Sustainability
Universal Design
Parametric Design


SUMs is a team of architects based in Roma and Bologna (Italy), who decided to put together their competencies and skills acquired in years of practice in the fields of Universal Design and Parametric and Sustainable Planning towards a quality-oriented architecture, shaped both on people's real needs and functional capacities and on microclimatic data and environmental performance targets.


SUMs stands for Sustainability, Universal Design and Mathematics set. The summation symbol appears in our logo as we believe in Mathematics as a means to manage data complexity, and because we believe in the use of participatory methodologies, in multidisciplinary and team work and in the importance of sharing ideas and professional experiences in order to achieve both social and environmental challenges.


Giulia Pentella Giulia Pentella

Architect LEED AP BD+C - works on sustainable planning and bioclimatic architecture. She worked at Reinberg ZT GmbH and Fontana Atelier and from 2009 to 2015 she was an advisor for sustainability within the Research and Development team at MCA Mario Cucinella Architects. She was the executive director of the BGF Building Green Futures association (from 2013 to 2015) for which she edited the Guidelines Sustainable Solutions for Expo Milano 2015 and was the Lead Architect of the Green School project in Gaza, for which she also managed the capacity building activities. In 2015, she was the Program Chair of the 31st edition of the international conference on Passive Low Energy Architecture (PLEA). She participates as a lecturer to numerous conferences on the subject of sustainable planning, to juries and post-graduate courses in Italy and abroad. She has published several articles with the Franco Angeli as a member of the InCreaSe research group. Since 2017 is LEED AP BD+C.


Fabrizio Bonatti Fabrizio Bonatti

Architect, BIM Manager, CDE Manager - works on BIM, parametric modeling and computational design; he is one of the founding members of the Formulas Interdisciplinary Laboratory with which he manages to combine his interests in mathematics and architecture participating to numerous editions of the Festival della Scienza in Genova and to numerous teaching and training experiences. He has been Lead Architect, computational designer and information systems manager at Insula Architettura e Ingegneria (from 2006 to 2009) and at King Roselli Architetti (from 2009 to 2011); he has been the Head of BIM, Digital Manager, BIM Manager and CDE Manager at MCA Mario Cucinella Architects for which he also performed the role of Project Leader, Computational Designer and R&D Manager for digital design technologies for architecture (parametric modeling, BIM, 3D printing, process and activity automation, generative algorithms, and form-finding) from 2011 to 2023. He has been lecturer at numerous conferences on the topic.


Fabrizio Mezzalana Fabrizio Mezzalana

Architect - works on inclusive and universal planning applied to private and public spaces, buildings, products and services. Since 1998 he is the architect responsible at "Centro per l'Autonomia", for the adaptation design strategies of living, working and study spaces of people with disabilities, finalised to enhance their autonomy. Author of different guidelines and regulations for inclusive planning on behalf of associations for people with disabilities and in collaboration with: FISH; INRES-COOP; ARPA Lazio, Parco Appia Antica; Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco; UNI Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione. Architect and construction works supervisor for house adaptation projects, home automation (domotics) system design for people with severe disabilities, rehabilitation and healthcare facilities, care homes for elderly people, inclusive and accessible urban playgrounds.


We have worked with:
Mario Cucinella Architects, King Roselli Architetti, Building Green Futures, FISH onlus, Insula architettura e ingegneria, RicciSpaini Architetti, EXPO Milano 2015, Francesco Cellini, Laboratorio Formulas, Architekturbüro Reinberg, Gruppo UNIFER, Enelcuore, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Arcò Architettura & Cooperazione.
They have worked with us:
Antonello Di Nunzio, Tonia Dalle, Fabrizio Iggiotti, Mauro Lajo, Pietro Marziali, Alberto Menozzi, Antonio Nardozzi, Paola Papinutto, Enrico Pintabona, Irene Sapienza, Antonio Simonato, Davide Tocchetto.