Nicolás y Nicolás, Spain and Ecuador: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
With offices in Spain and Ecuador, Nicolás y Nicolás is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Young studio Nicolás y Nicolás is named after its two co-founders, Nicolás Vivas, who heads the Quito office in Ecuador, and Nicolás López, who leads the Barcelona one in Spain. Their work has earned them a spot in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual list of exciting emerging practices from across the globe. Our spotlight falls on the firm's Casa Magnolia, a low, suburban home in Puembo, Ecuador (which they completed together with Caa Pora Architects).
Who: Nicolás y Nicolás
Nicolás y Nicolás' mission is to elevate everyday spaces, and living, through architecture. Their varied portfolio is still growing – the pair only formed their joint practice in 2017 – but they always try to bridge cultures and experiences, using for example, both local and traditional, and contemporary materials in their work. At the same time, they try to challenge themselves with every project. '[We stand out for] trying to step out of the boundaries,' they say. 'Our education, normally, [is] very linear on how we should understand architecture. Sometimes we forget that we are sensitive beings that enjoy simple things. We are trying to push the boundaries with gentle gestures.'
They also draw inspiration from nature, and some of architecture's grand masters: 'We deeply believe that nature has plenty of lessons to be learned. Different scales, colours, textures, and so on, coexist in the same space and time in such a harmonic way. Our design practice is always looking forward to create a sensitive link between nature and what we create.'
They add: '[We are also influenced by] Ricardo Bofill. It’s very inspiring to see his work, how he mixed monumentality with singularity. The use of colour in a unique way of expression.'
What: Casa Magnolia
Through this commission, the architects tried to offer an alternative response to the typical high-end home in a small residential enclave. Casa Magnolia, which was created together with CaaPora Arquitectura, was approached as a series of spaces and volumes, composed together in a way that leads to a functional flow and pleasing domestic comfort – as opposed to seeing it as a 'precious', single architectural element. Five volumes totalling 350 sq m are set out across a single level, open and communing with their natural surroundings. Each volume houses a specific activity, designed around its particular needs – but they all open up towards the green views of the leafy context.
Clean, white surfaces, plastered walls and rectangular volumes of straight lines make for a simple and serene environment where horizontality and a connection to the ground is highlighted. Translucent 'bridges' link the different areas, decorated with rusted steel sheets that add texture. 'The project proposes a single-family home in a very abstract way, in which the functionality of the spaces, their internal relationships, and the suburban context are extrapolated to generate a simple and straightforward architectural object, both in composition and materiality,' the architects conclude.
Why: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 23rd edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – 20 young studios from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo, Ecuador, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mozambique, Pakistan, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Vietnam, with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
-
Rose Tarlow and Perennials present a second collaborative collection of fabrics and rugs
Perennials by Rose Tarlow features eight textiles and four rug designs that nod to the English countryside with a quiet colour palette and subtle, abstract geometries
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
50 years of Agape: exploring five decades of innovative bathroom design
Italian bathroom brand Agape turns 50, and founders Emanuele and Giampaolo Benedini celebrate with an exhibition looking back at their personal and professional journey
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Published
-
Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2009: the story behind the wine
Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2009 is the harmonious result of fruitful endeavours by the French champagne house and its cellar master Vincent Chaperon
By Simon Mills Published
-
Collective, Hong Kong and Spain: Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2023
With bases in Hong Kong and Spain, Collective joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Natura Futura, Ecuador: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
Ecuadorian practice Natura Futura joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, with projects such as this brick house and school in Los Rios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This light-filled Spanish house is defined by openness and geometry
A Spanish house by Arquitecturia Camps Felip is designed around its courtyards and its six volumes’ bold geometry
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Spain’s Casa Primitiva is ruled by simplicity
The pared-back Casa Primitiva by Hanghar fits in perfectly in its semi-rural Spanish context
By TF Chan Published
-
Tree-lined tower Qorner adds to Quito’s international allure
Qorner sees Moshie Safdie join a stable of global architects redrawing Quito’s skyline
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
IQON is BIG’s South American debut in Quito
Quito gets a brutalist urban addition – IQON – courtesy of Bjarke Ingels and Ecuadorian developer Uribe Schwarzkopf
By Rainbow Nelson Published
-
Architecture for animals leads the way at this school for dogs
Details are designed with dogs in mind at Spain’s Educan School for Dogs, Humans and Other Species
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Bold graphics and clever interventions define this Barcelona house redesign
Nestled amongst the Roman archaeological remains and buzzing eateries of the Borne district of Barcelona, BSP 20 is Raul Sanchez Architects' latest residential project
By Martha Elliott Last updated