Juan José Castellón

Juan José Castellón is an architect and scholar of building technologies who collaborates with other scholars and engineers, including partnerships with Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Carbon Hub. Castellón's research focuses on the implementation of innovative material processes and structural systems in architecture and on the integrative and ecological design of building infrastructures. Through his work at Rice and his collaborative practice, xmade, located in Basel and Barcelona, he explores the materialization and sustainable design of contemporary building envelopes. 

His research output includes structural and material prototypes, installations, and peer-reviewed articles and publications. Recent projects have explored the use of ceramics and textiles in building structures—stemming from his collaboration with eminent manufacturers in Spain—in particular for rooftop structures that also mitigate the effects of sun and rain, a project that was featured in the 2021 Seoul Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, and it will be exhibited at the collateral event “Students as Researchers: Creative Practice and University Education” organized by the New York Institute of Technology as part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition The Laboratory of the Future, organized by La Biennale di Venezia 2023.

As an architect and scholar, Castellón has collaborated with international firms such as FOA (London), Abalos & Herreros (Madrid), SHoP Architects (New York), and Herzog & de Meuron (Basel). Before joining Rice University, he also taught at ETH Zurich and the Barcelona Institute of Architecture.