studio that same year. In 2022, she embarked on a new chapter by founding her eponymous studio in Barcelona, ​​consolidating a career that has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the IDEA Awards in Shenzhen and nominations for the FAD Awards and the CSCAE Architecture Awards.

Her profile is characterized by a constant balance between professional practice and academia. Since 2014, she has maintained a close teaching relationship with ETSALS, where she currently teaches Architectural and Urban Design, in addition to giving classes at Escola BAU. This pedagogical role, which she combines with workshops and lectures, enriches her design practice, allowing her to approach each project from a critical perspective deeply connected to urban planning and spatial design.

• Carmen Maurice. 

Carmen Maurice founded her studio CMA (Carmen Maurice Architecture) in Vannes in 2020, after graduating as an architect from ENSA Paris VDS in 2018. Her multidisciplinary practice encompasses everything from renovations to new construction for a diverse clientele. Her approach moves beyond mere functionality to seek a sensitive architecture that resonates with the landscape.

Maurice's methodology is structured around three fundamental pillars: thinking, building, and remaining. Through experimentation with materials, geometry, and light, the studio seeks to create purposeful spaces that transcend time. Her vision aspires for each project to be a significant presence in its surroundings, becoming a spatial and cultural landmark capable of adapting to the future needs of society.

• Rocío Pina - ENORME Studio. 

Rocío Pina is the co-founder of ENORME Studio, a Madrid-based architecture firm established in 2016 that specializes in industrial systems and typological innovation. Their work is distinguished by the design of mobile and flexible architecture, transforming homes and offices into spaces capable of adapting to current urban needs.

Their practice integrates tactical urbanism and citizen participation through the "City Creates City" platform. Among their recent achievements is the co-design of the Spanish Pavilion for Expo Osaka 2025, where they used sustainable materials to create an emotional and relational public space that connects design with environmental impact.

• Ana Vida - Vida Architecture.

Ana Vida founded VIDA architecture in 2016, a studio with offices in Paris and Granada that investigates new ways of living. Her practice focuses on housing, questioning traditional typologies and exploring social and spatial synergies, with a particular emphasis on the reuse of 20th-century built heritage.

This line of research has been internationally recognized with awards such as first place in the “Maison Alsacienne du XXIe siècle” competition and second prize at Europan 15 (Champigny-sur-Marne) in 2019. Her work proposes solutions that allow existing architecture to evolve toward the programmatic and temporal needs of the present day.