Natalia Gutiérrez (Madrid 1980)

Julio De La Fuente (Madrid 1980)

● Short bio: Gutiérrez-delaFuente Arquitectos office was founded in 2006 in Madrid by Natalia Gutiérrez and Julio de la Fuente. The founders studied Architecture at ETSAM (Madrid School of Architecture), and continued their training in Madrid, and Ateliers Jean Nouvel in Paris.
Natalia was Member of the Young Architects Committee (2013), and the Ethics Committee (2010-2012) in the Professional Association of Architects in Madrid COAM.
Julio was Member of the National Jury in the international competition Europan 12 Germany and Poland (Foreing Member of the German and Polish Jury 2013), and member of the Jury in Europan 14 Spain (2017). Now, he is Member of the Europan Europe Technical Committee (2013-).
Portrait by ©Davide Curatola.

● International: Gutiérrez-delaFuente is an Architecture, Urbanism, Landscape and Research office with international scope, offering as its main asset: architectural innovation, creativity and solutions for complex urban situations, high quality construction, and contextualization of all works within their specific physical, economic and cultural location. At present, they are developing urban design plans and building several projects in Spain, Germany and Belgium. They had the honor to be the curators of the pavilion of Spain and Madrid in the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2019.
GdlF was featured by the well-known Spanish architecture magazine Arquitectura Viva as one of the eight most representative young Spanish offices working abroad.

● Works: Gutiérrez-delaFuente has won prizes in numerous national and international Architecture & Urbanism competitions, including two in Europan 09 (Asturias, Spain and Selb, Germany), Europan 10 (Forchheim, Germany), Europan 11 (Linz, Austria), IQ Wohnquartiere Subsidized Housing in Selb (Germany), the Multipurpose Centre Valle de Salazar in Navarra (Spain), the main Public Space & Sports Facility in Morentin (Spain), the Metro de Madrid Headquarters Campus (nZEB) in Madrid (Spain), shortlisted in the international competition for the design of the Low Line London, or recently the urban regeneration of a block in Marollen, Brussels (Belgium), the Azur Social Housing project also in Brussels (Belgium) and the New Secondary School of Kemnath (Germany). They are developing an ambitious mixed use complex in Böblingen (Germany), including a timber construction tower, as part of the IBA 2027 Stuttgart. Part of these works are completed or in progress. Special reference to the urban regeneration plan for the inner city of Selb, successfully completed in the year 2016 (Europan 9 Selb Implementation). Also, GdlF has designed the refurbishment project of the listed and emblematic Ateneo de Madrid building, an investment of the Ministry of Public Works of Spain.

● Awards: their completed works have received international awards, highlighting the Bauwelt Preis 2013, the Luis. M. Mansilla COAM Award 2013, the NAN Award 2013, the Finalist at XII BEAU (Spanish Biennial), the NAN Award 2023 or the COAM Award 2023.

● Media: the office have been published in numerous magazines (A+U, Bauwelt, AV, A10, DAMDI, ON Diseño, among others), exhibited internationally, as well as having several models exhibited in The Architectural Gallery of the Spanish magazine El Croquis.

● Teaching & lecturing: they have been guest professors and lecturer at universities in Germany (Hochschule Coburg, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Coburg, and Technische Hochschule Nürnberg), in Spain (Madrid Polytechnic University CEU San Pablo), and Sweden (Lunds Tekniska Högskola, University of Lund).

● Research: GdlF focuses its research activity in contemporary urban mutation processes derived from the post-industrial age such as the conversion of abandoned brownfields and industrial areas, the phenomenon of shrinking cities, the topic of the Productive City and the impact of the climate change in our territories. Also, they explore the new ways of living, and the role of the contemporary architect as a social moderator, a double agent in between top-down and bottom-up processes, and also in between the two divergent focuses of urban development in recent years: the large and ambitious master plans, and the programmatic discussions regarding small interventions with a positive impact on their surroundings. They are authors several books, highlighting “Rendering the Collective in the Circular City” presented in the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2019, and “Productive City, Circular City. Talks around the Spanish Urban Agenda” edited by the Ministry of Development of Spain and launched with occasion of the World Urban Forum of Abu Dhabi 2020. Also they are the authors of the research “Atlas of Innovation, Nuevo Madrid Mix” in collaboration with the City of Madrid and authors and editors of the book “Ateneo de Madrid” about the refurbishment and restoration of the Ateneo de Madrid 2016-2022.

● Methodological approach: urban transformation needs a new creativity in urban planning focusing on the process, and breaking the traditional linear sequence «analyses-proposal-implementation». They understand this creativity around a «triangle of indeterminances», as a scientific approach to complexity, integrating all the possible actors (experts, citizens, context). GdlF addresses the conflicts from a new perspective based on “reconsider-relaunch-reintegrate”.

● Mobile architect: the flexible structure of the office is designed to promote international collaborations. The office shows the new condition of the «mobile architect» working abroad, and being able to stimulate a «co-operative» design process, an innovative action model to react to the contingencies of the city development, anticipating a wide range of future situations. A rich practice activity in between Spain, Germany and Belgium is the result of this attitude.