Carmelo Zappulla
| Carmelo Zappulla | |
|---|---|
 Carmelo Zappulla – Retrato.jpg Carmelo Zappulla | |
| Born | July 20, 1978 Syracuse, Italy |
| 💼 Occupation | Architect, designer and researcher |
Carmelo Zappulla (Syracuse, Italy, 1978) is an Italian architect and designer based in Barcelona. In 2007, he founded the studio External Reference, where he also serves as CEO.[1]
The studio works on retail, hospitality and cultural projects. Its work combines architecture, interior design, technology and art.[2]
It has developed projects in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, such as the WOW Concept store in Madrid, the Vela stairway and viewpoint in Barcelona and the CAAA restaurant in Lucerne.[3][4][5]
External Reference has received awards at competitions including the SBID International Design Awards, the BLT Built Design Awards, and the World Architecture Festival.[6][7]
Carmelo Zappulla is also a lecturer and speaker at academic institutions in architecture and design.[8]
Education
Zappulla earned his degree in architecture from the University of Palermo.
He also holds a PhD in Architectural Projects from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona.[9][10]
Academic career
Zappulla serves as director of the Master in Experiential Interior Design at LCI Barcelona.[11]
He has taught in design and architecture programs at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).[12]
Zappulla has served on juries for international festivals and competitions, including as a judge for the World Architecture Festival in 2025.[13]
Professional career
In 2007, Carmelo Zappulla founded External Reference, an architecture and interior design studio that develops immersive spaces. The studio has developed retail, hospitality, cultural, and urban intervention projects in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.[14]
The WOW Concept store in Madrid is one of the studio’s retail projects, described as an immersive space that integrates architecture, technology, and design.[15][16]
Among their urban interventions is the Escaleras y Mirador Vela on the seafront of La Barceloneta, in Barcelona. The work connects the Passeig del Mare Nostrum and the Plaça de la Rosa dels Vents using a monumental staircase and an elevated walkway, creating a public space with views of the Mediterranean.[17][18] [19]
External Reference has developed projects in the hospitality sector. The CAAA restaurant in Lucerne, Switzerland, is a space that incorporates technologies such as artificial intelligence and 3D printing. The design has been described as referencing the surrounding Alpine landscape.[20]
The studio renovated the main floor of the modernist Casa Sayrach building in Barcelona, to create the Sayrach Principal Office Club, a hybrid workspace inaugurated in 2020. Today it houses the offices of External Reference.[21]
The studio has also worked for VICIO, a Spanish fast food brand, designing its corporate offices based on the style of its restaurants.[22]
External Reference has designed retail projects such as the Crep Protect store in the Dubai Mall. The space has been described as a futuristic design and as reflecting sneaker culture.[23]
External Reference participated in the design of the exhibition at the Spanish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, in collaboration with Onionlab. The installation included digital elements and references to sustainability and Spanish culture. The project has been described as an immersive installation.[24][25][26]
Carmelo Zappulla contributed to the international development of the PresentedBy retail concept, with projects in cities such as Doha and Abu Dhabi.[27][28][29]
Awards
- 2017 – SBID International Design Awards. Winner: Best Restaurant Design for Alkimia Restaurant.[30]
- 2022 – BLT Built Design Awards. Winner: Interior Design – Exhibition / Gallery for Spanish Pavilion Exhibition.[31]
- 2022 – World Architecture Festival. Highly Commended: WOW Concept.[32]
- 2023 – SBID International Design Awards. Winner: Overall Retail Design for PresentedBy Riyadh.[33]
- 2025 – BLT Built Design Awards. Winner: Architectural Design – Hospitality for Plaza Mahou.[34]
- 2025 – World Architecture Festival. Finalist: Bars and Restaurants for Plaza Mahou.[35]
- 2025 – London Design Awards. Platinum Winner: Interior Design – Retail, Shops, Department Stores & Mall.[36]
Lectures and conferences
In February 2024, he gave the lecture "Experience as Material: When Architecture and Innovation Elevate the Brand" at the Roca Barcelona Gallery.[37]
His Pure Plants project was featured in the 2023 Madrid Design Festival program.[38]
Zappulla was a speaker at Tanween 2023, organized by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)[39]
Exhibitions
Carmelo Zappulla was a guest designer in what has been described as the first European design exhibition organized by the European Union. The exhibition, titled Design Beyond Things: The Object as an Agent of Transformation, was part of the EU pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka in Kansai, Japan.[40]
References
- ↑ "External Reference - About". Spanish-Architects. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "External Reference, visiones fluorescentes". La Vanguardia (in español). Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "WOW Store / External Reference Architects". ArchDaily.
- ↑ "Escaleras y Mirador Vela / External Reference Architects". ArchDaily (in español).
- ↑ "Experimental sensory design: CAAA restaurant". Metalocus (in español).
- ↑ "Alkimia – SBID Awards finalist". SBID International Design Awards.
- ↑ "Plaza Mahou – BLT Built Design Awards 2025". BLT Built Design Awards.
- ↑ "Dr. Carmelo Zappulla". IAAC.
- ↑ "Carmelo Zappulla". Metalocus.
- ↑ "Carmelo Zappulla". Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
- ↑ "Official Master in Experiential Interior Design". LCI Barcelona.
- ↑ "Dr. Carmelo Zappulla". IAAC.
- ↑ "The list of judges for WAF 2025 has been announced". Concepts & Projects.
- ↑ "External Reference: visiones fluorescentes". La Vanguardia (in español).
- ↑ "WOW Store / External Reference Architects". ArchDaily.
- ↑ "WOW Concept, la tienda experiencial de Madrid". Condé Nast Traveler (in español).
- ↑ "Escaleras y Mirador Vela / External Reference Architects". ArchDaily (in español).
- ↑ "El Puerto de Barcelona inaugura «Escaleras y Mirador Vela»". Construcía (in español).
- ↑ "Escaleras y Mirador Vela: External Reference presents a new architecture and urban project on the Barcelona seafront". Archinect.
- ↑ "Delicadez sensorial experimental: restaurante CAAA por External Reference". Metalocus (in español).
- ↑ "Sayrach Principal Office Club". World-Architects.
- ↑ "Inside VICIO's Playful HQ: A New Era of Workspaces Where Creativity Meets Fun". Pendulum Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "Crep Protect unveils its first ever store in the Dubai Mall". Highsnobiety.
- ↑ "Pabellón de España en la Expo Dubái 2020". Arquitectura Viva (in español).
- ↑ "The immersive experience of the Spain Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020". Spanish Architects (in español).
- ↑ "I see Dubai as a place where dreams can become reality". El Correo del Golfo (in español).
- ↑ "Presentedby x Doha Design District". Architonic.
- ↑ "Presentedby launches immersive store in Doha Design District". New Wave Magazine.
- ↑ "PresentedBy Abu Dhabi". Frame.
- ↑ "Alkimia – SBID Awards finalist". SBID International Design Awards.
- ↑ "Spanish Pavilion Exhibition – BLT Built Design Awards 2022". BLT Built Design Awards.
- ↑ "WOW Concept – World Architecture Festival entry". World Architecture Festival.
- ↑ "Presentedby Riyadh – SBID Awards finalist". SBID International Design Awards.
- ↑ "Plaza Mahou – BLT Built Design Awards 2025". BLT Built Design Awards.
- ↑ "Plaza Mahou – World Architecture Festival entry". World Architecture Festival.
- ↑ "London Design Awards – Platinum Winner". London Design Awards.
- ↑ "Experience as material: when architecture and innovation elevate the brand". Roca Barcelona Gallery.
- ↑ "Madrid Design Festival 2023 programme". Wallpaper.
- ↑ "Carmelo Zappulla". Ithra.
- ↑ "Design Beyond Things @ Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan". Scandinavian Design. 29 August 2025.
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