Amaia Sánchez-Velasco

Amaia Sánchez-Velasco is an architect, educator, researcher, and co-director of GRANDEZA STUDIO, a collective of architects and artists founded in Madrid in 2011 whose work weaves together research and critical spatial practice through design, live arts, filmmaking, writing, and teaching.

In 2024, Amaia was awarded (along with Jorge Valiente Oriol) at MediaLab Matadero, and was co-curator (along with GRANDEZA STUDIO) of «Espejito Espejito» (Mirror Mirror) an exhibition and public program at Madrid’s Museum of America as part of the 2024 MAYRIT Biennial of Design and Architecture. Amaia curated, in collaboration with Keinton Butler, the Sydney Design Week 2024 titled ‘In Between Worlds’.

Amaia presented two projects at the 2023 Biennale Architettura di Venezia, “The Laboratory of the Future”. On the one hand, “Pilbara Interregnum: Seven Political Allegories” was exhibited at the Arsenale and was finalist for the Arquia/Próxima award 2024. Additionally, he exhibited the film “Strata Incognita” (co-directed by GRANDEZA STUDIO and Locument) which was commissioned for the Pavilion of Spain “Foodscapes”. A copy of the film has been acquired by the Museu del Disseny in Barcelona for its permanent collection.

In 2019, Amaia was creative co-director and co-curator (with GRANDEZA STUDIO) of “Teatro Della Terra Alienata”, the Australian pavilion for the XXII Triennale di Milano. The project received the Golden Bee award for the best international contribution and was later acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for its permanent collection of Contemporary Design and Architecture.

Amaia’s work has been also exhibited and published at the NGV in Melbourne, the Architecture Triennale Lisbon, the Canadian Center for Architecture, The Berlage, the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Chilean Architecture Biennial and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, amongst others.

Amaia is currently an Adjunct Professor at IE University in Madrid and a visiting Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University. Between 2022 and 2025, Amaia taught at the Domus Academy in Milan, the University Andrés Bello and the Master of Critical Design at Elisava in Barcelona. Between 2015 and 2022, Amaia worked as a full-time Lecturer at the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building (DAB) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where she currently holds an Honorary Academic position.