We help you deliver a new retail experience and design an interactive adventure for your customers. We believe that physical space is essential for engaging with consumers on an emotional level.
We help brands communicate their values with spaces that fully reflect their culture, values and aspirations. With our help, brands are able to impress their customers and grant them memories of an amazing experience.
With the use of digital installations, we turn a learning activity into a journey through the virtual dimension. We integrate cultural aspects into dynamic environments creating an interaction with the visitor in a user-centered way. We make your guests look back on their visit to your shop/restaurant/event for years to come.
While respecting classic Italian design, our exclusive vision and passion for modern technology propel us to the apex of customization. Every part of each project is unique. We use these techniques to design custom-made pieces. We tailor spaces to meet each of our clients’ need. Our approach – Artisanship 2.0 – gives us the upper hand in the ever increasingly competitive architecture industry.
External Reference attracts international talents from the top European design schools. Our multidisciplinary and international team is based in Barcelona, Madrid, and Moscow. We are 30 professionals from over 15 countries and counting.
Our vision is to create emotional spaces that express your values and beliefs to customers.
“We integrate luxury and sustainability, digital and physical, art and technology, adapting these cultural aspects to the needs of our clients in order to shape spaces that reflect both our design philosophy and the client’s unique individuality.”
Carmelo Zappulla, PhD Architect and CEO of External Reference.
Architect
Team Leader / Management
Venice, (Italy), 1991. Stefano holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Venice Architecture University (IUAV) from which he graduated with honours. He specialises in project development, detailing and construction. He is the tutor of Representation tools in the Master of Experiential Interior Design at LCI Barcelona.
MAA Architect
Team Leader / Computation
Montevideo, (Uruguay), 1990. Sebastian holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). He is currently the head of computation at External Reference and the tutor of Parametric tools in the Master of Experiential Interior Design at LCI Barcelona.
MAA Architect
Team Leader / Design
Tehran, (Iran), 1990. Amin holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the IAAC. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at UPC researching functional implementations of computational Design in living Spaces. He leads projects from design to execution and his practice focuses on advanced tools from parametric design to digital Fabrication and AR/VR content.
MA Architect
Team Leader / Experience
Caracas, (Venezuela), 1992. Vianella holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Experiential Interior Design from the LCI Barcelona Design School, obtaining the best master’s degree thesis of the year. She is currently the academic coordinator for the master. She specialises in concept development and customer experience.
Team Leader / Design
Catania, (Italy), 1994. Francesco holds a master’s degree in architecture from SDS Architettura Siracusa. He specializes in project development, from concept design to 3D modeling and construction supervision. He is currently a workshop tutor of “Introduction to lamp design development” in the master of Experiential Interior Design at LCI Barcelona.
Architect / Technical Development
Venice, (Italy), 1990. Ilaria is graduated with honours at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia. She specialized in project development, detailing and construction.
MA Architect / Design & Rendering
Ciudad de Mexico, (Mexico), 1993. Regina holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Experiential Interior Design from the LCI Barcelona Design School. She specialises in 3D visualization and experiential concepts. She is currently a doctoral candidate at UIC researching technology inside architectural design processes.
MAA Architect / Design
Moscow, (Russia), 1988. Irina holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). She is specialized in design and construction supervision.
Architect / Technical Development
Catania, (Italy), 1992. Silvia is graduated at SDS Architettura Siracusa. She is specialized in technical development and design.
Building Engineering / Design
San Benedetto del Tronto, (Italy), 1990. Gianmarco is graduated at Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna. He is specialized in 3D modelling and computational design.
Architect / Computational Design
Munich, (Germany), 1998. Víctor has a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Innsbruck. Currently he is pursuing a Master of Advanced Architecture at IAAC and researching the implementation of text-to-image AI in architecture. As a computational designer his practice focuses on parametric design and digital fabrication. He was a tutor on the postgraduate program Designing Future Realities, teaching AR app development for spatial experiences.
Architect
Moscow, (Russia), 1989. Elena holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). She is specialized in design and construction supervision
Graphic Designer
Syracuse, (Italy), 1986. Alfonso holds a master´s degree in Graphic Design and Website Programming from CIPSA in Barcelona. He is currently head of Graphic Design and Visual Communication at External Reference. He expresses the firm´s design ideas through branded communications and develops visual content for all the studio´s communications.
Architect / Sustainability
Buenos Aires, (Argentina). Marina holds a PhD in Architecture, Energy and Environment from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. She specializes in materials, sustainability and residential design.
Architect / Light Designer
Ciudad de México, (México). Edgar is graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He holds a PhD in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He specializes in Lighting Design
Architect
Moscow, (Russia), 1995. Anton holds a Master’s in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). He specializes in computational design and digital fabrication.
Architect
Napoli, (Italia), 1994. Giulio Montefoschi holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Renewable energy applied to Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). He specializes in project development, from concept design to 3D modeling and computational design.
Architect
Muscat, (Oman), 1998. Jihad holds a postgraduate master’s degree in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). He specializes is concept design and 3D modeling, and is currently handling communications department.
Business Development
Lisa is a business development specialist in the design, architecture and events markets with over 9 years of experience. She specialises in promoting creative teams, helping to expand their potential geographically and product-wise.
Architect
Cairo, (Egypt), 1994. Daniel holds a Master’s in Advanced Architecture from the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). He specializes in computational design and digital fabrication.
Office Manager
Maracaibo, (Venezuela), 1991. Alessandra holds a master’s degree in Furtiture Design from Elisava School of Design after graduating as architec at La Universidad del Zulia. She currently acts as a multidimensional support piece to the overall organization system of the team.
Project Manager
Rosario, (Argentina), 1989. Martina is graduated at Facultad de Arquitectura, Planeamiento y Diseño de Rosario. She specialized in construction supervisión and management and in interior design.
