Alba de la Fuente and Marisa Santamaría. Meet the jury of the International 3D Awards

Gandia Blasco Group x BOMODELS CHALLENGE #01: The ultimate clash of creativity in CGI is unfolding as the deadline for our global competition approaches on January 31st.

Meet two more members from the INTERNATIONAL 3D AWARDS jury: Alba de la Fuente, architect, 3D artist, and expert in the conceptualization and visualization of imaginary architecture, and Marisa Santamaría, the Founder and Director of the Global Innovation Trends Unit and specialist in the research and analysis of new trends in all creative areas related to the evolution of international design.

Continue reading to delve into their perspectives and insights, particularly on biophilic design.

Alba de la Fuente | Marisa Santamría
Meet the jury of the INTERNATIONAL 3D AWARDS. Gandia Blasco Group x BOMODELS CHALLENGE #01

Alba de la Fuente

https://superrare.com/albadlfuente

Your meteoric trajectory has earned you recognition as a 3D artist: what part of the creative process do you still enjoy as much as the first day: the research, the composition or the final details?

I feel a great passion for the whole creative process, but if I had to highlight one part that still captivates me from the beginning, it would be the composition and the ability to bring a vision to life. Also, I find the research process very interesting, as it allows me to enrich my projects with new references and concepts.

Liquid Architecture to Wear
Rendering: ©Alba de la Fuente

Beyond the mastery of the tools, how does the personal aspect of your 3D work influence you?

My personal identity significantly influences my 3D work. I consider creativity and personal perspective to be essential elements in this discipline. Each project I undertake is a reflection of my personal experiences, artistic influences and my unique way of perceiving the world, which brings a distinctive and unique dimension to my work.

Heliophilia
Rendering: ©Alba de la Fuente

What role does biophilia play in your day-to-day work as an architect and 3D artist? Is it an instinct or a non-negotiable premise?

Biophilia plays a crucial role in my approach as an architect and 3D artist. The connection with nature and the incorporation of natural elements in architectural design are essential aspects for me. I look for various ways to incorporate biophilia into my projects in a conscious way, as I believe this significantly improves the well-being of the people who interact with the spaces I design.

Temple Narratives
Rendering: ©Alba de la Fuente

From your creative sphere, what is your approach to achieve a conscious integration of nature in architectural design to enhance wellbeing?

My approach to achieving a conscious integration of nature in architectural design is based on a detailed observation of how nature manifests itself in its environment. I study the interaction of light, shapes, colors and natural elements in nature and seek to emulate that harmony in my architectural designs.

Lake Vattern House
Rendering: ©Alba de la Fuente in collaboration with ©Andrés Reisinger

The ORB
Rendering: ©Alba de la Fuente in collaboration with ©Tom Dixon

Marisa Santamría

instagram

Although the term biophilia may seem new, the innate bond between humans and nature has always existed. How is it reflected in global trends of innovation, often ephemeral, for the configuration of outdoor spaces?

If there is one clear slogan in design thinking in this first quarter century of the 21st, it is: we need nature as a vital core.

Biophilia, biomimicry, biomaterials are concepts that have been growing in recent years; the pandemic was a key moment of impulse and expansion in the collective imagination and in the evolution of design. A basic need that has become a long-standing trend. This recurring demand is represented in new offices, houses, stores, factories, schools, hospitals…, which must include domesticated and integrated nature in their architecture, interior or exterior design.

Curator of the exhibition 10 Emociones, 10 Rosas. October 2023
Image from left to right: Sofía Bonilla’s piece | Alba de la Fuente’s piece | Raquel Buj’s piece

In the design of integrated nature, there is a proliferation of vegetable gardens on balconies, rooftop parks, gardens integrated into any space, no matter how small.

The connection and contact with nature in its multiple forms has become essential and has evolved with a new language, both in the digital conception of spaces and in the real, tangible and breathable world.

Curator of the exhibition Woman X Woman. From December 2019 to January 2020
Imagen de izq. a dcha: ROOTS collection by Inma Bermúdez and PATOSO pouf by Alejandra Gandía-Blasco | Marisa Santamaría

How do you think integrating biophilia into the transformation of outdoor spaces can influence our connection to nature on a deeper level?

A good part of people’s mental and physical well-being today has to do with the closeness of nature. Forms of nature that do not necessarily have to be represented by plants, surfaces made of stone, wood or textiles, always of natural composition, authenticity is transcendental, and proven sustainability: traceability, treatment, durability…

At the moment my research at Poli.Design, Politecnico di Milano, is focused on three aspects:

-Design of green spaces with spontaneous vegetation (weeds or undergrowth), proliferation of green spaces with local plants.
–“Growing design”, design with materials that grow biologically.
–Polymorphic sensoriality, all senses involved in the design of new living spaces, with the expert Anna Barbara.

Conference Trends in Interior Design. Dubai Design Week 2023

As a researcher of contemporary trends and movements, what role do you think the professionals of the CGI world have today in bringing us closer to those dream environments, protectors of well-being?

Creators such as Sixnfive, Charlotte Taylor, Andrés Reisinger or Benjamin Guedj have set the pace for dreamlike, surreal, seemingly utopian landscapes that trap in social networks. From the intangible digital position, they create an emotion that companies and publishers around the world decide to bring to reality, build or produce. Alba de la Fuente and Gonzalo Miranda are the new Spanish values working around the world.

El País articles. Written by Marisa Santamaría.
De Valencia a Nueva York | Habitación Nido

We are living a hatching of interior design, gardens, lighting and furniture…, from the digital world to the real world. There is an obsession for pastel colors, sinuous shapes and classic arches. Suggestive and utopian spatial aspects of colored natures, mirrored with infinite aquatic horizons that connect with architectures and imagined interior spaces.

How do you see the evolution of public expectations regarding sustainability in the design of outdoor spaces?

Expectations are becoming more and more demanding; companies and each project or product must signal with full transparency their sustainable processes and progress. There is no turning back.

Presentation Design Challenges at Interihotel 2023 with Xavi Franquesa, Founder of the Il·lacions Design Gallery