Connecting cities, shaping futures

AC: Over the past decade, Mazatlán has experienced rapid real estate development, largely due to improved connectivity with other cities. Around 2012, a significant bridge was opened, connecting Durango with Mazatlán and linking the city to the broader road network extending to Texas. This new route has drawn substantial investment to Mazatlán, leading to considerable urban expansion. Many people from other cities have moved to Mazatlán, attracted by its growth and increased public infrastructure investment. The bridge has made access to the city much easier, which previously could only be reached by plane. The improved road network has brought a significant influx of visitors and investors to the city. Our office has been part of this transformation, established during this period of growth, allowing us to witness and contribute to the city's development.

Mazatlán is located on the Pacific Ocean and has a long history. It was founded many years ago. Over time, it attracted many European settlers, particularly from France. However, the city experienced limited development for many years. It is only in recent times that Mazatlán has seen significant growth. As an architectural office, we have observed the impact of this development on the city. About 15 years ago, there were very few architectural practices in Mazatlán, but now, many architects from other cities have come here to establish their work, contributing to the city's growth in the field of architecture.

Balancing an upward sprawl

AC: About a year ago, the Malecón, which is along the Pacific Ocean, was very different. Around 20, perhaps even ten years ago, the area was mostly lined with houses, and the surrounding land was undeveloped. Now, if you visit the area or look at recent pictures, you will notice that the houses and open land have disappeared, replaced by numerous vertical developments. This shift represents a significant change in the city, and as architects we have recognised the opportunities this brings. The areas where higher buildings can be constructed are expanding. Even in other parts of the city, where single-family houses once stood, we now see three-storey buildings, though not as tall as those along the Malecón. However, this rapid growth has also brought challenges, particularly with infrastructure. The water and electricity services were not designed to support this level of development. Where a house once accommodated four people, now a building may house 200. The infrastructure was not prepared for such a significant increase in demand. This has been a negative consequence of the city's growth, and the government, along with the rest of the city, was not fully prepared for what was coming.

FC: Before the rise in national tourism due to the highway and other developments, the first real estate boom in Mazatlán was driven by visitors from the United States and Canada. However, due to security concerns and other issues in Sinaloa and Mazatlán, there was a decline in tourism. As Sofia mentioned, not many rooms were available for all the visitors who came here, leading to a pause in growth. In response, the city began building many apartments. This shift has become a significant focus of our practice, with around 90% of our work now involving the transformation of houses into buildings and adapting services to meet the increased housing density. Our practice is primarily focused on developing various types of apartment projects. These projects are often vertical, though not always, but they are designed to meet the city's growing demand. The city is expanding outward instead of changing regulations for vertical projects, and that is what we are currently working on in our office.

Mastering architecture’s business

FC: At the beginning of our practice, we sought projects that would allow us to demonstrate our experience and skills. One of our first significant opportunities came from a competition we were fortunate to win. This project allowed us to showcase our capabilities, even though our office was still quite young. Despite our firm's small size and early stage, we could draw on my previous experience in other offices to bring valuable expertise to the project. This competition marked one of our first important milestones. It was a private competition, a housing project of four stories and about 24 apartments. That was the first project that truly opened doors for us and helped people get to know us.

I studied in Mexico City and later went to Monterrey to further my education because there is a very good school of architecture there, where Agustín Landa taught. The school had a partnership with CEMEX, and there was a competition at the Tecnológico de Monterrey that allowed students to practise in other cities and countries. I participated in that competition and had the opportunity to work with Javier Sánchez. This led me to move back to Mexico City, where I worked for two years. While working and studying, I also had the chance to move to Lima, Peru. That experience was invaluable. The firm where I worked, was quite large, with around 80 architects at the time. However, when we moved to Lima, it was just two of us. This experience of handling everything on our own, compared to being part of a larger, more specialised team, really broadened my understanding and skills. After returning to Mazatlan, my experience with Javier Sanchez became even more relevant, particularly in the area of real estate. This varied experience helped me to see things from different perspectives and better understand the complexities of the field. I learned how to manage projects by not only focusing on architecture but also by understanding how to work with clients considering financial aspects, investments, and other related factors. This is an important part of our work. We are better equipped to speak the language of investors and handle projects in a way that is sometimes lacking in traditional architecture training. Architecture education often doesn’t teach how to deal with clients or understand the financial side of projects. This is a significant gap in the field. It can be challenging to realise architectural projects without understanding the economic factors and how things develop. This knowledge allows us to connect better with clients, to speak the same language when discussing investments, and to demonstrate that architecture and finance can work together. The architect plays a crucial role in this process, and it’s essential to show how these elements make sense together.

Lessons in the making

AC: I was very young when I started working here with Francisco, having just graduated from school. My only experience came from doing my practicum in an office here in Mazatlán. I graduated in December, and by January, I began working here. So, I was quite young when we started. The interesting part is that I’ve been involved in the entire process. I’ve had the opportunity to see how the firm has grown, witnessing the mistakes and challenges along the way, which I believe are part of the learning process. In the beginning, we were still learning, especially me, and we made quite a few mistakes. Now, after almost 10 years, I think we all have a much clearer understanding of the direction we should take.

FC: Of course, when we look back, we sometimes think differently about how we approached things, but we have always been very focused on the construction process. Here in Mazatlán, unlike in other parts of the country or the world, many projects, particularly on a certain scale, are managed as a single process. You design, build, and hand over the key to the client. In the beginning, we worked on many housing projects. However, when it came to individual houses, we didn't take on as many because we didn't handle the construction ourselves. Many clients would approach us wanting to build their homes, but we would explain that we only did the design and they would need to find another contractor for the construction. This was a critical point for our office, as we realised we needed to gain experience in building as well. 

Construction is a rich part of the architectural process, from supervising to ensuring everything is done correctly. However, when you start managing the entire process, working with labourers, handling payments, dealing with social security, and all the other aspects, it becomes very challenging. We took on this responsibility because we wanted to complete certain projects, such as houses and small buildings. 

Constructing with care

FC: Looking back, we realise that we were not fully aware of the waste involved in these processes. It's something we now consider more carefully in our work. We are now very focused on how we manage the modulation of materials, such as bricks and other elements that come in various sizes. Our goal is to minimise waste as much as possible. During construction, we often end up with boxes and boxes of waste and ask ourselves why we need to discard so much material. This happens when we don't consider the dimensions and proportions of the materials we're using. We need to understand how they are built and how they fit together. This realisation has given us a greater sensitivity to the construction process. We are now clear on the importance of doing more with less by fully understanding how things are constructed. This is the second part of architecture: bringing to life what we design and draw. It's about creating efficiently and thoughtfully, ensuring that our designs translate into reality with minimal waste.

More than an evolution, this approach is about optimising the process to reduce the impact of building, particularly by rethinking how we manage materials and waste. It struck me deeply why we generate so much waste during construction. We often consider ourselves to be practising ecological and sustainable architecture, but the construction process itself doesn't always align with those ideals. This realisation has driven us to understand better and improve our work, aiming to do more with less and ensure that our practices truly reflect our principles.

Precision planning

FC: When we design a house, we often start with metric sizes. Initially, we didn't fully grasp that we could avoid unnecessary waste by understanding the proportions of materials, such as bricks. For instance, instead of breaking bricks to fit a certain measurement, we should consider making small adjustments to our plans, like changing a height from 3 metres to 2.95 metres. 

These small differences in project planning, in the sections, dimensions, and everything else, might seem minor, but they can have a significant impact on the budget and material waste. This is where our focus lies now, as part of our growth as architects. We are also more aware of how facades respond to their environment. Being on the Pacific coast, we have beautiful sunsets and abundant sunlight, but this also brings challenges with insulation and heat.

We are now designing with greater awareness, considering the orientation of buildings to make the most of natural light while managing heat. This understanding extends to every part of the process, ensuring that our use of materials, air conditioning, and other systems is more efficient and makes better sense.

Mastering the process

AC: A project we worked on, Departamentos Sardina, was a turning point for us. It was one of the first projects the office fully built, and it made us truly aware of the waste and time involved in the construction process. This experience opened our eyes to aspects that many people overlook, highlighting the importance of mindful construction practices.

This project is a three-storey building with 14 apartments and two additional apartments  on the rooftop, which also includes a swimming pool. We've made it a priority in all our designs to give rooftops a functional purpose, not just as spaces for air conditioning units but as areas for residents to enjoy. During this project, we became fully aware of the waste and time involved in the construction process. This realisation came partly due to poor organisation and the lack of foresight in our design. For example, we didn't initially consider the need to modulate wall dimensions according to the size of the bricks we were using. This project taught us valuable lessons about planning and efficiency in construction.

FC: The experience of managing every aspect of a project, from design to construction, administration, and even investment, has taught us valuable lessons. It's clear that one person or office cannot handle all these roles in the same way. Each part of the process requires a different approach and set of skills. Through this, we learned how to manage people, negotiate prices, and navigate the complexities of construction. This project was both a positive and challenging experience, teaching us what to do, what to avoid, and when to make critical decisions. It reinforced our philosophy that architecture should serve others, but it also highlighted the importance of being self-reliant in building and designing. We are now working on our second project where we have full control over decisions, from making bids to designing and constructing. This experience has been a transparent and collaborative effort, providing clarity and reinforcing the importance of clear communication. The most important lesson from this project was understanding the construction process, not just its idea but how to coordinate and develop it effectively amongst the various engineers, architects, carpenters, and all necessary personnel required for coordination.

From atelier to academia

AC: This office here functions as the atelier, with six architects and two interns from another city working here. Each architect is assigned a project and acts as the project leader, responsible for developing the project and coordinating with engineers specialising in structure, plumbing, and electrical plans. Meanwhile, other personnel involved in construction are based at a different location.

AC: Last year, I completed my master's degree in housing, which I pursued in Mexico City. Currently, I am working on my thesis, focusing on the evolution of the architecture programme over the years across different case studies. I completed my coursework in June 2024 and am now engaged in this research as part of my thesis work.

FC: A few years ago, we taught at the University of Durango, where Sofia studied architecture, and now we are both professors at a state university called UAS. We primarily taught the design process to students in their later semesters and organised construction site visits. These visits were open to our friends, including those you will interview tomorrow. We arranged tours on Saturdays, where we visited various construction sites, learning about design and construction. During these tours, stories and experiences were shared, providing valuable insights. We also post about these tours on our Instagram stories, allowing students to participate, making it a rich learning process.