Nù Arkitektoak
eco - architecture
At NÙ AGENCY
We believe in a back to basics approach to architecture, which means building places for living. We attach a sincere importance to the materials we use, giving preference to the natural and the local, and preference to renewable energy sources to limit the environmental impact of our projects.
​
We know the wellbeing of people is closely linked to the environment they inhabit, and we believe that our job is to create this environment through an organic architecture. One that is capable of offering thermal and acoustic comfort while maintaining a high aesthetic quality, adapting to the needs of customers and realizing their visions.
Over time construction has become a matter for professionals, companies and a world of construction materials, this has distanced people from the process of building ones own home. We believe in the need to put future homeowners back into contact with the space in which they will live.
OUR STAFF
Xabi Eliçagaray
Architect D.P.L.G
​
Graduated from the Paris Val de Seine school of architecture, his final degree project was awarded the “Bourse de Queslen” for innovation in architecture. It was a participatory project to encourage the inhabitants of the Poblenou neighbourhood of Barcelona to think about the renovation of their architectural and urban environment according to principles of sustainability.
Later he collaborated with Architects Without Borders to help renovate unsanitary premises through rehabilitation projects and by applying for municipal funding.
Since 2004 he has established his own practice, designing and building in the French Basque Country, where he grew up. He combines a respect for the traditional architectural heritage with the tools of contemporary architecture, and is always motivated by the principles of bioclimatic architecture. His desire to integrate buildings with the environment is realized through the use of traditional local materials, by the building of green roofs where possible and with the formal integrity of his architectural projects.
His meeting with Francesca Del Gatto and Lluis Auquer increased his dedication to sustainable architecture. With the support of the Auquer Prats studio, he built his first adobe house whose quality, in environmental terms, was immediately verified.
Francesca Del Gatto
Architect
​
Graduated from Florence University. She studied for a year at the ETSAB in Barcelona until she started working at the AuquerPrats architecture studio, where she continues to be a freelance collaborator.
With the architect Lluis Auquer Framis, pioneer of bio-architecture in Catalonia, she developed her interest and knowledge in this field: an architecture characterized by the use of natural materials and the organic design of buildings in harmony with their natural environment.
Her predisposition to this way of building was realized in Morocco, within the framework of a project from the University of Architecture of Florence in collaboration with a local association from the town of Asni (Marrakesh). A social housing project inspired by the premise of traditional architecture, with the aim of raising awareness of indigenous construction techniques, and to combat the excessive use of concrete in construction in exurbs areas.
In her final degree project, she proposed a bioclimatic housing module, versatile, with low environmental impact, economically accessible and oriented towards self-construction. The energy efficiency of the building is verified by a scrupulous thermodynamic calculation.
​
In 2017 she joined forces with Xabi Eliçagaray. Together, they continue to focus on the ecological aspect of architectural projects.