María Mallo holds a PhD in Architecture and a Higher Diploma in Applied Arts to Sculpture. Her research explores natural geometries and biomaterials through a practice-based and situated approach, experimenting with both craft and digital techniques. Her practice blurs disciplinary boundaries, moving between architecture, design, science, and art.
She is currently a lecturer and Principal Investigator of the research line “Biomaterials and the Body in Architecture” within the Hypermedia Research Group. She also co-directs BioregenLab, the Biomaterials and Regenerative Design Laboratory, at ETSAM, UPM.
Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Frac Centre and has been presented at various museums, institutions, festivals, and biennials, including Madrid Design Festival, Biennale de Vierzon, Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Biennale de Rabat, Biennale d’Architecture d’Orléans, Sala de Arte Joven de la Comunidad de Madrid, Medialab Prado, Matadero Madrid, and COAM.
BioregenLab ETSAM is the new Biomaterials and Regenerative Design Laboratory at the Madrid School of Architecture (ETSAM). It was established as an interdepartmental initiative bringing together the Department of Architectural Graphic Ideation (DIGA) and the Department of Construction and Architectural Technologies (DCTA), led by María Mallo and David Sanz, with the aim of creating a cross-disciplinary space for teaching, research, and knowledge transfer around biomaterials, sustainable processes, and regenerative design.
Biomaterials and the Body in Architecture is a research line led by María Mallo within the Hypermedia Research Group at ETSAM, UPM. The line addresses regenerative design; research and development of bio-based materials; knowledge transfer and applied innovation; prototyping and spatial experimentation; co-creation with living organisms; interspecies architecture; ecology and sustainability in architectural design; and hybrid and interdisciplinary practices across art, design, and science.
