UDIT Madrid

Muqaria

Augusto Strumia, Alejandra Guzman, Lucía Sánchez Cuesta, Alondra García Belén

Muqaria is a biocultural design system that integrates modular bird nesting structures into urban architecture to support coexistence between humans and migratory species like the Common House Martin. Inspired by Arabic muqarnas, it reframes buildings as habitat infrastructure rather than surfaces to be protected from wildlife. Using low-impact bio-ceramic materials, it mimics natural nest textures while responding to local ecology and culture. The project promotes urban biodiversity and transforms architecture into a living, adaptive ecological system.

https://www.instagram.com/muqaria_sharedwalls

Sandra Martín Simón (Academic Lead, UDIT Biodesign Challenge) is an architect, pharmacist, biodesigner, and Schmidt-MacArthur Fellow in Circular Economy (2016), with over 20 years of experience across architecture, design, biomaterials, and regenerative systems. She is the founder and executive director of Smartincircles, a research, biodesign, and biomaterials platform that fosters circular, regenerative, and inclusive ecosystems through place-based innovation. She also leads SmartincirclesLab in Madrid, a neighborhood-scale living lab and prototype for a new model of regenerative urban infrastructure. 

Sandra is a Lecturer in Materials for Design at UDIT (University of Design, Innovation and Technology) and Academic Lead for the UDIT Biodesign Challenge, where she designs and leads interdisciplinary learning experiences in biodesign and material innovation. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with organizations including the Guggenheim Museum and Biohm (London). Her research explores living materials, interspecies approaches, and circular systems, bridging research, education, and design to foster regenerative relationships that reconnect people with the living world.