Israel Alba Estudio is an architecture studio based in Madrid, founded by architect Israel Alba Ramis (Barcelona, May 26, 1973). He obtained his degree in Architecture in 2000 from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM) and later, in 2015, earned a PhD in Architecture from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) with the highest distinction, Sobresaliente Cum Laude. During his studies, he was awarded a scholarship by the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, USA. Additionally, he has been a member of the Spanish Association of Landscape Architects (AEP) since 2016 and a certified Passive House designer since 2018. He is accredited by ANECA as a Profesor Titular de Universidad (full professor).
In the professional field, he founded his eponymous studio in 2000, based in Madrid. The firm is characterized by a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to architecture, design, and landscape projects, with a particular interest in contemporary cities and their transformations. Through the operational platform WASTE LAB CAN, he has gained recognition for projects related to waste management.
In the academic field, he is currently a Professor and Coordinator at the Design Studio Area at EIF at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) in Madrid. He is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo, United States. Additionally, from 2007 to 2017, he taught as an Associate Professor at the Higher School of Engineering and Architecture at Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca Campus de Madrid (UPSAM).
His work has been recognized with various national and international awards and distinctions. These include the COAM +10 Award in 2022, the Architizer A+ Awards in 2022 and 2017, the First COAM Award in 2020, the NAN Award in 2019, the MATCOAM Sustainability Award in 2018, the Philippe Rotthier European Prize of Architecture in 2014 , and the Europe 40 under 40 Award in 2011. His work has been exhibited and published in numerous specialized media, and his doctoral thesis was part of the Spanish Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale.
Among his most notable projects are the El Plantío Football Stadium in Burgos, the Red Cross Headquarters in Galapagar (Madrid), the Ferrocarril 4bis Building in Madrid, the Waste Recycling Plants in Madrid and Valencia, the Gardening Pavilions in Madrid, La Cuchara Restaurant in Madrid, and the Forest park (restoration of the former landfill) and the Environmental Technology Center in Valdemingómez in Madrid.
