Madrid-based architects Elena Orte and Guillermo of SUMA Arquitectura are the Emerging Architecture Winners of the 2024 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Award (EUmies Award) for their design of the Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona, Spain. They will kick off the School of Architecture’s Spring 2026 public programs series as the EUmies Awardee Distinguished Lecturers—part of an exciting partnership with Fundació Mies van der Rohe, aimed at advancing architectural excellence through collaborative programs between our institutions.
For their talk, SUMA Arquitectura will introduce their most recent projects where timber plays a central structural, material, and conceptual role. From public buildings to collective housing and research infrastructures, the work reflects an integrated approach to architecture, construction, and use.
Their presentation will feature the award-winning Gabriel García Márquez Library, a public timber building conceived as a social and urban ecosystem, where structure, program, and atmosphere work together to intensify collective life. They will also present Our Shelves Houses and Studio SUMA & Home, housing projects in timber that explore flexible, cooperative, and highly customized domestic models. Finally, CIMBRA will be introduced as an innovation center dedicated to research, education, and the development of timber as a key material for sustainable and circular construction.
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