Courtesy Picture by © Monica Spezia
ABOUT US
Architecture, Urban and Territory Thinkers, Design, Interiors, Art Direction, Curatorial Practice, Educators.
We don’t subscribe to a single definition of our practice. Instead, we blur the boundaries and embrace ambiguity between inside and outside, formality and informality, authenticity and globalization, brutality and delicacy, designed and accidental, original and copied, unique and standard, traditional and critical.
Trained as architects, we have worked in Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Dubai, and Sweden. After founding our practice in Rotterdam in 2012, we relocated to Syracuse, Sicily, in 2017. We believe that everything is architecture, and architecture is both scaleless and meaningful. We are committed to design as a force for creating a better world.
Our practice is an exploration of the possible across diverse territories.
Every project is different, and we aim to create a unique and relevant response to each brief. We reject the concept of a "house style," bringing something distinct and innovative to each project.
We work with essential forms and structures that generate objects, spaces, and environments that frame the complexity of life.
Our work has been featured in publications including Wallpaper , AD Italia, Elle Decor, Frame, Wired, Living, Interni, Domus, and Dwell, The Walking Society Sicilia and has been showcased at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.
FOUNDERS
FRANCESCO MONCADA (Syracuse, Italy, 1976) is an architect who studied in Palermo, Italy, and Pamplona, Spain. He has lived and worked in Spain, the UK, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, and Dubai. Among his main experiences, he worked for seven years with OMA-AMO/Rem Koolhaas as a Project Leader, where he designed the transformation of the 16th-century Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice, the scenography for the Greek Theater in Syracuse, the Knoll Pavilion 2016 at Milan’s Salone del Mobile, and the flagship store for the jewelry brand Repossi in Place Vendôme, Paris. Since 2017, he has been teaching at the MADE Program of the Design Academy in Syracuse and co-curating the summer educational program MADE LABS with Formafantasma. In 2021, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Dionysian Wall Park in Syracuse by the local government, overseeing the installation of five architectural pavilions. He is currently a PhD candidate at FAUP (Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto). From 2022 to 2024, he co-curated the Archisummit conference program in Porto, Portugal, alongside Mafalda Rangel. Since 2023, he has been a Board Member of the Ordine degli Architetti di Siracusa, and he is currently the Artistic Director of the new architecture festival COSMO, which will take place in the Pantalica area near Syracuse in spring 2025.
MAFALDA RANGEL (Porto, Portugal, 1980) is an architect and lighting designer, who graduated with honors in 2004 from FAUP – the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto, Portugal. She holds a Master’s degree in Architectural Lighting Design from KTH, Stockholm, Sweden. She has taught as a guest critic at the University of Trondheim (NTNU) in Norway. She worked for five years at OMA/Rem Koolhaas, overseeing the construction of two major projects (Timmerhuis in Rotterdam and Qatar Library in Doha), and spent two years at MVRDV as a Project Leader for urban projects in Shenzhen, China, and Seoul, South Korea. Since 2017, she has been teaching at the MADE Program of the Design Academy in Syracuse and co-curating the summer educational program MADE LABS with Formafantasma. She is currently a PhD candidate at FAUP (Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto). Since 2022, she has been co-curating the Archisummit Conference Program in Porto, Portugal, alongside Francesco Moncada. She is currently the Artistic Director of the new architecture festival COSMO, which will take place in the Pantalica area in spring 2025.
CONSULTING TEAM
VALERIA CANNISTRACI (Caltanissetta, Italy, 1980) is a lawyer specializing in real estate, with extensive experience in handling complex cadastral and inheritance matters involving foreign clients. Her expertise allows her to navigate intricate legal challenges, providing effective solutions in property-related issues.
GIANLUCA CONIGLIARO (Siracusa, Italy 1974) holds a diploma as a surveyor and brings over 25 years of professional experience to his work. He is a specialist in cost estimation and has contributed to a wide range of projects across Sicily, working on both small and large-scale developments. His expertise and deep knowledge of the local construction industry make him a valuable asset in managing project costs.
OTTAVIO GIUFFRIDA (Syracuse, Italy, 1985) has over 10 years of experience in the real estate sector. Since 2011, he has collaborated with two major firms, gaining extensive knowledge of the market and real estate dynamics. In early 2024, driven by his passion for property and a desire to innovate, he decided to establish a new company, Imvesta, alongside a group of entrepreneurs. The mission is to revolutionize the traditional real estate agency model by offering exclusive and personalized services that go beyond mere transactions, with a particular focus on the investment real estate market.
Current & previous Collaborators:
Yujie Wang, Lorenzo Macaione, Fabiana Raciti, Medea Meli, Roberta Bianca, Carolina Agostinelli, Francesco Gugliotta, Francesco Cavaliere, Sofia Franciosini, Guido Taddei, Simone Campana, Gaetano Salemi, Dalila Musso, Ludovico Spataro, Pietro Rigamonti, Claudia Rifuggiato
