Nomos: Swiss-Spanish Collective Wins Dezeen Emerging Architect of 2022

The architecture collective Nomos, composed of Swiss architects Katrien Vertenten and Lucas Camponovo alongside Spanish architects Ophélie Herranz and Paul Galindo, was awarded the title of emerging architect of 2022 by Dezeen in December. The two couples, partners in both life and work, founded Nomos in 2019 after a decade of shared experiences, operating from offices in Madrid and Geneva. Their practice emphasizes flexibility, co-design, and contextual approaches, using local materials and construction systems. Notable projects include converting an auto repair shop into a single-family home using white concrete blocks that highlight the original blue structure, and transforming an industrial open space into a sequence of rooms with rotated glazed brick boxes that create a winter garden along an existing glass facade. In Geneva, the Jolimont cooperative organizes housing units like honeycomb cells, while the Pasodoble complex combines residences for adults with mental disabilities with social housing units connected by a series of patios. Nomos is currently working on five residential buildings in an eco-district in Geneva, two single-family homes in Seville and León, an apartment renovation in Madrid, and a medical center in adobe and laterite stone in Burkina Faso. The studio aims to challenge client expectations and explore new fields of inquiry into space, materials, and program.