The digital architecture and design magazine Arquetipos, published by the Arquia Foundation, has released a new issue dedicated to architect Anna Puigjaner, interviewed by Moisés Puente. The interview covers the architect's four professional pillars: research, teaching, editorial work, and her practice with MAIO architects.
The path from research to publication, and from travel to teaching, feeds the expanded architectural practice of Anna Puigjaner, of MAIO architects.
1. Research
Anna reflects on her interest in the domestic realm, questioning established typologies of homes with kitchens and comparing them to kitchenless housing (or collective kitchens) in buildings constructed in New York during the late 19th century. Winner of the 2016 Wheelwright Prize, the award allowed her to travel for two years to research contemporary case studies worldwide.
Another notable research project in New York was conducted by Lys Villalba through her Arquia Foundation/Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando Research Fellowship: DELIRIOUS NEW YORK: 40th YEAR UPDATE. A Retroactive [and open] Manifesto for Manhattan.
The documentary The History of the New York Apartment House explores the apartment building typology in New York and how it transformed city life, focusing on the sociocultural aspects of high-rise living.
2. Teaching
As a professor at ETSAV (Vallès School of Architecture), Anna teaches her students that architecture goes beyond buildings, and that there is no need to draw a clear line between what is supposedly practice and theory:
3. Publishing
In 2011, Anna Puigjaner, along with José Zabala, Mario Ballesteros, and Guillermo López, won the competition to direct the magazine Quaderns d’Arquitectura i Urbanisme.
4. Architecture
As co-founder of MAIO architects (2011), the firm has worked extensively on housing projects, public spaces, interior design, and furniture design.
This article was written by Yamid Rivera. The translation is powered by AI.
