my motivation and background

I founded Proyectual Studio in 2018 as a way to respond—both personally and professionally—to the profound spatial inequalities I witnessed growing up in Ecuador. Trained as an architect and urban planner, my work has always been driven by a desire to question established systems of knowledge and to imagine other ways of living, building, and belonging in the city. Based between Latin America and Europe, my practice weaves together critical research, collective processes, and design experimentation to engage with the complexities of urban life—particularly in informal and climate-vulnerable territories. Proyectual Studio emerged from this intersection: a space for architectural thinking rooted in lived experience, guided by decolonial perspectives, and committed to making room for the voices and practices too often left out of urban transformation. This initiative stems from a deep personal conviction to confront spatial injustice through design, and a persistent motivation to build inclusive, critical, and context-aware urban futures.

My academic path began in Cuenca, where I graduated from the German School Stiehle in 2012. Soon after, I moved to Germany to pursue architectural studies, beginning at the Niedersächsisches Studienkolleg in Hannover. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Architecture at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, where my final project Wohnen an der Leine—an exploration of housing along the river—was awarded the BDA Master Prize in 2016. I later completed a Master's degree in Architecture and Urban Design at Leibniz University Hannover with the project Superblock Cuenca, which reimagined urban form in my home city through the lens of mobility, collective space, and ecological integration. In 2025, I completed my cotutelle PhD between Leibniz University Hannover and Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie in São Paulo, awarded summa cum laude and supported by a full DAAD scholarship. My doctoral research, Urban Resilience in the Context of Climate Change, explores transition scenarios for informal settlements in Guayaquil, Ecuador, addressing the intersections of climate vulnerability, urban informality, and spatial justice.

-Christian Xavier Corral Burau