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.

She is the creative director of Diffusion Architecture, a digital platform integrating AI, art, and architecture. She is a collaborator of the global initiative DigitalFUTURES and the founder of its Spanish-language branch, where she promotes architectural knowledge through workshops, conferences, and curated content. She also oversees the platform’s visual identity and publications on Instagram and YouTube. Previously, she co-founded and led the Online Architecture Laboratory (OLA), focusing on computational design, the metaverse, and virtual environments. Years ago, between 2014 and 2018, she collaborated with Urko Itinerante, an interdisciplinary architecture collective, contributing to the design of zonal park projects and stage designs for neighborhood festivals that promoted local culture in Lima, Peru.

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

Her most recent project exhibitions include Zero Carbon Futures, featured in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia — “Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective.” curated by Carlo Ratti — and Subaquatic Hotel, presented in the exhibition Digital Subculture at the Busan Museum of Art in South Korea.

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.