Personal profile
Personal profile
Teo Hidalgo Nácher is an architect, Director of the MSc International Professional Practice, Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). His research frames architecture as a relational practice attentive to the interactions between people, materials, and multispecies ecologies in everyday life. His current work focuses on bio-based and circular materials, examining their potential to transform building practices and contribute to more inclusive ecosystems.
His projects have received international recognition, including Pink Island (1st Prize, Seoul Garden International Competition), Living Soils (2nd Prize, Europan 15, Barcelona), the Gusu District Metro (2nd Prize), the Jiangnan Community Center (3rd Prize), and Cabanons, exhibited at the 6th Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale (2023).
At XJTLU, Teo has served as Director of the Design Research Center (2021–2024) and Departmental Exam Officer (2021–2023). He also contributes as a keynote speaker, jury member, critic, and reviewer at international universities, conferences, and professional events.
Before joining XJTLU, Teo worked at the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute (ECADI) in Shanghai, where he developed high-profile projects such as the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, the Eastbund Lighttowers, the Bao’an Cultural Center, the Sanlin Bridge, the Zhejiang Cultural Center, and the Century Pavilion—all awarded 1st Prize in international competitions. Earlier in his career, he collaborated with José Antonio Martínez Lapeña and Elías Torres in Barcelona and worked as a consultant for the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Venezuela, focusing on the preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage City of Coro.
He graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture from ETSAV – Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura del Vallès, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), and previously studied at ETSAMadrid and Roma Tre University in Rome.
Research interests
-
Bio-based materials and circular practices in architecture
-
Material cycles and architectural resource flows
-
Multispecies design and more-than-human perspectives
-
Practice-based research and design-led methods
-
Actor-Network Theory and relational approaches in architecture
-
Architecture, ecology, and everyday life
Experience
- Programme Director, MSc International Professional Practice in Architecture (MIPPA), XJTLU — Jan 2026–present
-
Deputy Programme Director, MSc International Professional Practice in Architecture (MIPPA), XJTLU — Sep 2025–Jan 2026
-
Associate Professor, Department of Architecture and Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University — Jan 2025–present
-
Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University — Jan 2020–Dec 2024
-
Director, Design Research Center, XJTLU — 2021–2024
-
Exam Officer, Department of Architecture, XJTLU — 2021–2023
-
Design Studio Tutor, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University — 2016–2020
-
Leading Architect, East China Architectural Design and Research Institute (ECADI), Shanghai — 2012–2020
-
Principal, Teo Hidalgo Nácher Architects — 2010–present
-
Aid Worker & Architect, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Venezuela — 2009–2010
-
Architect, José Antonio Martínez Lapeña & Elías Torres Arquitectos, Barcelona — 2005–2007
-
Architectural Assistant, Ensamble Studio, Madrid — 2005
-
Architectural Assistant, FunDC, Rotterdam — 2005
Teaching
Module Leader
-
ARC304 Final Year Project
-
ARC305 Small and Medium Scale Buildings Design
-
ARC204 Small Urban Buildings
-
ARC205 Design and Building Typology
-
ARC105 Small Space Design
-
ARC102 Small Scale Design
Other Teaching
-
ARC104 Structures and Materials
-
ARC108 Materials and Construction
-
ARC101 Design Thinking and Articulation
-
ARC002 Architectural Representation and Communication
-
ARC001 Introduction to Architecture and Visual Culture
Awards and honours
-
Cabanons — 6th Suzhou Jinji Lake Biennale, 2023
-
2nd Prize, XJTLU Design School Professional Practice Award, 2023
-
The Pink Island, Gardens — Honourable Mention, Architecture MasterPrize, 2022
-
Emvisesa II Collective Housing Competition, Seville — Finalist, 2022
-
Jiangnan District Community Center — 3rd Prize, Suzhou, 2021
-
Best Built Works Award, Seoul Metropolitan Government — Gold Prize, 2021
-
Entrance Pavilion, 10th China Flower Expo — 1st Prize, 2021 (with ECADI)
-
Pink Island — 1st Prize, Seoul Garden International Competition, 2020
-
Gusu District Metro — 2nd Prize, Suzhou Urban Planning Bureau, 2020
-
International Housing Competition for Ecological House, Guadalajara — Honourable Mention, 2020
-
Suzhou Ancient City Design — 4th Prize, China Society of Architecture, 2020
-
Living Soils — 2nd Prize, Europan 15, Barcelona, 2019
-
Sanlin Bridge — 1st Prize, Shanghai (with ECADI), 2019
-
Restoration of the Sanctuary of San Joan de Penyagolosa — Runner-up, 2019
-
Tower for Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 — 1st Prize, 2018 (with ECADI)
-
Westbund Penthouse — Honourable Mention, Architecture MasterPrize, 2018
-
Bao’an Cultural Center — 1st Prize, 2017 (with ECADI)
-
Shanghai East Bund Light Towers — 1st Prize, 2017
-
Urumqi Diwopu International Airport — 1st Prize, 2016 (with ECADI)
-
Ripollés–Manrique House — Winner, 3rd Tongji Hub Design, 2014
-
Zhejiang Cultural Center — 1st Prize, 2013 (with ECADI)
Research areas
- Architecture Practice
- circular economy in design
- Post-occupancy Evaluation
Person Types
- Staff
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 2 Zero Hunger
-
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
-
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
-
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
-
SDG 13 Climate Action
-
SDG 15 Life on Land
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
-
Entangled materials: rice husk, straw, and circular practices in multispecies networks
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T., 16 Dec 2025, p. 1-10. 10 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Open AccessFile31 Downloads (Pure) -
Material innovation and multispecies design: a practice-based study of Pink Island in Seoul
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. & Cane, J., 16 Dec 2025. 10 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Open Access -
Performing Domesticity: Everyday Material Assemblages in Seijo Apartments
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T., 16 Dec 2025. 10 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Open AccessFile93 Downloads (Pure) -
Aga Khan Award for Architecture, In the 2nd International Conference of Architecture Across Boundaries
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T., 30 Aug 2024Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
-
Degree Show Exhibition 2024
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. & Tedjosaputro, M., 29 Jul 2024Research output: Practice-based research output › Exhibition/ Event/ Festival › Curated works: Physical Exhibition/ Event/ Festival
Activities
-
City Entanglements
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. (Speaker)
21 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar
-
2025 XJTLU Guangdong CEAA Interview Panel
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. (Participant)
11 Jun 2025 → 13 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
-
Living Water 2025
Hidalgo Nacher, T. (Organiser), Yodsurang, P. (Organiser), Dong, C. (Participant), Wang, Y. (Participant), Baek, M. J. (Participant), Songkittipakdee, K. (Participant), Shen, W. (Participant), Tan, S. (Participant) & Lombardi, D. (Participant)
25 May 2025 → 1 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
-
ARC102 Small Scale Architectural Design Studio
Rolla, S. (Organiser), Cece, A. (Participant), Latto, J. (Participant), Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. (Participant), Nguyen, K. (Participant), Podda, R. (Participant), Song, Y. (Participant) & Zhao, J. (Participant)
14 May 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
-
Soil Entanglements
Hidalgo Nacher, F. T. (Speaker)
20 Apr 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk