Marco Sosa

Bio

Marco Sosa is an RIBA and ARB-registered architect and Associate Professor of Interior Design at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi. He holds a BA(Hons) in architecture, a postgraduate diploma, and an MA in Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources. With over 10 years of experience in the UK industry, Sosa has studied under prominent figures like CJ Lim, Florian Beigel, Adam Caruso, Peter St John, and Professor Maurice Mitchell.
Sosa’s work consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability, both in his professional practice and academic career. His designs emphasize environmentally responsible architecture, sustainable construction techniques, and the use of locally sourced, renewable materials. Sosa integrates these principles into his teaching, encouraging students to consider environmental impact and sustainable development in their design processes. His research particularly highlights adaptive reuse of existing buildings, promoting energy efficiency and longevity within the UAE’s modern architectural heritage.
Sosa has designed exhibitions, published chapters, academic papers (Q1 and Q2 SCOPUS indexed), and served on scientific committees, presenting his work on topics such as architectural photography, modern architectural heritage in the UAE, virtual reality, and the role of AI in design education. Sosa is also committed to integrating students with the local building industry, having facilitated numerous successful student-led competitions and collaborations with industry partners, including Capitala Developers, Mubadala Tennis Trophy, Abu Dhabi Louvre, Environmental Agency, DEWA, Etihad Airways, Sharjah Art Foundation, Porcelanosa, DCT Mosque Competition, Abu Dhabi Police, Dubai Design Week Global Grad Show, The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, SABEEL EXPO 2020, Vision Factory, and the Sharjah Art Foundation. At Zayed University, Sosa has received numerous accolades, including the Dean's Teaching Award, the Exemplary Merit Award, The Provost Research Fellowship Award, and Faculty Awards 2022 in the “Exceptional” category. Two of Sosa’s teaching and learning research pedagogy approaches have been shortlisted and highly commended by QS Maple Reimagine Education, an international event organized by QS rankings, often referred to as the “Oscars of Education.”
Sosa co-founded, alongside fellow CACE faculty Lina Ahmad, LIMASS, a design studio and research lab at Zayed University. LIMASS is dedicated to fostering creative solutions and delivering design proposals that engage with the UAE community while aligning with global technological trends and the shift toward self-sufficiency and personal digital fabrication. Limass places a strong emphasis on sustainability, incorporating eco-conscious design practices and exploring new technologies for reducing environmental impact. The unit also focuses on researching, documenting, and archiving the history of modern architectural heritage in the UAE, particularly in the context of adaptive reuse and adaptive interiority of existing modern architectural heritage.
In 2012, Sosa authored Al Bidiya Mosque: A Visual Essay, a book about the UAE's oldest functional mosque. Two years later, he served as Head of Design for the UAE’s first National Pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, contributing to the exhibition Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the UAE, which explored the impact of modernist architecture in the region. His research was also featured at the 2022 Smithsonian Folklife Festival's United Arab Emirates: Living Landscape | Living Memory exhibition in Washington, D.C. In 2024, Sosa co-exhibited Building Façade as Skin Epidermis at the Personal Structures exhibition by the European Cultural Centre, held in parallel with the Venice Art Biennale.

Office

Abu Dhabi - Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi

Phone:

+971 2 599 3361

Email:

Research and Professional Activities

Marco has published numerous academic papers, chapters and presented in international conferences. Sosa is currently researching Modern Architecture Heritage in the UAE. Specially the role of Arab architects in the development of Emirati cities after Etihad. 

Marco’s research is heavily based on exploration of teaching design methodologies based on active learning using digital technology, immersive reality using point cloud models of heritage in the UAE and challenging the norm and adapting innovative pedagogies approaches in the region. Sosa has been awarded numerous research grants and awards including the Zayed University’s Provost’s Research Fellowship for 2020-2021 and recipient of the ZU 2022 Faculty Awards. Category; Exceptional.