Architect, Artist, and Advocate for Cultural Futures

Giovanna Pillaca is a Peruvian architect, artist, and researcher whose work merges ancestral knowledge with cutting-edge technologies to explore futures rooted in transgenerational cultural memory. Inspired by biology and human perception, her projects blend artificial intelligence (AI), computational design, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), and digital manufacturing to create sensory-driven, transformative experiences.

As the co-founder of the Online Architecture Laboratory (OLA), Giovanna leads explorations in computational design, the metaverse, and virtual environments. She also serves as the creative director of Diffusion Architecture, a digital platform that integrates AI, art, and architecture. In 2022, she co-created DigitalFUTURES in Spanish, a global initiative democratizing architectural knowledge through workshops and conferences with international experts.

Giovanna teaches at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and has previously taught at UCAL and Ricardo Palma University (URP). She has also led international workshops on computational design, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and bridging education and practice.

Her accolades include winning Fundación Telefónica Perú’s Virtual Space competition for El Poder de la Data, which was exhibited at the Metaverse Summit 2022 (Paris) and South Summit 2022 (Madrid). Her project El Retablo Digital, developed with support from the American Arts Incubator and the U.S. Embassy in Peru, reimagines cultural rituals through immersive technologies and has been showcased at Lima Design Week 2022, Peru’s First Festival of Innovation in Crafts (2023), and the MINCETUR Innovation Lab launch.

Giovanna’s work has been featured in publications like CAADRIA 2023, ArchDaily, and Architectural Design, and exhibited at prestigious events, including the Seoul Light Gwanghwa Festival 2023 and Peru’s National Museum (MUNA). Through her creative practice, Giovanna aims to bridge the physical and digital worlds, celebrating cultural resilience and empowering communities with design that inspires, connects, and transforms.