Ana Morcillo Pallarés

Ana Morcillo Pallarés serves as Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where she explores the intersection of social dynamics, spatial configurations, and political economies in urban environments through design research and critical analysis.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Architecture from Escuela Técnica Superior de Madrid (ETSAM)
• Professional Architecture Degree from Escuela Técnica Superior de Valencia (ETSAV)

Her research critically examines how citizen demands, private interests, and political agendas negotiate urban public spaces, with emphasis on revitalization processes and spatial commodification. This work bridges architectural theory, urban sociology, and political geography to interrogate material realities in cities like New York, where her dissertation analyzed post-1950s public space transformations. Her methodology integrates design practice with scholarly inquiry to expose power structures embedded in the built environment.

Her publications reveal consistent focus on urban interstices and spatial politics, notably her 2018 article on cultural-political urban processes and her 2023 book expanding her award-winning dissertation into Manhattan's public space commodification. These works demonstrate how architectural interventions mediate social conflicts in contested urban territories.

Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through:

• ETSAM Honors Award for doctoral dissertation
• Research award at XIV Spanish Architecture and Urbanism Biennial

As co-founder of Morcillo Pallarés + Rule Arquitectos (2005), she leads a transnational practice producing award-winning design research exhibited globally. Her teaching—spanning Architectural Design V, Politics of Balance, and Thesis Studio—integrates spatial politics with design methodology, while her Climate Futures Exhibition (2024) demonstrates applied research addressing contemporary urban challenges through architectural innovation.