Marcos Cruz is a Lecturer in Architecture / Studio Master of Unit 20 at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL and a Senior Lecturer in Architecture / Studio Master of DS10 at the University of Westminster. He is also co-founder of marcosandmarjan, a London-base atelier that combines experimental design research with practice and teaching of architecture.
Cruz’s research is centred on a contemporary discussion about the body in architecture and the emergence of Neoplasmatic Architecture – an investigation into the use of digital and analogue design processes as a method to explore and manipulate actual biological material.. His recently published AD – Neoplasmatic Design presents the impact of emerging and progressive biological advances upon architectural and design practice. The rapid development of innovative design approaches in the realms of biology, microbiology, biotechnology, medicine and surgery are becoming increasingly significance for architecture, being as important for their cultural and aesthetic impact as for their technical implications. This research won the RIBA President’s Research Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis in 2008.
Cruz is author and editor of a series of publications, including Flesh and Vision (Forum da Maia, 2000), Unit 20 (University of Valencia/ACTAR, 2002), Unpredictable Flesh (Mimesis, 2004), marcosandmarjan – Interfaces/Intrafaces (SpringerWienNewYork, 2005), AD – Neoplasmatic Design (John Wiley & Sons, 2008), and PhD Research Projects 2009 (Bartlett, UCL, 2009).
