Michael Smith-Masis
The architecture of Entre Nos Atelier, codirected by Michael Smith-Masis in San Jose, Costa Rica, encourages participation, collaboration, cooperation, and ownership by low income residents, rural and indigenous communities, and informal settlements, the true protagonists in the city. Smith-Masis has facilitated projects from housing to public space, guided by principles of replicability, efficiency, functionality, feasibility, and environmental sustainability.
His work has received significant awards and honors, including the 2017 CICA Award for Young Architects Practice and the 2015 International Architecture Award at the Buenos Aires Biennial of Architecture. He also won the 2016 Grand Biennial Prize and the 2016 and 2014 Icomadera Prize at the International Biennial of Architecture in San Jose, Costa Rica, and the 2015 Sustainable Construction Award from the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction, among others. Alongside his architectural practice, Smith-Masis has taught and lectured worldwide to build capacity for transformation processes within distressed communities.