Getting the priorities straight

We, Joaquin and Aitor, met when we were students. Upon finishing university, we then went on to found AFAB. From the beginning, one of the main goals was to have fun developing projects that really fulfilled us and so far we have been able to maintain that joyful spirit in the office. On several occasions, this radical vocation has led us to be disqualified in several competitions, but having fun has always been more important to us than winning prizes.

Commission by chance

AFAB’s first professional commission occurred at the opening of an exhibition with Aitor's photographs in an art gallery in London. One of those attending the inauguration discovered that Aitor, in addition to being a photographer, was an architect, and offered to refurbish his home in Covent Garden.

A quirky ritual

Our routine is in fact quite funny. We spend a lot of time having breakfast. Moreover, everyday mid-morning, we have a quick video game together. We should clarify that our studio is virtual. Our office is where our laptop is. Aitor lives in Geneva and Joaquin lives in Murcia. We generally establish bases at the places where we build projects. Our main way of working is distance collaboration, something that has allowed us to collaborate with people from many different countries, which is absolutely recommended and satisfactory.

A few surprises

Something that we never suspected when we first entered the architecture career was that in this field you have to work three times as much as in others to earn the same. Another thing we weren't aware of in college days was that paperwork and bureaucracy are so important.

Maintaining a tradition

Right now there is nothing better than finally finishing all the projects that we are currently building and, at the same time, finishing our respective PhD research. Looking into the distant future, five years from now, it would be great if we maintained our daily video game habit.