Ensamble Studio

What Ensamble Studio does

Ensamble Studio is a Madrid-based architectural design and planning firm founded in 2000 by Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, operating with 11-50 employees from a single studio headquarters in Spain. The firm's practice centers on two interlocking methodologies: an on-site "Architecture of the Earth" approach that integrates excavation, land-form, and geological context into inhabitable structures, and an off-site prefabrication discipline that factory-manufactures building components for assembly on site. Signature projects include the Hemeroscopium House (Madrid), the Cyclopean House (Brookline, Massachusetts, transported from Spain), Ca'n Terra (a former sandstone quarry in Menorca), and the Structures of Landscape installations at Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana. Materials research extends into paper (a collaboration with Issey Miyake / Miyake Design Studio on the Paper Log project) alongside concrete, earth, and stone.

The firm's revenue model is primarily project-based professional services fees for residential, cultural, institutional, and public commissions, supplemented by exhibition participation, monographs (published with Arquitectura Viva, El Croquis, 2G, TOTO Publishing, and MAS Context), and licensing or royalty arrangements from the separately incorporated WoHo startup co-founded in 2020 by the principals with Israel Ruiz (former EVP and Treasurer of MIT). WoHo is an industrialized construction venture focused on affordable, sustainable prefabricated spaces for living and working; it is operated as a distinct entity rather than a consolidated subsidiary. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by reputation, international design competitions, academic lectures, exhibitions, and documentary visibility (notably the Immensity film trilogy). Primary customer segments are cultural and institutional clients (museums, art centers, biennials) and affluent private residential clients seeking experimental architecture; secondary is real estate and development through WoHo.

Ensamble Studio's geographic reach is international despite the single Madrid office, with projects and exhibitions across Western Europe, North America, East Asia, South America, Northern Europe, and Oceania. The firm has accumulated major recognitions including the RIBA Charles Jencks Award (2019), Marcus Prize (2021), ArchDaily Building of the Year — Houses (2022), American Academy of Arts and Letters Award (2022), and ACADIA 2025 Design Excellence Award, and has appeared on Architectural Digest's AD100 lists.

Name

Ensamble Studio

Legal name

Ensamble Studio

Website

https://ensamble.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ensamble Studio is a Madrid-based architecture firm founded in 2000 by Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, designing experimental earth-integrated and prefabricated buildings for cultural institutions and private clients across more than fifteen countries, and operating the WoHo modular construction startup.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Prefabricated construction systems
• Earth-integrated architecture
• Cultural institution design
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based architectural design fees for residential, cultural, institutional, and public projects. Includes master planning, site-specific interventions, and specialized architectural solutions.
2. Exhibition and Publication Revenue: Monographs, books, and exhibition participation generating additional revenue streams and visibility.
3. WoHo Startup Ventures: Modular construction startup co-founded by principals, addressing real estate and construction industry challenges with prefabricated solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ensamble Studio is an architectural design and planning firm specializing in experimental architecture that combines earth-integrated design, off-site prefabrication, and innovative material exploration. The Madrid-based practice delivers bespoke residential, cultural, institutional, and public-space projects, and has extended its methodology into modular construction through the co-founded WoHo startup focused on industrialized affordable housing systems.

Product overview

Ensamble Studio is a Madrid-based architecture firm led by Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, operating as a single unified practice rather than a platform architecture. The studio's portfolio spans residential projects (Hemeroscopium House, Cyclopean House, Can Terra), large-scale landscape interventions (Structures of Landscape at Tippet Rise), and cultural/institutional works. The studio has also launched WoHo, a startup focused on industrialized prefabricated construction systems for affordable housing. Their work is documented through monographs including 'Radical Logic' and 'Architecture of the Earth,' and has been featured in major publications including GA Document, Domus, Arquitectura Viva, and Architectural Digest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WoHo: A startup founded by Ensamble Studio principals Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, along with Israel Ruiz (former EVP and Treasurer of MIT), focused on transforming space conception and creation through new design and manufacturing approaches.

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Project-based architectural design services spanning residential, cultural, institutional, and public projects, including master planning, site-specific interventions, and specialized architectural solutions. Services are commissioned by cultural institutions, private clients, and real estate developers seeking innovative architectural outcomes.
• WoHo A startup co-founded by Ensamble Studio principals Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa together with Israel Ruiz (former EVP and Treasurer of MIT), focused on transforming how spaces are conceived and created through industrialized construction systems. WoHo develops affordable, sustainable prefabricated systems for living and working.
• Radical Logic: On the Work of Ensamble Studio A monograph book published by MAS Context, edited by Iker Gil, celebrating 20 years of the practice and featuring texts by various architects and photographs by James Florio.
• Architecture of the Earth A monographic book and exhibition developed for TOTO Gallery MA in Tokyo, presenting a series of research and professional projects conducted by Ensamble Studio over two decades, exploring the relationship between architecture and the earth.

Quantifiable outcome

• ArchDaily Building of the Year Award 2022 - Ca'n Terra
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• European Parliament Design CollectiveflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2022Pan-European design collective including JDSA/Julien De Smedt Architects (Denmark), Coldefy (France), CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (Italy), NL Architects (Netherlands) and Ensamble Studio (Spain) won first prize for new European Parliament building in Brussels. Supported by engineering firms UTIL and Ramboll.
• WoHocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup co-founded by Ensamble Studio principals Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa along with Israel Ruiz (former EVP and Treasurer of MIT). WoHo focuses on transforming how spaces are conceived and created through industrialized construction methods for affordable, sustainable living and working solutions.
• Kistefos Museum Competition TeammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetition team for Kistefos new museum in Norway including Úrculo Ingenieros, Transsolar KlimaEngineering, Monotti Ingegneri, Inside Outside, and Acciona Cultura.
• Tippet Rise Art CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with Peter and Cathy Halstead's Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, resulting in Structures of Landscape installations (Beartooth Portal, Inverted Portal, Domo), documentary partnerships, and ongoing creative relationship.
• Issey Miyake / Miyake Design StudiomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on Paper Log project investigating architectural potential of paper used in pleating process. Shell & Core installation presented at Milan Design Week exploring dialogue between skin and skeleton, lightness and mass.
• Iwan BaanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotographer documenting Ensamble Studio's projects extensively, including work for TOTO Gallery monograph and various publications.
• James FloriomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotographer collaboration 'On Light, Time, and Materiality' documenting Ensamble Studio projects across different seasons at Tippet Rise. Featured in publications and exhibitions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• SANAA: Seoul/Tokyo-based practice of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, Pritzker Prize winners known for ethereal, experimental architecture. Comparable to Ensamble Studio for its culturally significant museum and institutional projects and its Japan/Asia presence.
• OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture): Rotterdam-based, Rem Koolhaas's global firm with substantial cultural and institutional commissions. Comparable to Ensamble Studio as an internationally recognized, theory-driven practice delivering award-winning buildings across multiple continents.

Direct peers

• WOHA: Singapore-based practice known for integrating prefabrication, sustainability, and tropical modernism. Comparable to Ensamble Studio for its interest in innovative prefabrication and affordable, sustainable housing as espoused through WoHo.
• Heatherwick Studio: London-based studio known for sculptural, experimental architecture and material innovation (e.g., Coal Drops Yard, Learning Hub). Comparable to Ensamble Studio for its emphasis on craft, prototyping, and signature cultural commissions.
• Snøhetta: Norwegian architecture and design practice with a globally distributed project portfolio spanning cultural buildings, landscapes, and experimental public spaces—directly comparable to Ensamble Studio's cross-disciplinary, internationally awarded work.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): International architecture firm led by Bjarke Ingels, comparable to Ensamble Studio as a globally recognized, award-winning practice delivering experimental architecture and cultural projects with a strong brand identity.
• MAD Architects: Beijing-based practice led by Ma Yansong, delivering sculptural, nature-inspired architecture globally. Comparable to Ensamble Studio for its experimental, internationally award-winning work and a strong Chinese/Asian cultural footprint.
• Sou Fujimoto Architects: Tokyo-based practice led by Sou Fujimoto, similar in scale and experimental orientation, with international commissions and a strong academic profile—comparable to Ensamble Studio's Japan presence and design ethos.
• Studio Gang: Chicago-based practice led by Jeanne Gang, with comparable focus on landscape integration, material research, and award-winning cultural and institutional projects across the US and globally.

Emerging players

• Rural Studio (Auburn University): Academic outreach architecture program focused on affordable, community-oriented experimental design. Comparable to Ensamble Studio's experimental, mission-driven approach to architecture and its connection to academic institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ensamblestudio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EnsambleStudio/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ensamble-Studio-89787124184
• Instagraminstagram.com/anton_ensamble
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ensamble-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ensamble Studio