Ander Bados Sesma

Ander Bados Sesma (1991, Bilbao, Spain) is an architect graduated from the School of Architecture of A Coruña (2016), with complementary studies at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto.

In 2020, he founded Atelier Ander Bados, developing a practice that combines professional work in Spain with international cooperation projects focused on sustainability, reconstruction and emergency architecture. Throughout his career, he has worked in contexts affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts, including La Palma following the volcanic eruption, Ukraine in the context of the war, and different humanitarian crisis contexts across Latin America and Southeast Asia. Among these projects, his work on the reconstruction of schools and housing in Peru is particularly significant.

His practice is rooted in a deep understanding of the territory and the specific conditions of each context, incorporating collaborative design methodologies that bring together local materials, traditional knowledge and construction strategies adapted to each place. Through an architectural practice committed to its social dimension, he explores new ways of living and building that are rooted in the specific realities of each territory.

He has been a guest lecturer and workshop leader at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and has presented his work at conferences in Peru, Spain, the Netherlands and Mexico. His work has been published in national and international media including PLOT, AV, Tectónica, ON Diseño, Dezeen and Stepienybarno, among others.

In 2025, he was selected, together with Miguel Ramón, as curator of the 17th Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Biennial, under the theme Flujos Comunes. Respuesta a un territorio hiperconectado (Common Flows. Responding to a Hyperconnected Territory), whose programme runs from 2025 to 2027.

Selected projects
Teachers’ Housing in the Llullucha Rural Community, Cusco, Peru

Winner of the Arquia Próxima Award 2020.

School in Cerro Colorado, Arequipa, Perú

Finalist for the FAD Awards 2022 and the 12th Ibero-American Architecture and Urbanism Biennial. Selected work at the 16th Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Biennial and included in the Arquia Próxima Awards 2020–2022.

School in Santa Cruz de Villacurí, Ica, Perú

Winner of the CSCAE Award, in the category of Profession, Professional and Ethical Values; the NAN Award 2023 for Environmental Sustainability; and the COAG Award for Work Abroad. Finalist for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize – Emerge 2024 by the Illinois Institute of Technology, the 13th Ibero-American Architecture and Urbanism Biennial, the 16th Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Biennial, the FAD Awards 2023, and the Arquia Próxima Award 2022–2023