Spanish architect Elisa Valero Ramos will be the first guest in the “building, dwelling, thinking” cultural program of Cersaie 2017, where she will speak at a conference in the Architecture Gallery. The International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings will be held September 25-29 in Bologna, Italy.

Specializing in bio-climatic design and energy saving, Elisa Valero Ramos began her career in Mexico with the restoration of Felix Candela’s work Los Manantiales. In 1997 she opened a small office in front of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. A commission to design the El Serrallo kindergarten in Granada enabled her to tackle a subject close to her heart, that of educational architecture. In keeping with her design principles, this project defines space through the use of white walls with a strong sense of horizontality. Another very important project was the church of Santa Josefina Bakhita in Motril, Spain, where she made skillful use of light and optimized available resources and materials. She also coordinated the Andalusian team for construction of the Patio 2.12 solar house, a contest in which eighteen teams from twelve different countries competed to design and build the world’s most efficient solar energy-powered home. Her team won First Award in Communication and Social Awareness, First Award in Energy Efficiency, First Award in Energy Balance and First Award for the Favourite of the Public.

Ramos has a master’s degrees in Housing Collective, Architectural Lighting Design and Environment, and Bioclimatic Architecture from the Higher Technical School of Architecture in Madrid. She served as an external examiner at the AA school of architecture in London and at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia for the Master’s course in Architecture in 2016.

For more information, visit www.cersaie.it.