Cierto Estudio

What Cierto Estudio does

Cierto Estudio is a women-led architecture and urban design firm founded in 2014 in Barcelona by six architects — Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet, and Clara Vidal. The firm specializes in collective housing design with an explicit gender perspective, sustainable urban transformation, and public space regeneration. Core projects include Illa Glòries (a 51-unit social housing building at Plaça de les Glòries with wood-structure construction and a communal rooftop), Kitch-room (67 public dwellings in El Masnou with a kitchen-centric typology), Caminar des del Centre/Consell de Cent (the Green Axis public space model within Barcelona's Superilla program), LUMI 2.0 in Bordeaux (69 social dwellings plus a 192-unit student residence for Clairsienne), and Casa Adelina and Hotel Flamant in the private segment. The team has expanded to roughly 20 staff including senior architects, junior architects, and a communications manager, with offices in Barcelona (Poblenou headquarters) and Paris.

The firm operates a professional services model, acquiring work primarily through public architecture competitions and private commissions. Primary customers are municipal and regional government bodies in Spain — Ajuntament de Barcelona, IMHAB, IMPSOL, BIMSA, and Infraestructures de la Generalitat — plus French social housing operator Clairsienne, with limited private work in hospitality (byPillow) and education (ESADE). Project fees are not publicly disclosed and are determined through competition awards and direct engagements; there is no indication of subscription, licensing, or other technology-product revenue streams. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales through formal tenders and direct developer relationships, supported by earned media in major architectural publications and conferences. As a bootstrapped, founder-owned practice with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or acquisition history, Cierto Estudio operates as an independent women-led studio.

Name

Cierto Estudio

Legal name

Cierto Estudio

Website

https://ciertoestudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cierto Estudio is a women-led Barcelona architecture firm specializing in collective housing with a gender perspective, sustainable urban regeneration, and social housing design, serving municipal governments in Spain and France through public competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Architecture Projects: Revenue from winning and executing public architecture competitions and government contracts for housing developments, public space regeneration, and urban planning projects.
2. Private Architecture Projects: Revenue from private residential, commercial, and hospitality projects including hotels, private homes, and mixed-use developments.
3. Urban Planning Consultancy: Revenue from drafting urban models and planning documents for municipal clients, such as the Green Axis Model for Superilla Barcelona.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cierto Estudio is a women-led architecture and urban planning firm providing architectural design, urban regeneration, and interior design services. The firm specializes in collective housing with gender-perspective integration, sustainable wood construction, and public space regeneration, serving public sector clients through architecture competitions and private clients through direct commissions.

Product overview

Cierto Estudio is a women-led architecture firm founded in 2014 by six architects (Marta Benedicto, Ivet Gasol, Carlota de Gispert, Anna Llonch, Lucia Millet, and Clara Vidal) providing architectural design and urban planning services. The firm operates as a single unified studio offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio includes: Illa Glòries (collective housing with wooden structure), Kitch·room (kitchen-centric housing design), Casa Adelina (single-family residence), Hotel Flamant (interior design), Caminar des del Centre (urban planning for Superilles Barcelona), LUMI 2.0 (mixed-use development in Bordeaux), and various other public and private projects. The firm specializes in collective housing innovation, gender perspective integration, and sustainable urban transformation, with offices in Barcelona and Paris.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Sound pressure reduction on pacified street (Consell de Cent)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 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

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VLAUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2023Co-development partner for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux with Clairsienne. VLAU provided images and design collaboration for the 69 social dwellings and 192-student residence project.
• Eiffage Construction Nord Aquitaine (ECNA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 15 June 2023Construction partner for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux. ECNA is the construction company executing the project designed by VLAU and Cierto Estudio.
• B67 Palomeras ArquitectescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategic partner for urban projects including Superilla Barcelona Green Axis projects. Laia Palomeras leads B67. Together with Cierto Estudio, they developed the 'Caminar des del centre' proposal and Consul de Cent regeneration plan.
• Lea AtelierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaborators led by Elena Climent and Silvia Pujalte Toledo. Provided landscape design for Consul de Cent project.
• SBS SIMON I BLANCO, SLminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering collaborators for projects including Consul de Cent, led by Pau Codolà Roselló.
• Societat OrgànicaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSustainability consultancy providing environmental advisory for multiple projects including Illa Glòries, Kitch-room, and Consul de Cent.
• Estudio PVI IngenieríaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering partner for Consul de Cent urban regeneration project.
• Bernuz-Fernández Arquitectes S.L.P.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering consultants for Illa Glòries and Kitch-room projects.
• Eletresjota Tècnics Associats S.L.P.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInstallation/engineering consultants for Illa Glòries and Kitch-room projects.
• Franc LlonchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture collaborator for Kitch-room project and Plaza de las Glòries urban improvement plan.
• UrbidermiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for urban regeneration and public space projects. Lucia Millet serves on Urbidermis and Belloch Forestal's Board of Directors. Urbidermis supports the Superilla Barcelona projects.
• CTE (estructuras)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering collaborators for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux.
• Payet (paisajista)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandscape architecture collaborators for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux.
• IngéropminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering collaborators for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux.
• Adi2dminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and certification consultants for LUMI 2.0 project in Bordeaux.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Carme Pinós: Barcelona-based Spanish architect with a comparable boutique public-project practice; shares the women-led positioning and the public sector / competition-driven GTM pattern relevant to Cierto's differentiation.
• Lacaton & Vassal Architectes: Paris-based Pritzker Prize-winning practice specializing in social housing, sustainable construction, and the transformation of existing buildings. Closest international analog to Cierto's focus on collective housing innovation and low-cost, high-quality public residential design.
• RCR Arquitectes: Catalan architecture firm and Pritzker Prize winner with comparable profile: small studio, international competition wins, public and private cultural/housing projects, and a similar geographic and cultural anchor in Catalonia.
• Barozzi Veiga: Barcelona-founded architecture office with comparable scale, award profile (including Mies van der Rohe nominations), and competition-driven practice. Operates in similar cultural housing and cultural infrastructure typologies.
• B67 Palomeras Arquitectes: Barcelona-based architecture practice led by Laia Palomeras, with overlapping expertise in collective housing and urban regeneration. Most directly comparable as a recurring co-design partner on the Consell de Cent / Superilla Barcelona Green Axis project — same geography, same client base, similar project typology.
• VLAU: Architecture firm co-developing the LUMI 2.0 Bordeaux project with Cierto alongside Clairsienne and Eiffage. Comparable on collective housing and social housing typology, though specific public-facing presence is limited in available sources.

Broad incumbents

• MVRDV: Dutch architecture firm operating at materially larger scale with deep urban regeneration and sustainable housing practice. Comparable on typology (dense urban housing, public space regeneration) but serves as a scaled incumbent rather than direct competitor.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Global architecture practice with strong social housing and sustainable urban design portfolios. Comparable on typology and award-driven positioning, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geography.
• OMA: Global architecture and urban planning practice with extensive public housing and urban regeneration work. Comparable on urban regeneration typology and public-sector client engagement, but at much larger scale and broader typology.

Emerging players

• Studio Gang: Chicago-based practice focused on sustainable architecture and urban ecological design. Comparable on sustainable urbanism and design-led approach to public space, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ciertoestudio
• YouTubeccma.cat/3cat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cierto-estudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciertoestudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Cierto Estudio