Welcome to Future Talks by RTF, where we engage in conversations with design pioneers who bring captivating stories to life. In today’s session, we have the privilege of exploring the remarkable journey of Gustavo Carmona. Born in 1975 in Mexico City, Gustavo holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Universidad Anáhuac and a Master’s Degree from Arizona State University. His extensive educational background includes design studios at UC Berkeley and Design Thinking at Harvard University.
With over 20 years of professional experience, Gustavo’s work transcends borders, spanning diverse scales and typologies. From Residential and Mixed-Use to Cultural Spaces, High-End Retail, and beyond, his portfolio showcases a profound commitment to the sensory experience and meticulous craftsmanship. Gustavo’s design philosophy, coined as “Atmosphere, detailed,” is deeply rooted in collaborative design culture, driven by empathy, innovation, and design.
Join us as we get ready for an insight dialogue with Gustavo Carmona and his unique perspective by exploring his journey across various projects in Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Portugal, Chile, Panama, Colombia, Barbados, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico.
RTF: Tell us about MATERIA and what is your current focus on.
Gustavo : MATERIA is an architecture studio based in Mexico City. Our focus relies heavily on the exploration and understanding of the relationship of assemblies, materiality, and sensory experience. We believe we specialize in atmosphere, regardless of the scale, location, or typology of the project.
RTF: Do you consider design philosophy to be time related? How does MATERIA reflect your design philosophy?
Gustavo : I believe a design philosophy isn’t something static or restraining, unless tied to a stylistic aim. Design philosophy is set to mature and grow, integrating learning, awareness, and experience into our process. The work in MATERIA is always trying to go deeper into the questions that captivate their interest. The results manifest always differently and create intriguing ties between different projects.
RTF: What is your favorite project to date and what makes it so?
Gustavo : The QMM Cultural Center in Merida, Yucatan. The project is a contemporary intervention on the grounds of an existing 19th century house in the city´s historical district. It follows a pavilion we did there in 2015. Both projects together span an 8-year period. I can look back now and see how our thought process matured and evolved towards setting up program, creating tectonic language and responding to site sensibilities. In many ways, it is a great example of our philosophy, traveling in time.
RTF: How close would addressing the waste in construction and renovations take us towards sustainability? What are your ideas for it?
Gustavo : Waste management in construction is a relevant topic. Architects, builders, and developers need to gain more consciousness about the fact that unused or leftover materials end up going somewhere else, most likely as garbage. This must inform our decisions when choosing building strategies. But perhaps it is more interesting to think of existing buildings as waste pieces themselves. Most architects are educated to dream of projects from scratch. Yet our world presents the possibilities for the reuse of existing buildings. We are currently working on various projects that have to do with providing longer and restored life to existing structures. A bank, an office tower, a downtown plaza. All of them in very diverse locations and scales, they propose a new interpretation or use of programs and deal intimately with sustainable strategies for a longer life span.
RTF: How important is it for the designers to shrug off the rigidity in their approach towards design to be on the ever-evolving design bandwagon?
Gustavo : I believe an architect´s approach becomes rigid when it is tied to an expectation funded in stylistic expression; the looks of things to relate the work to the author. This is a dead end to me. Pallasmaa defines architecture as a “bodily experience”. Thus, the focus must be on how we engage and experience space, and if so, such focus will remain flexible and evolving, producing rightful solutions.
RTF: What are your views on working collaboratively with engineers, contractors, and consultants? How exciting and challenging is it at the same time?
Gustavo : I find it very exciting to share the development of projects with many people that put their talent to work towards achieving the vision of the project. All the involved consultants and builders are key to testing, furthering, and strengthening our ideas. Part of the craft of being an architect today is to be a strategist, and that entails the guiding of collaborative efforts of many into fruition.
RTF: How do you keep yourself motivated? What would you suggest to the budding architects who await success in the field? What should be the mindset?
Gustavo : Awaiting success is misguiding. It is measured by a system that tends to praise limited sights and agendas of the architectural work. Architecture is first and foremost a service to society, an opportunity to enhance dignity in the spaces people use for their daily lives. If we serve our purpose of being useful while nurturing our sensibility and broadening the values of everyday practice, we may well achieve good architectural work to be appropriated by people. I believe then, architecture manifests. After that, other things may come, success, recognition, etc.
RTF: How do you approach the interplay of pragmatism and subjectivity in your designs?
Gustavo : Pragmatism comes from rational analysis. We identify the pragmatic portion of our approach to the tectonic assemblies, the how of things together. Rather than subjectivity, I think the counterweight to pragmatism is the sensory experience. It is not a precise science, but it can get fine-tuned into design through deep observation; the effect of things exposed to phenomena. Those two things complement each other.
RTF: What is the process of establishing a common ground when dealing with a client’s demands and your ideas? How important do you consider ‘The Art of Persuasion’ for architects?
Gustavo : Persuasion is undoubtedly an ability that architects must possess. We are expected to have a profound reading of a standing problem and put together integrated solutions that must cover a very complex combination of things. That sometimes is not seen or understood easily by clients. On the other hand, we must always be weary of not trying to persuade to serve our ego, the vision needs to be far more important.
RTF: What are your ideas about rethinking the future in the realm of Architectural design?
Gustavo : We are immersed in a light-speed changing world. I do not believe we can fathom the level of changes and consequences of AI technology ahead of us. I am occupied in understanding how the raw, natural and unperfect creative mind can become of much more value than the work produced by synthetic intelligence. I like to think of it as natural intelligence. What is, in our creative human process, that will always make a genuine idea more powerful.
