THE EDGE OF THE CITY AS A TRANSFORMATION SPACE
Daniel Lorezo
LoCa Studio is an architecture and urbanism practice founded by Carlota Casanova Calvo and Daniel Lorenzo Almeida, operating between Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Our work emerges from the intersection of professional practice, research and teaching, exploring the relationship between city, landscape and contemporary territorial transformations.
Over the years, we have developed projects across architecture, urban design, mobility planning and territorial strategies, working with public institutions, private clients and academic partners in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. This international experience has allowed us to engage with diverse urban realities while maintaining a consistent interest in understanding how places evolve over time.
A central focus of our work is the study of urban edges, transitional landscapes and spaces often perceived as marginal or undefined. We are interested in these territories not as residual conditions, but as active environments where different forms of occupation, infrastructure, ecology and social life intersect. For us, they represent places where contemporary transformations become visible and where new relationships between communities, the built environment and the natural landscape can emerge.
Our approach combines spatial analysis, mapping, fieldwork, visual documentation and direct engagement with local actors. Through these methodologies, we seek to construct new ways of reading and interpreting territories in transformation, while generating tools that can support dialogue, reflection and future action.
Beyond the production of physical projects, we understand architecture as a framework for observation, exchange and knowledge production. Through research, exhibitions, workshops and collaborative initiatives, we aim to contribute to broader discussions on how cities and landscapes are shaped, occupied and continuously redefined in response to social, environmental and spatial change.
The project explores the urban edge as a territory in constant transformation, where built environments, infrastructure, vacant land, and natural landscapes coexist and interact. Rather than a fixed boundary, the urban edge is understood as a transitional zone where different forms of occupation overlap, creating hybrid spaces that reflect contemporary urban change.
Through a combination of drone surveys, ground-level audiovisual documentation, and interviews with residents and users, the project seeks to build a visual and narrative archive of these often-overlooked territories. By capturing both their physical characteristics and human experiences, the research aims to reveal the complexity, challenges, and opportunities present in urban margins.
The project will result in a short documentary and an open digital platform featuring videos, photographs, maps, and testimonies. Together, these outputs will document ongoing transformations while providing a resource for research, public engagement, and future exploration.
Beyond recording a specific territorial condition, the initiative aims to develop a methodology that can be replicated in different contexts. It highlights urban edges not as residual spaces, but as active and productive territories where new relationships between city and landscape emerge, making them key sites for understanding and shaping the future of urban development.
The project has already been selected to participate in the Tblisi Biennial 2026. We seek to scale up the project by collaborating with other entities.