Alvaro LRDesign
Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez, Phd
@alvarolrd
alvarolopezrodriguezdesign@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alvaro-lopez-559286106
Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez is an architect, researcher, and Associate Professor (Teaching) at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where he leads innovation at the intersection of robotics, 3D printing, and mixed reality. In October 2025, he completed his PhD at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid with the thesis "Digital Interactions: Architecture for the Augmented Era," which redefines the synergy between human craftsmanship and digital automation. He also holds a Master of Architecture with Distinction from The Bartlett and a Master’s in Architecture from the European University of Madrid.
Complementing his academic tenure, Alvaro is a highly sought-after Digital Manufacturing Consultant. He has collaborated with pioneering international firms, including Nagami, Ensamble Studio, and DBT ETH Zurich, to implement advanced robotic fabrication and augmented reality workflows in large-scale architectural projects. His expertise bridges the gap between computational design and physical construction, focusing on "Augmented Craftsmanship" to empower local labour through intuitive technological tools.
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CV
INCIDENTAL SPACE VENICE BIEANNALE, 2016
ChrYsalis
Francisco
González Quintial , José Real Cambas
&
Alvaro
Lopez Rodríguez
Idea, Development and Direction:
Francisco
González Quintial, ETSA-AGET
UPV-EHU
Model Construction, Fabrication, Manufacturing and
Assembly:
Jose Real Cambas, The Real Studio
Alvaro
Lopez Rodriguez, The Bartlett
School of Architecture.
Edurne
Argandoña Senosiain,
Thais
González Amor,
Leticia
Ochoa Rotaeche.
ETSA-AGET
UPV-EHU
Luis
Gurruchaga Zabala. FabLab Donostia ETSA-AGET UPV-EHU.
Colaborator:
Andrés
Martín Pastor, Dr. Arqto. ETSIE. Universidad de Sevilla.
Photo:
Edu Espinosa Garate
Project Supported by:
Basque Government, Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
Higher Technical School of
Architecture. University of the Basque Country.
DESCRIPTION
The chrYsalis Pavilion is an architectural manifestation of a utopia: the desire to "build castles in the air." Created for the 2025 MUGAK Architecture Biennial in Spain, this project serves as a research piece on constructive lightness, positioned at the precise borderline between the weightlessness of a digital drawing and the physical reality of a built structure.
The pavilion’s form is derived from the geometric principle of Monge’s surface. It generates a path aligned with the axis of its host—the nave of the former Franciscan convent in Donostia-San Sebastián—and is covered by a double-curvature surface. This complex geometry is discretised into a network of warped curves, realised using only two basic materials: 6mm diameter steel rods and uniform cylindrical joints. Despite its visual complexity, the structure relies on a single geometric principle of orthogonal fixation, governed by a parametric system that can adapt to any surface using the same generation logic.
A defining feature of the project is its construction process. The assembly and layout were executed using augmented reality technology, enabling a seamless integration of digital precision and physical matter in a single construction gesture. Located within the Anthropological Museum, the pavilion’s thin steel lines create a magical visual superimposition with the ancient stone ribs of the church vaults above. It stands as a testament to the history of architecture as a sequence of transgressive gestures, proving that even the most ethereal ideas can eventually find their body.