Meet us
Together, we transform ideas into reality, blending creativity, technical skill, and a deep respect for the environment.
Natalia Sanz Laviña
Natalia, born in Spain in 1982, is the co-founder of YSLA architects, established in 2016 alongside Takeshi Yamamura. After completing her Master's in Architecture at ETSAB Barcelona and she worked for over a decade at Kengo Kuma and Associates, where she gained a deep understanding of Japanese architecture and its innovative approach to sustainability and integration with nature.
In addition to her professional practice, Natalia was a lecturer in Environmental Architecture at Chuo University in Tokyo. She is a member of the Architects' Association of Catalonia (COAC) and the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ), and also also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Chamber of Commers in Japan.
Takeshi Yamamura
Takeshi, born in 1984 in Japan, is a licensed First-Class Architect in Japan and the co-founder of YSLA architects, established in 2016 alongside Natalia. After completing his Bachelor's and Master's in Architecture at Waseda University in Tokyo, Takeshi earned his PhD in Architecture from the same institution. During this time, he also worked at DFI Architects in Tokyo. He further honed his expertise in architecture through his role at Dominique Perrault Architecture in Paris (2012-2015), where he was involved in international projects of significant scale.
In addition to his practice, Takeshi has been actively involved in academia, serving as an Associate Professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University since 2020 and as an Assistant Professor at Waseda University (2015-2020). He also earned the AIJ Young Researcher Award in 2021 for his contributions to architectural research.