This event will be conducted in person only.

Anna Puigjaner is an architect, researcher, and co-founder of MAIO, a multidisciplinary architecture firm based in Barcelona. Both Puigjaner’s independent research and her work with MAIO focus on developing inclusive spaces that redefine social structures, from her internationally recognized research project “Kitchenless City,” which proposes the displacement of domestic architectural elements from the private to the public sphere, to the firm’s current social housing projects.

Recent projects include:

• 40 Social Housing Units Building in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (MAIO) This four-story residence in suburban Barcelona contains 40 units composed of generic spaces designed to be adaptable to the changing needs of inhabitants.

• 1306 Plants for Timisoara (MAIO) This public installation placed a tree nursery at the center of Timisoara, Romania. After ten months, the grown trees were planted throughout the city as part of the festivities to mark Timisoara being named a European Capital of Culture in 2023.

• Kitchenless City This ongoing research by Puigjaner investigates housing with collective kitchens, including historical case studies and contemporary alternative living communities.

Anna Puigjaner is currently Professor of Architecture and Care at ETH Zürich. She has previously taught at the Columbia University GSAPP at Columbia University, at London’s Royal College of Arts, and at the Barcelona School of Architecture. Puigjaner was awarded the 2016 Wheelwright Prize from Harvard GSD for her project Kitchenless City, which has also been supported by the Graham Foundation. She received her BArch, MArch, and PhD degrees from Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona-Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

In 2005, Puigjaner founded MAIO with partners Maria Charneco, Alfredo Lérida, and Guillermo López. Combining design work with academic, research, and editorial projects, MAIO operates as a collaborative studio. The firm’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the Royal Academy, Storefront for Art and Architecture, and at the Venice Biennale, among other venues.

Support

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This lecture is co-sponsored with The Architectural League of New York.

Tickets are free for Cooper Union students and faculty with valid ID, and League members. For ticket inquiries, please refer to The Architectural League of New York website.