As part of our ongoing effort to highlight the important academic work being done in universities, we launched an open call last January inviting Mexican architects to share their thesis projects. We sought academic research and theses addressing key issues in the Mexican context—projects that often remain on paper but deserve international recognition. This call in Mexico joins the recognition already granted to architects in Colombia and Argentina.
Following an exhaustive evaluation, nine thesis projects were selected as winners by our editorial jury (Fabián Dejtiar, Mónica Arellano, José Tomás Franco and Nicolás Valencia). With 56 submissions from 20 cities and 26 architecture schools in Mexico, our editorial team conducted an extensive and detailed evaluation to select a list of the nine best projects designed by Mexican students. These works stood out for their formal solutions, the clarity of their architectural discourse, and their understanding of context and users.
Featuring themes such as the architectural regeneration of abandoned infrastructure to provide new services, urban interventions on the outskirts of Mexico City, flexible rural housing, and how to rethink the public spaces that borders can offer, we present the nine most outstanding thesis projects.
La Casa Surrealista
Andrea Pineda Martínez
La Salle University (Mexico City)
José Muñoz Villers
2018
"Located in Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, the project arises from research on surrealism and its influence on architecture, starting from the premise: Is architecture an imposed box that confines creativity, imposing a way of life and a specific understanding of place and individual?
Regarding design intent, the project consists of three platforms, each with a specific program, connected by different circulation systems, with the top platform functioning as a viewpoint. The lightweight materiality and structure foster a dialogue between the external landscape and the interior spaces. Eliminating divisive tectonics within the building was also key to avoiding the imposition of a fixed internal form. Consequently, the building becomes an active participant in a shifting landscape."
K´aanbal
Ariadna Polo Garfias, Daniel Balderas Barrera
ITESM (Querétaro)
Dr. Rubén Garnica Monroy, Arch. Agustín Solórzano Gil
2018
"Located in Mérida, Yucatán, this educational park reinterprets public primary education and its spatial configuration, analyzing the existing obstacles that hinder learning.
The project's name is K´aanbal, which means 'to learn' in Mayan. K’aanbal stems from the idea that the project should not be defined by a noun that dictates standardized behavior. It draws from Mayan educational practices, where learning did not require a fixed physical space but could occur in various locations and environments.
The educational park is located on a site in Ciudad Caucel, an area characterized by a notable lack of quality public space and rapid population growth. The project includes a public primary school, library, workshops, amphitheater, and other community spaces. The diversity of activities fosters a sense of belonging among all users, restoring both the social fabric and the public realm."
Regional Center for Higher Studies
José Estrada, Juan José Sánchez-Aedo, Paolo Sarra, Gustavo Silva
Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City)
Advisors: Diego Ricalde, Emmanuel Ramirez
2018
"Following the earthquakes of September 2017, the affected areas were analyzed to generate a resilient and replicable master plan. The chosen site was northern Morelos, a region sharing characteristics with the outskirts of Mexico City. This allowed us to propose a general plan that gave rise to the 'Regional Center for Higher Studies' (CREMS).
CREMS addresses the lack of educational services in the region, which often drives outward migration in search of schooling or employment. The project is proposed in Atlatlahucan, which serves as a regional educational hub. The Center is developed on earthquake-damaged plots that now exist as urban voids. This new urban campus seeks to leverage the potential of these sites and improve the existing environment with context-sensitive typologies, respecting local building heights and materials, thereby creating a network of services and public spaces. The project is designed around a module that connects two green corridors surrounding the town, integrating vegetation into a rigid urban grid."
Active Water Fronts
Said Mena, Bárbara Thierry, Karen Frieventh, María Fernanda Hinojosa
Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City)
Advisors: Diego Ricalde, Emmanuel Ramírez
2018
"Active Water Fronts emerged in response to the emergency caused by the September 2017 earthquakes. It proposes a replicable and adaptable model for the environmental, economic, and social regeneration of northern Morelos. The project introduces a building that complements local agricultural production while supporting communities during emergencies. Yecapixtla was selected as the site for logistical reasons.
The operating model economically benefits local *cecina* (cured beef) producers, livestock farmers, and agricultural workers. Through a cooperative, agricultural products are processed into high-quality livestock feed. Consequently, the signature local product, *cecina*, gains export potential."
Articulating Architectural Facilities as an Interface for Social Cohesion
Eduardo Ramsés Castillo Morales, César Iván Hernández Caraza
Universidad Veracruzana (Veracruz)
Advisors: Rhett Alexandr Cano Jácome
2017
"With the goal of promoting the active integration of residents in an underserved, emerging community, this project proposes a central hub for the facilities necessary for social development and recreation. The lack of planning prior to the area's spontaneous occupation resulted in a degraded organizational structure that fails on a community level. While residents share the same territory, they lack a unified goal, remaining physically close but distant from both individual and collective progress.
The resulting architectural intervention, conceptualized around transition, addresses immediate social and urban needs, creating spatial layouts that enable a correlated use of indoor and outdoor spaces. This is materialized through an educational space on one side (two multi-grade classrooms for preschool and elementary levels) and a spiritual space on the other (a flexible hall for religious and diverse gatherings). Though ideologically opposite, they coexist harmoniously through a shared threshold—an outdoor recreational core that links them. This serves as a symbol of the community's ultimate goals: social integration and the pursuit of a collective imagination."
Villahermosa Cemetery and Crematorium
Miguel Angel Mendez Zapata
Universidad Iberoamericana (Puebla)
Advisors: Jose Luis Sanuy Lostes, Emma Regina Morales de Alba, Lorena Cabrera Montiel
2018
"Located in Villahermosa and designed as a new cemetery and funeral service facility in response to the growing saturation of existing services, this project addresses the concept of transcendence. It explores how architecture can foster a sensitive, human narrative surrounding mortality. The design seeks to integrate the inherent dichotomies of a cemetery—such as life and death, or transcendence and immanence—while leveraging the metaphorical function of architecture to bridge these differing worldviews.
The project prioritizes morning solar gain and wind alignment in gathering areas to ensure natural ventilation and maximize views. The program is divided into two levels: operational mortuary circulation is kept separate from the public spaces on the ground floor. Meanwhile, the roof leverages the structural layout of the floors below, transforming into a timeless space of crypts and flowers for contemplating the sky."
El Roble: Assisted Self-Production in a Self-Managed Settlement in Xalapa, Veracruz
Sandra Irene Prieto González, Carlos Misael Colorado López
Universidad Veracruzana (Veracruz)
Advisors: Dra. Laura Mendoza Kaplan, Ma. Sonia Estrada Salazar, Dra. Harmida Rubio Gutierrez
2018
"By providing self-building families with appropriate technical assistance, this project aims to eliminate the vulnerabilities of self-construction while preserving its strengths. This method of building is highly adaptable to the unique circumstances of low-income populations. The initiative promotes access to participatory design and the construction of dignified, habitable, and safe housing that can adapt to unstable soil and immediate living needs.
The Community House is conceived as a versatile space that provides shelter and fosters social development by encouraging collective production. It addresses urban needs, potential, and deficits, generating a positive impact through its flexible spaces. Through assisted self-production, the strengths of self-construction are preserved, fostering a positive identity in informal neighborhoods, regenerating the urban social fabric, and restoring quality to affordable housing in Mexico."
Neighborhood Center Regeneration: Santo Domingo, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Eliezer Alejandro Torres Sánchez
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Advisors: Mtro. Luis Alberto Paz Gálvez, Mtra. María de Lourdes Ocampo García
2018
"The Santo Domingo Neighborhood Regeneration is a public space project aimed at reactivating the recreational and leisure activities that once defined the area. As one of the city's first neighborhoods, it still retains residential use and families with deep roots and collective memory. However, located in the city center, it currently faces land-use challenges as it is increasingly absorbed by commercial activity, leaving the streets abandoned at night once businesses close.
The design focuses on two diagonally opposite parks: one originally served as the church atrium, and the other is a vacant site previously used in a failed attempt to relocate informal street vendors from the city center. The proposal introduces spaces designed to encourage nighttime activity, alongside complete street designs that prioritize pedestrians and act as extensions of the home."
Experimental Museum
José Roberto Flores Buzo
ITESM Campus Monterrey
Advisors: Arq. Agustín Landa, Arq. Roberto Romero
2018
"The museum emerges from an uneven void in the heart of one of the city blocks facing Monterrey's Macroplaza.
Two plazas of different character foster a dialogue between city residents and the museum, transforming the boundary between public and private into a fluid sequence of transitions that converge in the same space: a void transformed into a garden. The museum’s anteroom is a vegetative enclosure within this void. From this garden, visitors can navigate a series of exhibition pavilions. The main building consists of two solid, heavy masses connected by a portico with bridges, where movement is defined by a play of light and shadow, offering shifting views of the garden. Through its layered planes and varied depths, the museum ensures that the spatial experience is constantly changing. "
This article was written by ArchDaily Team. The translation is powered by AI.
