Malu Borja Lopez 

Professor of Practice in Architecture 

Marialuisa Borja Lopez (Malu) is an Ecuadorian architect and educator whose work focuses on collaborative design practices and community-driven approaches. Malu has been a partner and principal of Al Borde Architecture Studio since 2009, a practice based in Ecuador and co-led by David Barragán, Pascual Gangotena, and Esteban Benavides. ​

Al Borde is an experimental architecture studio exploring contemporary architecture through collaboration, local knowledge, and collective authorship. The studio integrates local materials and building techniques, opening the design process to the active participation of its users.

Their work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale (2025 and 2016), the Sharjah Architecture Triennial in the United Arab Emirates (2023), the Carnegie Museum of Art (2016), Chicago Architecture Biennial (2015), and Réenchanter Le Monde at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in France (2014). It has been internationally recognized, including awards such as the 2024 Swiss Architectural Award, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2013, and the Schelling Architecture Medal 2012. 

Marialuisa earned a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from PUCE University in Ecuador and a Master's degree in Development Studies from Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a specialization in Gender, Conflict, and Social Justice Perspectives. Borja Lopez has taught design-build studios and seminars on participatory action research methods for design. Lately, she has served as a Visiting Professor, with the Design for Spatial Justice Fellowship at the University of Oregon (2024–2026), expanding her research into the social and ecological potential of collaborative design practices with case studies in Latinamerica.