Barberio Colella Architetti
    Micaela Colella, PhD, architect and Head of Design at Barberio Colella Architetti

    The Firm · Author Profile

    Micaela Colella, PhD

    Architect, PhD, co-founder and Head of Design at Barberio Colella Architetti. Lead architect for The Firm in all design competitions since 2025.

    His research focuses on the Mediterranean prefabricated home in the era of Industry 4.0: a concept that seamlessly blends the building traditions of Mediterranean countries, advanced lightweight prefabrication, passive bioclimatic design and high-quality interior design.

    About

    Micaela Colella is an architect and PhD holder. She graduated in Architecture from the Politecnico di Bari in 2014, and went on to complete a PhD in Architecture – specialising in "Culture of Construction" – at the Argonauti Consortium, which for several years linked the University of Roma Tre and the Politecnico di Bari for a few years, completing it in 2018 with a thesis dedicated to the modernisation of prefabricated systems 4.0 using natural materials for sustainable Mediterranean architecture. His research trajectory, dating back to his doctoral years, aims to bring into dialogue the principles, materials and techniques of local building traditions with the innovations of advanced industry: not a nostalgic reinterpretation of the Mediterranean vernacular, rather the attempt to incorporate that expertise into a sophisticated industrial production chain capable of operating with modular kits of parts, dry assembly and mass customisation.

    According to Colella, the most interesting innovation in contemporary housing, and in particular Mediterranean housing, is advanced lightweight prefabrication: due to its ability to combine reversibility, reduced construction times, quality control in the workshop, and passive indoor comfort based once again on orientation, cross-ventilation, shading and inertia.

    Since 2025, he has taken charge of all the Firm’s projects and represents Barberio Colella Architetti as lead architect in all design competitions, including the project Polymnia Futura, recognised with a Special Mention at Europan 18, and the project for the nursery and primary school Papa Giovanni XXIII from Trani, ranked second in the provisional results of the competition FUTURA: Designing, Building and Living in the School.

    Key awards and accolades

    • Special Mention, Europan 18 as part of the Polymnia Futura project (led by Colella).
    • Special Mention: MET Retail Identity as part of the ‘We meet at MET’ project.
    • Second place in the provisional standings at concorso FUTURA Trani district, Papa Giovanni XXIII nursery and primary school (led by Colella).
    • Fassa Bortolo Italian Sustainable Architecture Award (Honorable Mention) for the dissertation *Nuova Bari Centrale*.
    • NIB Award – Top 10 Architecture and Landscape 2021 by New Italian Blood.
    • Silver A' Design Award in the Engineering, Construction and Infrastructure Design category.
    • Build Architecture Award 2019 as Best Sustainable Architecture Practice – Southern Italy.
    • WA Awards of the World Architecture Community (2015 and 2016 cycles).
    • Honorable Mention: Cool Abu Dhabi Challenge with the Urban Dunes project.

    Notable projects

    Polymnia Futura

    Sustainable Design

    Polymnia Futura

    Masterplan for Polignano a Mare. Special Mention at Europan 18. Lead architect: Colella.

    Papa Giovanni XXIII Primary School, Trani

    Public & Commercial Architecture

    Papa Giovanni XXIII Primary School, Trani

    NZEB building and resilient educational infrastructure. Second place in the FUTURA competition. Led by Colella.

    Eco-friendly house in Carovigno

    Sustainable Design

    Eco-friendly house in Carovigno

    A detached house that reinterprets the Mediterranean podium-style typology, whilst respecting the olive trees and dry stone walls on the plot.

    Aetherius

    3D-Printed Design

    Aetherius

    Modular pavilion created using 3D extrusion printing. Co-principal investigator: Colella. Marmomac 2024, exhibition: CECI N'EST PAS UN FOSSILE.

    Kurikka House

    Public & Commercial Architecture

    Kurikka House

    An open and accessible town hall and cultural centre in Finland, organised around a large covered central space.

    Unboxed

    Sustainable Design

    Unboxed

    Mediterranean-style prefabricated house in cross-laminated timber (CLT), with a demountable and recyclable steel foundation. WA Awards 2015.

    Research areas and fields of expertise

    Five thematic clusters, intertwined yet distinct.

    01 · Mediterranean

    Sustainable Mediterranean architecture and prefabrication

    This forms the core of the doctoral research and continues to serve as the cornerstone of the design practice. The thesis explores residential typologies and the principles of good Mediterranean building practice – the masseria, patio, trullo, badgir and malqaf – as a repertoire of passive solutions that remain relevant today, though they need to be reinterpreted non not in the form of traditional recycling, but as a new lightweight prefabricated 4.0 production line. The range includes Villa in Carovigno, Unboxed, Lanterns Sea Village, Just a Minute, New Roots, Unit 27, Rogoredo Co-Housing and the masterplan Polymnia Futura for Polignano, recognised as Special Mention at Europan 18 (capogruppo Colella).
    02 · Postgraduate

    Schools, public buildings, retail and hospitality

    A design practice that translates typological and bioclimatic design research into spaces with a specific purpose. Notable examples include: 1) the Primary School in Trani, NZEB building ranked second in the provisional list of the competition FUTURA (led by Colella); 2) the School of Art and Music in Aosta with a bioclimatic design sunspace; 3) the town hall Kurikka-talo in Finland; 4) the new retail identity for the MET brand for Lima-Commerce (Special Mention at the competition MET Retail Identity); 5) the Wellness Club; 6) the registered office Bamboo Office in Changzhou.
    03 · Interiors

    High-end interiors and bespoke furniture

    The Firm views interior design not as a subsidiary aspect of architectural design, but rather the level at which the relationship between the building and its inhabitants is negotiated. Of particular note are: The Circle Penthouse, a penthouse in London for Pent Developments; EY Bari, extension over three floors (winner of a private tender in partnership with Sigma Sud and Rinnova I.C.); Binbaz Towers Interiors, interiors of the mixed-use complex in Riyadh.
    04 · Bioclimatic design

    Bioclimatic design and high-performance building envelopes

    A cross-cutting methodological approach that runs through all the Firm’s projects. It encompasses the study of solar exposure, natural ventilation, thermal inertia, passive Mediterranean systems and modular arrangements. It is the central theme to which the Firm is emblematically linked Ecodomus, a modular prefabricated home constructed from cross-laminated timber with zero energy consumption, the focal point of my doctoral research, and my work as an environmental consultant alongside Angelo Figliola as Senior Environmental Design Consultant.
    05 · 3D printing

    Additive manufacturing and Stone Design

    A collaborative research project with Maurizio Barberio, in which additive manufacturing meets stereotomic principles and Stone Design. It includes the pavilion Aetherius on display at Marmomac 2024; the 3D-printed mosque for Kuwait; First Stone for ICON in New Orleans; Urban Dunes to Abu Dhabi; Triclinio, SOOD, Modular Stone Walls ed Elica 2, exhibited at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and at various editions of Marmomac.

    Links

    For those seeking project documentation, the Firm’s project pages, Insights articles and vertical landing pages – covering sustainable architecture, high-end interiors, 3D printing, parametric component design, and Public & Commercial Architecture for offices, schools and hospitality venues – constitute the working archive of the work completed to date. Enquiries from qualified clients should be made via the dedicated contact form.

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    Further reading

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