Nicolau Corbacho, Alberto

Alberto Nicolau, B.A. and M.A. in Architecture (ETSA Madrid 1995) and Ph.D. in Architecture (ETSA Madrid 2016).

He began his professional career in London, working at Foster and Partners for two years. He then returned to Madrid to join Rafael Moneo’s studio, where he remained for five years participating in large-scale and complex projects such as the Los Angeles Cathedral (US). In 2002 he founded Alberto Nicolau Architecture in Madrid striving to produce high-quality singular works.

Winner of several national and international architectural competitions, his work has been published in professional journals both inside and outside Spain. Likewise, his work has been selected to participate in several exhibitions in Spain, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Italy, including the Venice Biennale of 2002. Among his most outstanding works, it is worth mentioning Suburban Loop for Almere (Europan winning entry), Social Housing for Young People in Seville or the Spuimarkt housing Complex in The Hague. His public work, Valdemoro Swimming Pools, received the A-plus Prize for the best sports architectural work in 2010.

In parallel to this activity, since 2002 he teaches Architectural Projects at the School of Architecture of Madrid where he combines his teaching activity with his research work. His teaching scope has been primarily centred on the top undergraduate courses, on the direction of Final Degree Projects and the Master courses, always striving to achieve students’ excellence.

Especially interested in conception design, he is the author of a doctoral thesis on the use of concepts as a creative tool. This research analyses three key strategies to generate architectural concepts and shows how the best contemporary architects apply them in their professional work.