In the city of Bilbao —a place that has learned to reinvent itself from its own industrial matter and its watery horizon— BAT – Bilbao Architecture Team emerges as a contemporary and sensitive response to the way of making architecture. Founded in 2012 by architects Peru Cañada and Xabier Arranz, the studio defines itself as a transdisciplinary practice that integrates architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape, and product design, understood as one single conversation: that of the space we inhabit and the future we wish to build.
From its manifesto —Building, Crafting, Dreaming. Building Futures— BAT claims architecture as a craft, both intellectual and manual, where every line rests on reflection and every detail takes form through the precision of well-executed work. Its gaze moves seamlessly from the urban to the human scale, from the vibration of matter to the narrative of place.
The studio conceives each project as an opportunity to positively transform people’s lives and their surroundings. There is no neutral gesture, no innocent construction: every intervention, no matter how small, leaves a trace that can influence future generations. For this reason, their approach combines social sensitivity with technological innovation, energy efficiency with spatial quality, and community dialogue with aesthetic ambition.
From its headquarters in Bilbao —and with a presence in Madrid and London— BAT develops projects across diverse fields such as housing, education, healthcare, culture, and tourism. Its architecture is versatile and conscious, attuned to the rhythms of the territory and the spirit of each client. But beyond form, what truly defines its work is an attitude: the will to build community, to weave connections, to understand that architecture is —above all— a tool for a shared future.
Peru Cañada and Xabier Arranz, founders of BAT, embody a dual vision that has allowed the studio to evolve into a practice both solid and open in identity.
Peru Cañada, a strategist with an artisan’s spirit, leads the studio with a collaborative vision that sees design as a collective process. His earlier career, linked to large-scale projects —educational facilities, healthcare centers, social housing— reveals a remarkable ability to articulate complexity and emotion, technique and humanity. At BAT, he drives a constant search for new ways of thinking and building, exploring territories that transcend the traditional limits of architecture.
For his part, Xabier Arranz brings a complementary, precise, and pragmatic perspective that has been essential to the team’s consolidation and international reach. His background in architecture, consulting, and contract project management strengthens the business and operational dimension of the studio, ensuring that every idea translates into a tangible reality consistent with BAT’s values. With extensive experience in team sports, he instills strong values within the firm —empathy, emotional intelligence, and teamwork— standing out as a motivating and joyful leader within BAT.
Together, Cañada and Arranz have shaped a studio that does not merely design spaces: it designs future. BAT is a community of thought —an alliance between creativity and responsibility, between matter and dream.