Open call for the 4th edition of the APE Grupo Architecture Awards

Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office (S-MAO) is an architecture studio founded in Madrid in 1982 by Juan Carlos Sancho and Sol Madridejos. Since then, they have developed their professional practice in the fields of architecture and urbanism, with projects encompassing public, cultural, educational and residential buildings, as well as urban interventions, both in Spain and internationally. Their work has evolved through an ongoing investigation into space and perception, closely linked to questions arising from the visual arts, theory and architectural thought.

Juan Carlos Sancho Osinaga (San Sebastián, 1957) is an architect from the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM), where he graduated in 1982. He received his PhD in Architecture from the same school in 1992 and was appointed Professor of Architectural Design at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 2010, where he continues to teach at ETSAM. Throughout his career, he has been a visiting professor and has taught courses and given lectures at numerous international universities and schools of architecture.

Sol Madridejos (Madrid, 1958) is an architect from the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM), where she graduated in 1983. She has developed an extensive academic career, teaching Architectural Design at Universidad Europea de Madrid and Universidad CEU San Pablo, and serving as a visiting professor at institutions including the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Her professional and academic practice has been complemented by courses, workshops and lectures at different schools of architecture.

Sancho and Madridejos have jointly taught courses, masterclasses and lectures at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, OTIS College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, the Architectural Association in London, the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at Tongji University in Shanghai, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

The studio’s work has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Urbanism Award from the Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid, the Urbanism Award from Madrid City Council, and the Best New Building Award in the Anthological Awards for Contemporary Architecture of Castilla-La Mancha for the Chapel in Valleacerón. In 2022, the IESE Business School Campus in Madrid received a COAM Mention, while the Chapel in Valleacerón received a COAM +10 Mention.

Their work has been widely published and exhibited internationally at institutions and events including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the National Building Museum in Washington, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, the RIBA in London, the Petit Palais and the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. Their work has also been featured in numerous international publications and monographs.

Gerard Sanmartí (Barcelona, 1974) is an interior designer trained at ELISAVA. Before founding Lagranja Design, he worked at Fabrica, the Benetton Group’s creative research centre in Treviso, Italy, where he met Gabriele Schiavon. Since the beginning of his professional career, he has combined his work at the studio with teaching and participation in workshops, lectures, and juries related to design. He has collaborated as a lecturer with institutions including ELISAVA and IED Barcelona.

Gabriele Schiavon (Padua, Italy, 1973) is an architect who studied at the Università Iuav di Venezia between 1992 and 1997. In 1998, he joined Fabrica on a scholarship, where he met Sanmartí and began to engage more closely with product and interior design. Between 2001 and 2011, he combined his professional practice with teaching at institutions including the IUAV in Venice, EINA, and IED Barcelona. From 2014 to 2016, he served as vice-president of FAD (Foment de les Arts i del Disseny). Sanmartí and Schiavon continue to lead Lagranja Design as co-founders, partners, and creative directors.

The studio’s work has received numerous national and international distinctions, including Red Dot Awards, IDEA Awards, IIDA Excellence Awards, the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona de Disseny, the ADI-FAD Silver Delta, and Architizer A+ Awards. Its product design work includes the Key bicycle rack, developed for Urbidermis and recognized with a Red Dot Award, an IDEA Award, and the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona de Disseny.

Alongside their professional practice, Sanmartí and Schiavon have maintained an ongoing involvement in teaching and the dissemination of design through classes, workshops, lectures, and participation in international juries. In 2025, they launched Open Design Editions through Lagranja Design, a programme aimed at supporting the development and production of proposals by emerging designers.