RESEARCHERS

SHORT BIO – Chiara Farinea PhD

Chiara Farinea is currently Head of European Projects and Head of Building with Nature Based Solutions Research at the Advanced Architecture Group Department at IAAC, her position includes being a coordinator and scientific personnel in several EU projects targeted at education, research, development and implementation and being faculty in IAAC educational programs.

She developed several experimental projects related to the integration of living systems in urban environments through the use of advanced technologies for design and fabrication. The projects have been exhibited in international events such as the Venice Biennale and integrated in real environments such as public spaces in Barcelona. 

SHORT BIO – Valeria Greslebin.

Junior EU Projects Manager (she/her)

Valeria Ospital Greslebin is an architect trained at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. She holds a Master of Science in Design Theory and Pedagogy from SCI-Arc.

She has taught at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design (AUD) in Los Angeles, where she served as an instructor in Urban Strategy studios, undergraduate design studios, and technology seminars.

Previously, she was an assistant teacher at Studio Lynn at the Universität für angewandte Kunst in Vienna, and taught core and thesis studios as well as aesthetics seminars at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

At SCI-Arc, she also collaborated with the research department on a project focused on developing alternative ways to measure displacement pressures in Los Angeles.
Her research interests revolve around the use of software as a policy-making tool and harnessing qualitative and quantitative data to inform urban transformation projects.

SHORT BIO – Andrea Conserva

EU Projects Manager / Architecture & Urban Data Advisor (he/him)

Andrea Conserva is an Italian architect, building engineer, and researcher. He currently serves as the EU Project Manager at the Advanced Architecture Group at IAAC in Barcelona, where he coordinates and contributes to various EU R&D projects focused on urbanism and sustainability.

Andrea holds a Master of Science in Architectural Engineering from the Politecnico of Milan (2013) and began his career as a technical researcher and project manager at the Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE) in Zaragoza, Spain. There, he managed several EU-funded projects, including FP7 and H2020, and gained expertise in energy efficiency and sustainable building modelling, simulation, and assessment.

His research explores how design, advanced technologies, and innovation can help architects and urbanists create more livable and efficient cities.

SHORT BIO – Fiona Demeur

EU Projects Manager / Architecture & Ecology Faculty (she/her)

Fiona Demeur is an architectural designer passionate about working with nature to find architectural solutions for cities and rethinking architectural education. She currently works as the project manager for Erasmus+ EU projects at IAAC’s Advanced Architecture Group, contributing to several EU-funded research initiatives. Fiona also teaches across IAAC’s Master programs, focusing on seminars related to start-up education, nature-based solutions, and research methodologies for second-year thesis development.

Fiona has been involved with two start-ups: eiria, developed during IAAC’s BUILDs program, and add.apt, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Both start-ups merge sustainable solutions with technological strategies.
She holds a BSc in Architecture from the University of Bath (2018), a Passivhaus Designer certification (2018), and a Master’s in Advanced Architecture (MAA02) from IAAC (2020), where she focused on food circularity, nature-based solutions, and living systems.
Her involvement in EU-funded projects includes Urban Shift, Green Skills for Cities, CoCoon, and CiD.