PhD Architect. Associate Lecturer
xabier.barrutieta@ehu.eus
Academic background
Award-winning architect with the End of Degree Award from the Higher School of Architecture at UPV/EHU (2003). He has undertaken international academic stays, such as the Erasmus programme at the Universität Stuttgart (Germany) and the Master’s in Territorial Design at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Mendrisio (Switzerland). After completing the Doctoral courses, he obtained the Diploma of Advanced Studies in 2006, presenting a research thesis on climate, sustainability, and industrialised construction, accompanied by a web application that won an award at the Arquia Awards by the Caja de Arquitectos, aimed at Very Young Spanish Architects. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Doctoral Programme in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Architecture and Engineering at UPV/EHU.
Research experience
He has been a contracted researcher on the national project Active Ventilated Facades. He is part of the CAVIAR UPV/EHU research group and has participated in various research projects related to Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). His designed and built works have been recognised with several awards, including the prize in the international competition Europan10 for the Teruel Fusión project, the award in the Egurtek Basque Quality Awards for the use of wood, and recognition at the Lamp Lighting Awards for the comprehensive renovation and rehabilitation of the Church of Sta. María la Real de Soraluze.
He is the architect behind the design of the Orona Ideo project in Hernani, a 50,000m² complex, where he has led both the architecture and integrated project management. This project has been internationally recognised as a practical example of a Nearly Zero Energy Building and was selected as a success case for the Architecture, Health, and Wellbeing report by the World Green Building Council. Furthermore, it was chosen to represent Spain at the Green Building Solutions Awards 2015. His work includes various projects and buildings that have been widely published in specialised magazines.
Teaching experience
He has been an honorary professor of the Projects III course at the Higher Technical School of Architecture at UPV/EHU. Currently, he teaches part-time in a trilingual format in the Architecture and Technical Architecture degree programmes, covering subjects such as Construction, Industrialised Construction, and Innovation Management. In addition, he has taught on master’s programmes and courses in various European countries and has been invited as a speaker on sustainability by the architectural associations of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Professional experience
With over 15 years of professional experience, he has carried out projects and collaborations with numerous architecture firms, as well as with public and private organisations.
He has worked at the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council in the field of land planning, was responsible for R&D in urban planning at AH Asociados in Pamplona, and held the position of Director of Urban Design and Landscape at the Fundación Metrópoli in Madrid, where he collaborated on successful projects with international offices such as Foster+Partners and Arup. From his own office in Donostia-San Sebastián, he develops distinctive projects in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and ecotechnologies. His work has been recognised at the Build Architecture Awards – Basque Country, where he was named Architect of the Year 2016 and his office was awarded Most Innovative Architecture Office 2018.
