M'Arch. Alejandro Biguria
EDUCATION
Masters in Architecture, May 2006, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
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Cert. Real Estate Design and Development, Wharton Business School, May 2006, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
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Certificate in Restoration and Conservation of Historical Landmarks, murals, and art, ESCUELA COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID
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Black and White Photography, Advanced Darkroom, NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHY
B.A. in Economics, Minor: Business Administration, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Italian Language Studies, SCUOLA TOSCANA
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Worked towards a B.A. in Architecture, 1995-1997, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
REVELANT PROJECTS
COMMERCIAL
PLANTIFUL, DUNKIN DONUTS, SULA MARKET, CHOBANI, PEPPER&CO., BRONCE D'OR, PASAJE CENTRAL, DISTRITO MERCADO, MERAKI, PANTERA, SAMBAZON, AND MANY MORE
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INSTITUTIONAL
GUATEMALA NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, IADB CENTRAL OFFICES GUATEMALA, GNC HEADQUARTERS, AQUAMAYA OFFICES, TEATRO INAMARIMBA INTERIORS. POPOLJAY, OAG, CASITA DE LOS 1,000 DIAS, CASA ZOOSTENIBLE, CENTRO CULTURAL SANTO DOMINGO, PARQUE CULTURA (FUNDACION PAIZ)
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RESIDENTIAL
CASA BXS, GASPARO HOUSE, TIFFANY CAÑADA, CASA MF, CASA N, CASA AMADOR, CASA GELMAN, LUGGIA HOME, AND MANY MORE.
EXPERIENCE
TORUS, S.A., October 2005 - PRESENT
FOUNDER, Company centered in providing unique creative products and services and products within the Central American region. Services range from consultancy, master plans, conceptualization, mixed-use architectural design and construction to furniture and object design.
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TORUS | VIU, January 2015 - PRESENT
FOUNDER - Company centered in providing services for inmersive experiences for real estate.
SYNTROPY, November 2018 - PRESENT
FOUNDER - Company centered in UrbanTech and environmental BIG DATA generation and analysis for the real estate development industry. Company is driven by impact, in collaboration but public institutions and civil society for environmental planning purposes.
Observatorio Astronómico Guatemala (OAG), Jan 2016 - PRESENT
Founding Partner of the First private-driven and public-serving observatory and STP of its kind in the Central American Region.
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ION-Viz, Jan 2009-2014
Director/Founder of a digital graphics company focused on delivering rendering and animation services for architectural firms in the United States and Central America.
ProyectoPerspectivas, January 2012 – Present
Member of the editorial board of architectural design magazine
GuateAmala, Jan 2009-2011
Directing multiple initiatives that involve the promotion of values in Guatemalan Society.
TALK20, September 2005-2012
Cofounder/Director
Curated events held at multiple cities involving a series of short presentations selected and narrated by a hybrid roster of students, educators, and professionals working across fields of art, architecture, and landscape.
MASSIVE CHANGE NETWORK, March 2011-June 2015
Working conjointly with Bruce Mau’s initiative in Chicago for the promotion and connection of individuals/organizations that are producing positive change in society worldwide.
ROJKIND ARQUITECTOS, May 2008-September 2008
Consultant - Designed and Developed a proposal for a high-end Residential Project in Ordos, China.
BALLINGER, July 2006-March 2008
Intern Design Architect, Philadelphia, PA
Worked on the construction documents of a new addition to a laboratory for The University of the South. Worked on programmatic analysis and schematic design for an addition for the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Worked on multiple master plans for Academic, Healthcare and Institutional projects.
TURETT COLLABORATIVE ARCHITECTS, May 2005 - August 2005
Summer Intern, New York City, NY
Conducted site survey and analysis for various projects, and developed the corresponding site plans, elevations, construction drawings and specs schedules. Assisted in the development of final presentation renderings for a Design Competition. Met with clients on a continuous basis for the development of floor plans and detailing.
BROWN BROTHERS, HARRIMAN AND COMPANY, Sept. 2000 - Nov. 2002
Private Wealth Management
Maintained 6 commingled asset mutual funds. Worked involved the careful maintenance of accounting, custodian and daily valuation records and processes for each individual mutual fund.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, Department of Robotics, 1996-1997
Model Developer, NASA Sponsored-Mars Rover Prototype Project. Selected to build site models, to be used in the development of routes for testing Rover.
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LECTURES, EXHIBITIONS, & AWARDS
AWARDS
Finalist, Ibero-American Design Biennial of Madrid, 2024
Selected to present: URBANtech for Inclusivity, Public Space Biennial, Rome, 2021
Winner, #WeEmerge Solutions Initiative: Sustainable Cities and Communities, The DoSchool, Berlin, Germany, October 2020
Finalist, One of the 500 best sustainable projects in Latin America, MABBIT / AQI Guatemala, Latin American Green Awards, 2020
Finalist, Smart City Expo LATAM, Puebla, Mexico, 2019
Finalist, Ibero-American Design Biennial of Madrid, 2018
Selected, Venice Biennale 2018, curated by C'ASI
First Prize, Architectural Design, SHAW Contract, 2018
First Prize, Public Space Biennial, Rome, 2017
CHANDLER TRAVELING FELLOWSHIP Scholarship Winner, May 2005
Winner of the E. Lewis Dales Traveling Fellowship, Japan, January 2005
Honorable Mention, “Slots and the City” Competition, Gaming Charrette, February 2005
Contest sponsored by the local government, The Daily News, and the University of Pennsylvania. The entry was published in the March 8 issue of The Daily News.
First Place, “Ideal Beam” Contest, April 2004
Annual Portfolio Competition, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania
CONFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS
Speaker, The Indefinite Form of the Future, Universidad DaVinci, Guatemala, June 29, 2023
Speaker, Professionals Fair, Boys Hope Girls Hope: Youth Hope, Guatemala, July 20, 2022
Book Prologue: Activating the Senses, Architect Miguel Álvarez, Guatemala, March 17, 2022
Forum: Space and Culture, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Faculty of Architecture, February 15, 2022
The Past Forward: We Are Many, exhibition curated by Lucía Ixchíu and Gabriel Rodríguez Pellecer, Centro Cultural de España in Guatemala, November 18, 2021
UrbanTech: Building Urban Resilience through Disruptive Technology, Public Space Biennale, Rome, Italy, May 15, 2021
Popol Jay Q'eqchi': The Physical, the Non-Physical, and the Metaphysical, 22nd Paiz Art Biennial: Perverse Geography / Cursed Geographies, May 8, 2021
Urban Resilience and New Mobility, webinar for Guatemala de la Asunción Rotary Club, November 13, 2020
The World Will Change, World Cities Day, TECHO, October 30, 2020
Ideation and Future Technologies, Department of Industrial Design, Universidad Rafael Landívar, October 23, 2020
Ideation and Acceleration Workshop, II Student Congress of Environmental Engineering COEIA2020, September 29 – October 1, 2020
Urban Resilience and New Mobility, webinar for East Rotary Club, September 11, 2020
Urban Resilience and New Mobility, webinar for Las Américas Rotary Club, September 10, 2020
Future Dimensions: Urban Resilience, webinar within the Vértice Festival, Universidad Rafael Landívar, September 8, 2020
Long-Term Urban Planning, webinar organized by Guatemala South Rotary Club, August 18, 2020
Transit-Oriented Development, webinar organized by República Inmobiliaria, August 18, 2020
Air Pollution in Cities like Guatemala, forum organized by Plantemos.org, August 15, 2020
Electric Mobility: Path to Improving Air Quality, webinar organized by AMEGUA, July 2, 2020
Sustainable Mobility: Collective Intelligence Workshop, webinar organized by Fundación Crecer, May 21, 2020
Urbantech: Rethinking the “Smart” City, webinar organized by AGI, April 30, 2020
Digital Explorations Applied to Architecture, USAC, February 2016
Entrepreneur?, 17th International Entrepreneurs Forum (FIE), December 2015
Lecture for young designers on qualities and attitudes necessary for successful entrepreneurship in creative fields.
DATA FOR CHANGE, Jorge Montes Chair, UNIS, September 2014
Lecture for architecture students on data gathering and interpretation for change.
PARENTHESIS, Architectural Installation, 9th Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American Isthmus, May 2014
Design and development of architectural installation focused on phenomenological spatial experience, with sound and visual stimuli to induce awareness and mindfulness.
An Awakening in Guatemala: House for the First 1,000 Days, TUFTS University, April 2014
Seminar and exhibition on initiatives for chronic malnutrition prevention in Guatemala, featuring an educational model house design for mothers in reproductive age.
NO+ Control+C Control+V, USAC, March 2014
Lecture for architecture students on innovation inspired by vulnerable sectors.
NETWORKS AND INTERCONNECTIONS, CUNOC, October 9, 2013
Workshop on digital urbanism techniques with a holistic approach and chaos theory applied to urban networks.
Urban Interdependencies, CHAMBA, October 2013
Lecture for young tech entrepreneurs on interdependent variables in urban planning and innovation.
ONE PLAN: Vocational Meeting, July 2013
DIGITAL EXPLORATIONS: Fundamentals of Parametric Design, May 3-5, 2013
Three-day seminar teaching essential tools for parametric design.
MAN OF THE YEAR, Saul E. Méndez, November 2012
Recognition as one of ten Men of the Year for awareness campaigns on chronic malnutrition.
CHARRETTE - REINVENTING THE OLYMPIC CITY, March 2011
Participation in design charrette to renovate and redesign the Olympic City in Guatemala City.
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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE CENTRAL ZONE, November 2010
Invited panelist in discussion about urban expansion policies and strategies in Guatemala.
Emergent Systems of Self-Organization, Jorge Montes Chair, September 2010
Seminar on urban complexity research and contemporary urban analysis techniques.
EMERGENT SYSTEMS OF URBAN ANALYSIS, February 2010
Keynote speaker on graphic strategies for urban analysis, collaborating with Urbanistica.
URBAN JUXTAPOSITIONS, March 2009
Seminar on urban complexity research in Bolivia and Guatemala.
EUROMOBILIA ARCHITECTURE SYMPOSIUM, March 2006
Special guest presenting work on new architectural technologies applied in cloud forests.
Work published in: El Financiero, Construir, and Estilos y Casas.
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TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Alejandro is a regular jury member at various local universities in Guatemala. In addition to serving as the Principal Curator of the Guatemala Biennial for three consecutive terms, he advises, serves as a critic, and serves as a consultant for numerous local institutions and universities.
UNIVERSITY OF THE VALLEY OF GUATEMALA, January 2025 - present
Instructor – Taught the first-year architectural design workshop focusing on the immersive capabilities of architecture and the application of phenomenological theory to spatial design.
University of the Isthmus, November 2009 - 2013
Instructor – He has taught several architectural design workshops and an intensive seminar on urban planning focused on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the social fabric, with in-depth research on the forces that drive and affect the modern city. He has been invited on multiple occasions as a design critic.
VERITAS UNIVERSITY, September 2009 - December 2009
She taught a joint architectural design workshop with the University of Pennsylvania focused on sustainable architecture in the forests of an ecological reserve in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PennDesign, August 2006 - December 2007
Visiting Professor – Taught first-year MFA students the first two of a three-part series, focusing on drawing and its role in the design process. He served as a design critic in several MFA studios (Plah Catala, McCleary, and Veikos). He also served as a design consultant for studios.
FRANCISCO MARROQUIN UNIVERSITY, November 2008 - December 2008
Visiting Professor – Taught an intensive seminar on complexity and emergence. The course focused on developing advanced strategies and methods based on organic systems and parametric algorithms to uncover layers of relevant information in urban environments. He has been invited on multiple occasions as a design critic.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA, August 2008 - October 2008
He gave an intensive seminar on complexity and emergence to architecture students, focusing on developing advanced strategies and methods based on organic systems and parametric algorithms to reveal layers of relevant information in urban environments.
ACADEMIC, TECHNOLOGICAL & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INNITIATIVES
Alejandro participates, leads, and/or co-creates with other in the following:
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Green Health Initiative, 2022 - 2025
Advisor / Collaborator
Contributed to an international initiative redefining Universal Health Coverage by integrating ancestral and natural medicine into regenerative and preventive health systems. Supported efforts to strengthen value chains in herbal medicine, promote green jobs and circular economies, and advance participatory research that bridges Mesoamerican Indigenous knowledge with global innovation in holistic health and education.
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UrbanHack®, 2018 - PRESENT
Is a co-creative, citizen-led problem solving platform that taps into what your city needs when institutions fail to provide it. We take matters into our own hands by combining crowdsourced knowledge and skills with low-cost, replicable, participatory strategies.
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#LaNuevaMovilidad, May 2020- PRESENT
Is a leading actor in the development of an inniative to promote sustainable mobility during COVID-19 times.
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BIENAL DE ARQUITECTURA DE GUATEMALA (BAG), 2016-2020
Served as the lead curator for 3 consecutive terms, developing the conceptual framework for each bienal, served as advisor for the Danta Prizes and have served as Liason and pointman for keynote speakers.
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BARRANQUEANDO, Sept. 2017- PRESENT
Directed with two colleges a campaign to re-envision the future of ravines in Guatemala City.
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Mesa de Barranqueros, 2018- PRESENT