Orte Soro, Elena

Architect and Master's in Advanced Architectural Design from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSAM). In 2005, she co-founded SUMA together with Guillermo Sevillano, a Madrid-based studio. She combines her professional practice with teaching. She currently teaches at the IE School of Architecture & Design in Madrid, where she leads the Advanced Design Studio – Sustainable Strategies course; she also teaches at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), within the Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities (MAEBB); and at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM), in the Master's in Industrialization, Prototyping and Architectural Project (MIPPA) and the Habilitating Master's in Architecture (MHAB).

His work has been exhibited and he has given lectures in national and international settings. SUMA has received numerous awards and recognitions, among which stand out the Mies van der Rohe Emerging Architecture Award 2024, the First FAD Prize 2024, the First COAM Prize 2024, the Ciutat de Barcelona Prize 2022, and the recognition as Best Public Library of the Year 2023 by IFLA, awarded to the Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez in Barcelona. The housing cooperative Our-Shelves-Houses has likewise received several distinctions, including the ASPRIMA SIMA Award 2023 for Best Residential Development, the REBUILD Advanced Architecture Award 2021 in the Industrialized Construction category, and an Honorable Mention at the AMAD Timber Architecture Awards 2023–2024.