Dezeen School Shows: a mixed-use building with spaces for dance and leisure is among the projects from IE University.

Also featured is a proposal for a workspace built in an unused train station, and a speculative office space in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

IE University

Institution: IE University
School: IE School of Architecture and Design
Courses: Master in Real Estate Developement, Global Master in Real Estate Developement, Master in Immersive Experiences and XR, Master in Business for Architecture and Design, Master in Interior Design and Master in Architecture
Tutors:  Flavio Tejada, Carolina González Vives, Marcela Araguez, Andrea Caruso, Jerónimo van Schendel and Antonio Daniele

School statement:

"IE School of Architecture and Design, part of IE University in Spain, is an internationally oriented school that blends design, business and technology.

"It focuses on innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, preparing students to address complex challenges in the built environment through a global and interdisciplinary approach.

"The school offers a focused portfolio of master's programs. The Master in Architecture provides advanced design training and prepares students for professional practice.

"The Master in Immersive Experiences and XR explores emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality in spatial design. The Master in Real Estate Development combines architecture, urban planning, and business strategy to shape large-scale developments.

"The Master in Business for Architecture and Design equips students with management and entrepreneurial skills tailored to creative industries. Finally, the Master in Interior Design emphasises innovative spatial design with a strong user-centred approach.

"Across all programs, students gain practical experience, industry exposure and a strategic mindset to lead in architecture, design and related fields."

Life Underneath the Infrastructure by Daniela Figueroa Rozotto

"Life Underneath the Infrastructure reclaims unused space beneath the train tracks in Sloterdijk, transforming it into a public building shaped by its environment, structure and social context.

"It embraces the rhythm, vibration and atmosphere of passing trains as design tools. A modular steel system and a layered facade regulate environmental conditions while mediating interior and exterior relationships.

"Cultural, educational and social programs overlap through shared spaces, encouraging flexibility and coexistence.

"The track and the architecture begin to work together, forming a single entity that feels as though it was always meant to be there."

Student: Daniela Figueroa Rozotto
Course: Master in Architecture – Final Thesis Project Design Studio
Tutors: Fernando Pino and Enrique Jerez

Group project: Arenella Vista 365 

"Arenella Vista 365 enhances Palermo's connectivity through seamless mobility solutions: a gondola link unites Monte Pellegrino with the coast, modern terrain infrastructure ensures smooth city access and revitalised port connections reconnect Palermo to its maritime roots.

"This integrated network fosters accessibility, sustainability and urban regeneration for residents and visitors alike."

Students: Samah Saleh, Saif Adaileh Adaileh, Hamad BinYousef, Abeer Algwwaiz, Ghaydaa Alferayan, Ruben Want and Julia Rogers
Course: Global Master in Real Estate Development
Tutor: Jorge Sena

TechnoMuna by Jonnathan Martinez, Aishwarya Varshini and Natalie Nelson

"TechnoMuna proposes a speculative model of domestic architecture where living, research and technological experimentation coexist in a collective environment.

"Designed as a cyber-bio commune for activists, researchers and theorists, it reimagines the home as a space for collaboration, fabrication and knowledge exchange.

"The interior is organised around three systems: fabrication labs, data and archive infrastructures and modular 'womb' sleeping units for rest and reflection. These interconnected spaces merge technology, biology, and communal life.

"By integrating experimental materials and adaptive systems, TechnoMuna explores how domestic architecture can evolve into a platform for new social and technological futures."

Students: Jonnathan Martinez, Aishwarya Varshini and Natalie Nelson
Course: Master in Interior Design – Design Studio I
Tutors: Amaia Sánchez-Velasco and Jorge Valiente-Oriol

Group project: Hortensia Nexus 

"The Hortensia Nexus project reimagines the former IBM Headquarters at Santa Hortensia 26 to 28 in Madrid's well-connected Chamartín district.

"Vacated after IBM's 2023 relocation, the 46,928 square metre building – with 10 above-ground floors and three basement levels – presents a rare adaptive reuse opportunity within the M-30 ring.

"Backed by Inmobiliaria Colonial SOCIMI, the redevelopment transforms the outdated corporate complex into a high-performance, ESG-certified mixed-use science and innovation hub.

"It is designed to address Madrid's growing demand for flexible R&D infrastructure, outpatient health services and adaptable, tenant-driven office environments."

Students: Richard Opping-Adjei, Oliver Uhlemann, Christopher Obiorah, Lucasd Taboada, Greta Tordini, Elie Gharzouzi and Jelena Maras
Course: Master in Real Estate Developement
Tutor: Daniel Fletcher

The Peel by Yusuf Sühan Bozkurt

"Post-Stressed Field is a speculative office space in Sloterdijk, Amsterdam. A cantilevered double layered steel space frame spans three levels: an elevated canopy (peel), a semi enclosed mid layer (underbelly) and a ground level core (bunker).

"Along a linear volume, two wings are juxtaposed: hedonistic and productive.

"The project mixes contrasting programs within one continuous landscape that charges the user both physically and mentally.

"The floating canopy becomes an intensely idiosyncratic experience for all users. The project aims to create a flexible framework where work and leisure can coexist within a single structural field."

Student: Yusuf Sühan Bozkurt
Course: Master in Architecture – Final Thesis Project Design Studio
Tutors: Fernando Pino and Enrique Jerez

Mechanised Sobremesa by Carolina Estelles, Camila Chahin and Alexandra Christiansen

"The project at Nave 15 in Matadero Madrid combines a cooking residency and communal space, fostering connection through shared rituals of cooking and sobremesa – unhurried time spent together.

"It features a dynamic interplay between permanent elements, like stone tables and water systems, and flexible systems, such as modular kitchens and mobile "insects" that adapt to various uses.

"This hybrid infrastructure dissolves linear domestic efficiency, encouraging lingering, conversation, and community.

"Inspired by multicultural food rituals, the space promotes a vision of 'the good life' as shared abundance, where rest, social interaction and care create a communal luxury rooted in time and connection."

Students: Carolina Estelles, Camila Chahin and Alexandra Christiansen
Course: Master in Interior Design – Design Studio I
Tutors: Amaia Sánchez-Velasco and Jorge Valiente-Oriol

Not Just Space by Lance Nathan Lim, Megan Jouce Cruz and Michael Oluwafemi Alley

"Not Just Space addresses a critical gap in global slum interventions, where billions are spent on housing and sanitation, but public space – the foundation of social connection – is overlooked.

"Affecting over 1.1 billion people, this absence leads to fragmented communities, economic stagnation, safety concerns, and loss of dignity.

"The project proposes a community-driven methodology that transforms alleyways into co-created, sustainable public spaces.

"Rather than delivering top-down infrastructure, it builds local capacity and ownership.

"Its model, supported by the MicroFunded Commons, uses vendor micro-leases to finance maintenance, creating self-sustaining, community-managed environments that foster connection, opportunity and long-term resilience."

Students: Lance Nathan Lim, Megan Jouce Cruz and Michael Oluwafemi Alley
Course: Master in Business for Architecture and Design
Tutors: Jerónimo Van Schendel, Borja Gómez, Ren Yee and Joseph Pistrui

Work in Bloom by Elena Sofía López Müller

"Work in Bloom reimagines the future of workspaces by transforming an underused elevated train station in Sloterdijk into a catalyst for urban and social regeneration.

"Rather than replacing the existing structure, the project builds upon it, integrating ecological systems to create a linear green corridor where nature and daily life coexist.

"Native biodiversity is embedded as infrastructure, supporting both people and environment. Designed as a flexible, evolving framework, spaces adapt from offices to cultural and communal uses.

"More than a workplace, it fosters inclusivity, wellbeing, and resilience – offering a dynamic model for architecture that grows and transforms with its users."

Student: Elena Sofía López Müller
Course: Master in Architecture – Final Thesis Project Design Studio
Tutors: Fernando García Pino and Enrique Jerez Abajo

Hotelier+ by Sebastian Bocchi, Maria Diego and Sophie Richards

"Hotelier+ is a next-generation hospitality platform supporting independent hotels with the infrastructure, expertise, and long-term backing they need to compete.

"As mass tourism and global chains dominate, unique, locally rooted hotels struggle with visibility and resources.

"Hotelier+ strengthens rather than replaces them, providing tools and systems that preserve their identity while enhancing performance.

"Travellers gain access to curated, culturally authentic stays they can trust. Instead of standardising experiences, Hotelier+ scales individuality – combining independent character with collective strength.

"It fills a growing market gap, offering a sustainable model that supports local culture, empowers hoteliers and creates lasting value."

Students: Sebastian Bocchi, Maria Diego and Sophie Richards
Course: Master in Business for Architecture and Design
Tutors: Jerónimo Van Schendel, Borja Gómez, Joseph Pistrui and Ren Yee

El Ritmo de Casa Común by Francesca Torres and Elisa Gaffney

"El Ritmo de Casa Común reimagines luxury as a shared condition built on collective spaces for dance, rest and recovery within Nave 15 at Matadero Madrid.

"It organises a three-level domestic system: a ground-floor landscape with thermal pools and kitchen; a vertical network of wooden platforms for rehearsal and social interaction; and insulated housing units under the roof, linked to rooftop gathering spaces.

"Circulation through ramps, stairs and suspended paths turns movement into spatial choreography.

"Here, luxury shifts from individual consumption to shared access that supports physical practice, creativity and communal living."

Students: Francesca Torres and Elisa Gaffney
Course: Master in Interior Design – Design Studio I
Tutors: Amaia Sánchez-Velasco and Jorge Valiente-Oriol

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and IE University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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