From their studio in Valencia, architects Carmel Gradolí Martínez and Arturo Sanz Martínez craft architecture rooted in context, history and life itself. Built on a professional ethic that values attentive observation of place and active listening to future users, Gradolí & Sanz have established themselves as a benchmark in honest, rigorous and locally grounded architecture.
Their work moves seamlessly between domestic and public spaces, rural and urban contexts, with a sensitivity that turns each project into a precise response to a specific situation. From single-family homes to cultural facilities, heritage restorations or rural schools, their architectural language blends expressive austerity with spatial richness born from the play of light, noble materials and vernacular construction techniques.
Far from grand gestures, their architecture resides in the essential: in human scale, in efficiency and comfort, in respect for what already exists, and in the quiet ambition to improve people’s daily lives. A practice that understands architecture as a common good and a tool for thoughtful, lasting transformation.
Carmel Gradolí Martínez (Valencia, 1961) holds a degree in architecture from the Technical School of Architecture in Valencia and a Master’s in “Intervention Techniques in Architectural Heritage” from the UPV. Between 1992 and 1994, he served as Heritage Inspector for the Department of Culture, Education and Science. He has developed an active teaching and research career. His work is deeply committed to the social and cultural role of architecture, with special attention to sustainability, rehabilitation and Mediterranean vernacular architecture.
Arturo Sanz Martínez (Teruel, 1963) is a graduate of the Technical School of Architecture in Valencia, with a specialization in Urbanism. He combines professional practice with teaching and public engagement. His career is marked by a deeply human approach to architectural design, with particular sensitivity to educational architecture, communal spaces and the balance between tradition and contemporaneity. He is actively involved in community initiatives in the Benimaclet neighborhood (Valencia), where he has promoted urban gardens and coordinated the participatory strategy “Benimaclet es Futur.”
Fran López López (Tarazona de la Mancha, Albacete, 1991) graduated as a Senior Architect from the ETSAV in 2016. Since that same year, he has collaborated with Gradolí & Sanz on projects such as the Imagine Montessori School, among others. In 2018, together with Arturo Sanz, he founded the brand Cases Pati, focusing on the complete renovation or new construction of Valencian village houses. He is part of the multidisciplinary team that, under the motto “(con)fluir” (to flow), won the competition for the new Turia River Mouth Park.