Alfredo Munoz, a profile of the dynamism and globalization in today’s architecture

Alfredo Munoz, Spanish architect born in Burgos, showed interest in transforming the world through design from early childhood. At the age of 5 he showed a very unusual and obsessive interest in trying to experiment many varieties of art. Ever since then, his life was characterized by a constant resistance to follow orders and for the search of intellectual freedom as well as the exploration of new cultures and lifestyles.



This attitude developed the personality of Alfredo Munoz as pro-active, highly sociable, and extroverted, with a natural ease for human relations. All that, plus the influence of a dynamic business-like family environment, had as a result, his interest for a nomadic and autonomous lifestyle. Thus, Alfredo Munoz developed a great interest for anthropology and international relations which lead him to grow an entrepreneurial and global mind.

Alfredo Munoz interests for diverse disciplines like Mathematics, Fine Arts, and Design, led him to volunteer as an assistant to some renowned architecture in his hometown, and later, to attend architecture school in the prestigious Polytechnic University of Madrid.During his college education times, he kept making compatible his academic and professional life, working for s several architectural firms of international prestige, as that of Alberto Campo Baeza, or Iñaki Ábalos & Juan Herreros. This time of intense work education was combined with constant educational trips around Europe, USA and Latin America.

His graduation in the Architecture School of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) as the youngest architect in decades was highly recognized and respected by the Proffesors, among them by Mariano Bayon, who encouraged him to work in Asia.

Alfredo Munoz then moved to Japan, where he started working for the acclaimed architect Toyo Ito. This experience meant for Alfredo a personal and professional turning point, when he learned and also consolidated many of the architectural and psychological ideas that he had explored for years. His work with Toyo Ito in Tokyo led to his appointment as the Manager of Toyo Ito’s office in Spain at the early age of 23 years. Alfredo moved then to Barcelona for this task and to manage locally the expansion of the Barcelona Fair, a large scale project (3 million sqf) of mixed use in the city.

During this period in Barcelona, Alfredo kept combining an intense professional and academic activity, working on his PhD at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia on the combination of creative processes in Asia, Europe and America, establishing new ways of architectural creation. His architectural vision and the result of this research, allowed Alfredo to teach and lecture in prestigious international architecture schools, such as Columbia University in New York, UPenn in Philadelpia, Pescara in Italy, Royal University in Stockholm, Tongji University in Shanghai, European University in Madrid, or the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, along others.

After this experience in Toyo Ito Spain, Alfredo Munoz accepted the offer of the large multinational Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) to join their senior team in New York, giving up the Executive MBA from the University of Chicago where he was accepted as the youngest person in the program until date in the more than 100 years of history of the institution.  During 4 and a half years at SOM, Alfredo Munoz worked as Technical Coordinator and Project Manager of Large projects in the USA, Kuwait and India, like the Alhambra Tower  or the USA Army National Museum, just to mention  a few. His last 2 years at SOM, already as an associate, Alfredo took charge of the operations of the firm in India, and after this period, he left the company to be able to work on his own projects.

After some other experiences, Alfredo Munoz started the international studio ABIBOO Architecture (www.abiboo.com) with headquarters in Spain, USA, and India, and with projects in Spain, Norway, Sweden, Peru, USA, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India. Such projects go from villas for celebrities to large building developments.

In alignment with his association with Academia, Alfredo Munoz currently works as assessor at the Advisory Board of Directors of MARG Institute of Design & Architecture Swarnabhoomi to create an international renowned university located in Chennai, India. He is as well assessor for the Board of Directors of two companies in the Real State area, one in Spain and one in the USA.  

Alfredo Munoz keeps touring the world managing ABIBOO Architecture projects, growing his anthropological knowledge and applying, along with his team, all he has learned in the Projects he performs.



More information on:

España- Madrid
C/ Bretón de los Herreros 61, 1-D, Madrid, 28003
Phone#: +34.91.130.2506

EEUU- New York
328  3rd  Street,  Jersey  City, NJ, 07302
Phone#: +1.201.855.9157

India- Chennai
9 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Nugambakkam, Chennai, 600034
Phone#: +91.9962064626

www.abiboo.com
marketing@abiboo.com   
      
Author: Pilar Esteban, responsible of communication for Markarte (www.markarte.net)

About ABIBOO Architecture
ABIBOO Architecture is an international Architecture and Design studio with headquarters in Madrid, New York and Madras, with a philosophy of promoting innovation and refinement. Their designs stand out for their search of excellence and exclusivity, giving response to the complex needs of the twenty first century society.