Giankarlo Mazzanti


The 14th IAI Design Award Jury member

Founder of El Equipo Mazzanti


Giancarlo Mazzanti (Colombia) was born in Barranquilla, a port city in northern Colombia, and he is a graduate architect in the University of Colombia Javeriana, studied for a Master's degree in Industrial design and architecture in Florence, Italy. He has been a visiting professor at several Colombian universities as well as world-renowned universities such as Harvard, Columbia and Princeton. He is the first Colombian architect to have his work in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York and the Pompidou Center in Paris.


With more than 25 years of professional and learning experience, Bogota-based Mazzanti team is known for its design philosophy based on modules and system. It produces flexible elements that can grow and adapt over time, looking for an architecture that is closer to the strategic idea than a limited and closed combination. This idea of building as an operation is based on the exploration of different forms of physical and spatial organization, taking into account concepts such as repetition, uncertainty, unfinished, instability, layout and pattern.


Mazzanti team is also known for their research into games and connection to the world of architecture. This interest in the relationship between games and architecture has led him to seek out new collaborations with professionals in different fields of knowledge, to find new opportunities for collaboration and develop projects and exhibitions around the world with the "We Play You Play" brand.


Social values are the core of the Mazzanti’s architecture. He dedicated his life to improving the life quality through environmental design and social equality. His work reflects the social changes taking place in Latin America and Colombia, proving that good architecture can establish a new identity for cities, towns and residents, which transcend reputations for crime and poverty.


Throughout his career, he has received different national and international awards, including: Best Architecture Award of Ibero-American Biennale in 2008 (Lisbon, Portugal), Winner of Architecture Design Award of Pan American Architecture Biennale in 2008 (Quito, Ecuador), Winner of Global Sustainable Architecture Award in 2010 (Paris, France). In 2013, Mazzanti team was recognized as one of the top 10 Innovative Companies in the world by Fast Company magazine. Since 2017, he has been part of AIA's Honorary Scholarship Scheme, which commends international architects for their outstanding work and contributions in international architecture and society. In 2018, he won the 2018 Italian Archmarathon Award for 'Hospital and Medical Architecture' and ArchDaily's 'Architecture of the Year' award.