RAFAEL BENEYTEZ-DURAN

Rafael B. Duran is principal of Z4A Houston and Z4Z4 Madrid _ Office of Architecture, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Architecture at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston. His works on practice and theory of architecture spans the fields of material thinking. Rafael B. Duran´s practice spans the fields of architecture design, architecture technology, and architecture theory. His PhD. dissertation, titled Atmosphere as Form in Architecture, has been the source of multiple published articles that span from academic journals -Log, ARQ, Materia, Plot, Center- to books such as The Materiality of Air recently published in 2023 by the Argentinian publisher Nobuco. Together with Javier Garcia German, he is currently working on the volume Bodies of Air to be published by Actar in the Fall 2024.

Rafael B. Duran completed his BArch and MArch studies in architecture at the School of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSAM-UPM) in 1998 and awarded PhD by ETSAM-UPM in 2016.

Rafael B. Duran´s works The Tobogan House, Conference and Exhibitions Hall of Huesca, Castilla y Leon Pavilion Expo 2008 or Peep Show London have been recognised and awarded as recipient of 2023 Studio Award by the Texas Society of Architects  ACSA Faculty Design Award 2019, S.ARCH Award 2018, Architectural Review Emerging Architecture 2016, COAM 2016 Award, 2016 London Biennale Manila Pollination, 2016 London TransArt Triennale, 2016 The Architecture and Design Film Festival New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, Simon Architecture Awards 2016, 3rd Istanbul Design Biennale 2016 Are We Humans?, Spanish National Award of Public Parks and Gardens 2015, XI Spanish Architecture and Urban Design Biennale 2011. 

B. Duran´s architectural works have been published in books and magazines such as: DOMUS, MARK, ARQ, ACTAR, Architectural Review, Architectural Record, CENTER 23, AV magazine, ARQUINE, FUTURE, Detail, Tashen or Pasajes de Arquitectura; and covered by media such as: Design Boom, Dezeen, Archdaily, Arch20, Architizer, Archelo, Metalocus, Divisare, Afasia, or Archilovers.

B. Duran has taught at ETSAM, ESAyT, Architectural Association, and the College of Architecture at Texas Tech University,  as well as lectured and guest critic at Rice University, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Texas Austin, University of Virginia, University of Syracuse, Pratt Institute, Rice Architecture, Würzburg University, Germany, ETSAB University, El Vallés Architecture School, GSD Harvard, Queretaro Mexico, Segovia, Münster, Porto, Delft, Limerick, Newark NJ, College Station TX, El PasoTX or Houston TX