Our New York Studio hosted Design Equity Week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Led by Mariana Giraldo and Dylan Howe, the series featured guest speakers from Perkins&Will and colleagues from Cita Press and Taller Architects.
Juliana Castro is a Fulbright-for-the-arts alumna and the founder and Design Director of Cita Press, an award-winning open-access feminist publisher funded by the Mellon Foundation and sponsored by Educopia. She’s also the Senior Designer at Access Now, a global digital rights non-profit organization devoted to defending human rights in the digital age. In this informative session, she shared her inspiring work and discussed the role of whimsy and play, inclusion and ethics at the intersection of design and digital media.
Growing up, Antonio Perez’s father worked in construction and his mother with an airline—a combination that fueled Antonio’s interest in design and travel from a young age. Born and raised in Mexico, Antonio moved to Texas to complete high school, then traveled to Italy to further his education in architecture. While exploring the world, he realized the importance of making the community a better place by balancing architectural design with the needs and wants of different demographics.
Antonio collaborated as Vice-Chair of AIA’s Latinos in Architecture and recently led our Dallas studio’s Diversity Committee. He also worked with the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association and supported the Monterrey chapter of the non-profit Architecture for Humanity. Antonio enjoys giving back to the community and mentoring younger architects, in addition to leading our emerging Monterey, Mexico studio as an Associate Principal and Operations Director.
In this session, Antonio shared his experiences and what inspires him today in his role at our firm.
TALLER Architects is a Colombian-based firm that specializes in architecture and territory. Established in 2009, the practice has a highly academic approach and feels investigation is a crucial component of the design process that leads to integral solutions.
Highlights of their work include the Guangming Forest and Sports Park in China, and Bogota’s Eastern Mountain Trails. In this session, we looked at design from a different scale and cultural perspective.
Color, light, beautiful landscapes, a special connection to the earth, and a strong sense of community are some of the words our panelists use to celebrate the Latin influence in their approach to design.
We were thrilled to hear from our esteemed colleagues to learn more about what inspires them, the challenges they face, and lessons learned from their varied experiences.
Growing up in a low-income family in South Los Angeles, Miguel Rivera always knew he was interested in, and inspired by, the intersection of art and design and the positive impacts that could have on our communities. Over the course of his career, his passion and understanding for bringing high-quality and innovative design solutions to communities with limited resources grew.
He has worked with organizations like Watts House Project, Clifford Beers Housing, The Weingart Center, The Michaels Organization, and TreePeople. These projects range from large-scale urban planning efforts to affordable, permanent supportive and interim housing developments, and small residential landscapes for low-income families throughout Los Angeles.
Miguel channels his passion and ability to connect with a client into our marketing efforts and most recently helped to develop DOME, a modular furniture system specifically designed for interim housing facilities. DOME addresses the needs of the individual and the operator while providing dignity in a secure and private space.
