Barclay & Crousse

Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse 

Barclay & Crousse is the architecture studio founded by Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse, based in Lima, Peru. Since the beginning of the 21st century, their work has become one of the most influential references in contemporary Latin American architecture, distinguished by a deep relationship between architecture, territory and culture.

After nearly a decade of professional practice in France, Barclay and Crousse returned to Peru in the late 1990s. This return marked the beginning of a trajectory focused on critically interpreting the Peruvian context, a territory characterized by extreme geographical contrasts — the Amazon rainforest, the Andean mountain range and the coastal desert — as well as by complex social and economic conditions.

Their architecture is defined by a rigorous attention to place. Projects emerge from strategies that respond directly to climate, topography and cultural conditions. This approach has resulted in buildings with a strong material and spatial presence, where concrete, structural walls and platforms are used to construct an architecture that is durable and deeply rooted in the landscape.

Among their best known works are the Equis House, an early reference for domestic architecture in the Peruvian desert; the Paracas Culture Site Museum, which reinterprets the relationship between architecture and archaeological landscape; and The Place of Memory in Lima, one of the most significant public buildings in contemporary Peru.

Throughout their career, Barclay & Crousse have developed an architecture that engages simultaneously with pre-Columbian traditions and with the legacy of modern European and Latin American architecture. This dialogue is reflected in a continuous search for material permanence, spatial clarity and an intense relationship with time and territory.

Their work has received wide international recognition, including the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, consolidating their position as one of the most relevant voices in contemporary architecture in Latin America.