Gonzalo Pardo is a Spanish architect and founder of gon, an architecture studio based in Madrid. A graduate of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM), Pardo established his practice as a platform for experimentation across scales—from domestic interiors and installations to public buildings and product design. His work is characterized by formal playfulness, spatial clarity, and an emphasis on color, material tactility, and social interaction. Among the studio’s notable projects are House Flix, Foners Building in Palma, Q-01, and the forthcoming Archaeological Museum of Lancia in León. Published widely in Architecture Lab, Dezeen, and ArchDaily, gon’s architecture operates between precision and spontaneity, pursuing spaces that are simultaneously functional, reflective, and joyfully experimental.
What inspires you?
Since I was a child, I’ve always been a very observant person. As I grew older, I learned that truly looking also means understanding—and therefore, learning. I believe that architecture can be found in the most unexpected places: in a conversation, a paragraph in a book, a painting in an exhibition, a film, or even in the trace left by a raindrop sliding down a window on a rainy day. Inspiration, for me, comes from ordinary yet often invisible places. Things have always been there, right in front of us. We just need to learn how to see them.
What inspired you to become an architect?
I became an architect for two reasons—one direct and one indirect. The direct reason was an interview I read in the newspaper when I was about 13 or 14, with Miguel Fisac, a Spanish architect from the 1950s and 60s. What he said fascinated me so much that I thought, This is what I want to do. The indirect reason was the school I attended until I was 18. It had been designed by Javier Carvajal, another major Spanish architect, though I didn’t know that until I began studying architecture. That building influenced me deeply because I still remember its spaces: the staircases, the large courtyards, the classrooms with their skylights, and the furniture. In the end, we love what we remember.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
As the writer Spanbauer says, we are the stories we tell ourselves. We are drawn to projects that take risks—but this is only possible when there’s a strong narrative behind them. Every project is a story we first tell ourselves, and then to others. And it had better be a good one, because we’ll be living with it for a long time until it becomes real.
Which is your favorite project?
My favorite project is always the one yet to come. Among the past works, I have a special fondness for those that give something back to society—a kind of energy that returns to the world what it once gave me. In that sense, the archaeological museum we’re currently building in Lancia (León) is a good example. It’s a very complete project, where by working with local materials, we’ve created a narrative deeply connected to its place.
What is your favorite architectural detail?
As with Ockham’s razor, the simplest explanation is often the best one. I belong to the group of architects who believe that, when it comes to detailing, the simpler, the better. I also find Rem Koolhaas’s words on this topic very true: without a budget, there is no detail. In many of our projects, we turn this limitation into a virtue. Regarding our favorite architectural detail, I would like to present ZETA, our most recent product design, where, from a gesture as simple as folding a single element, we obtain a collection of three versatile and dynamic handles (XXL, medio, and embutido).
Do you have a favorite material?
I’m drawn to materials with reflective qualities—those capable of making us perceive a space as something ever-changing.
What is your process for starting a new project?
When we start a new project—whether it’s an interior, a product, or a new building—we like to research the history of the place where we’ll be working. We try to understand the logic that makes it the way it is, and not something else. We also make an effort to get to know the people we’ll be working with and to understand their motivations. For that, we conduct an in-depth questionnaire in the form of a conversation, which helps us discover a lot about them.
How do you balance function and creativity in your designs?
It’s important for us that all our projects carry the gon architects signature: creative, playful, and optimistic. This must always coexist with absolute functionality. We achieve this balance through constant dialogue and communication with our clients.
How does the environment influence your work?
In most cases, the surrounding conditions are a determining factor in the design. For example, in Foners, a ten-unit residential building in Palma, we faced a very interesting site—highly visible as a corner lot, but challenging due to its narrow, polygonal shape. Understanding all these variables—and many more—led to the final design of the building.
How do you work with clients to achieve their vision?
For us, clients are part of the design team. We need to align visions—their perspective as clients with ours as architects. We maintain constant communication to understand their needs and synchronize objectives throughout the design and development process. Only through dialogue can we create truly collaborative architecture. Otherwise, it would fall into isolation.
What inspired you in House Flix?
In House Flix, our challenge was to transform a dark, neglected attic into a bright, contemporary space. We imagined the house as a kind of Wes Anderson film set—light furniture, indirect lighting, and an atmosphere that seems to float beneath a large sloping roof. From the bed, in complete silence, you can see through one of the skylights the iconic Schweppes sign on Madrid’s Gran Vía—literally taking you “from Madrid to the sky.”
How did materiality shape the design of Q-01?
Materiality is everything in Q-01. The project was conceived as a minimalist, interior landscape built from a system of pinewood volumes of different sizes, scattered throughout the space. These volumes stack and interlock to define five distinct functions: the reception area, waiting room, two dressing tables, and the washroom. This modular system allows for multiple configurations—different stage sets for visitors to enjoy. The design of these wooden follies embraces a wide range of themes, from human closeness and sensory experience to ergonomics, consumption, and the technical precision required to make and size each space properly.
What advice would you give to a young architect?
Although I’m not usually one to give advice, I believe the new generations should travel often, read more, learn to listen, and practice the art of attentive distraction—because in the most unexpected places, a project might appear.
los conceptos vertidos en la entrevista se corresponden con los diseños, esa coherencia es relevante. El uso del color y la inspiración de West Anderson es muy buena, pues cine arquitectura es un par inseparable. Cuando dice que no da consejos, en realidad los da y son muy orientadores para las y los jóvenes arquitectos.