Architects, engineers and designers shape the world we live in. Their vision and ingenuity can break down barriers, resolve complex problems and tell important stories. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, get to know these 20 Hispanic design professionals whose talent is making a major impact.
Did you know? Hispanic countries include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Felipe Escudero
Quito, Ecuador | Architect
Escudero is reinventing the architecture of Ecuador with a sensibility for modern design and landscape inside the spaces. His firm focuses on design, business tactics and experiential innovation.
Hector Esrawe
Mexico City, Mexico | Industrial Designer
Hector Esrawe, a Mexican industrial designer, is a true celebration of creativity, exploration and material expression.
Mariano Alonso & Ludmila Crippa
Buenos Aires, Argentina | Architects
Mariano Alonso and Ludmila Crippa, founders of design studio Alonso&Crippa, are Argentinian architects with a great sensibility for the space and surroundings.
Vanessa Galvez
El Salvador; Queens, New York | Engineer
Vanessa Galvez is a Salvadorian civil engineer who oversaw the institution of 164 bioswales in Queens, New York. These bioswales helped to remove pollutants from the storm water.
Alejandro Aravena
Santiago, Chile | Architect
Aravena’s approach to affordable housing shows ingenious creativity while showing care and humanity for his subject. “With the right design, sustainability is nothing but the rigorous use of common sense.”
Giancarlo Mazzanti
Bogotá, Colombia | Architect
Mazzanti is founder of El Equipo Mazzanti, a Colombian design studio specializing in socially driven architectonic design and academic research. His work highlights the importance of modules and how they can enhance the future growth on buildings, while always considering that buildings change.
Jason García Noonan
Madrid, Spain; Bogotá, Colombia | Architect
Jason Garcia Noonan worked at the Madrid Barajas Airport T4, where his obsession for detail and technical capacity flourished while working on complex projects.
Frida Escobedo
Mexico City, Mexico | Architect
Frida Escobedo, a contemporary Mexican architect, recently got selected to design the new wing for the Met Museum in NYC. This is a big jump in scale and budget to her otherwise small but very meaningful interventions.
César Pelli
San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina; New Haven, Connecticut | Architect
The visionary architect César Pelli is known for designing some of the world’s tallest buildings, including the impressive Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Luciano Kruk
Buenos Aires, Argentina | Architect
An Argentinian architect, Luciano Kruk is admirable for very modern, crisp and cleaned-line aesthetic.
Willy Chavarria
Mexico; Fresno, California | Fashion Designer
Willy Chavarria recently won the National Design Award for Fashion Design. He favors volume and extra-large silhouettes as a way to “reclaim [the] space that has been taken” from people of color.
Narciso Rodriguez
Cuba; Newark, New Jersey | Fashion Designer
Narcisco Rodriquez is best known for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding dress and several of Michelle Obama’s iconic dresses when she was First Lady.
Felix Candela
Spain; Durham, North Carolina | Architect
Felix Candela, a Spanish Architect who passed away in Durham, NC, is famous for his architecture/structural concrete forms.
Luis Barragán
Mexico City, Mexico | Architect
Luis Barragan is a Mexican Architect famous for his Mexican contemporary architecture.
Simón Vélez
Manizales, Colombia | Architect
Colombian architect, Simon Velez, is famous for his incredible work in bamboo.
Rogelio Salmona
Bogotá, Colombia | Architect
A French Colombian architect, Rogelio Salmona is best known for his “out of this world brick work!”
Tatiana Bilbao
Mexico City, Mexico | Architect
Tatiana Bilbao is a contemporary Mexican Architect who often creates collaged 3D drawings during the design process of projects. Her studio is rooted in Mexico City and focuses on finding building solutions, however she has projects all over the world.
Rozana Montiel
Mexico City, Mexico | Architect
Rozana Montiel’s work involves creating smaller interventions like play spaces in existing housing projects in Mexico. Her entire practice is rooted in bettering existing infrastructure and spaces to foster community/better living conditions. Her work is subtle, relatively small, but extremely impactful.
Carmen Suero
Dominican Republic; Los Angeles, California | Architect
Carmen is a Principal at LA-based architecture firm Good Project Company. At Southern California’s National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), she serves as Second Vice President and works toward creating an equitable and diverse chapter. She also leads Latinas in Architecture task force, a group that helps Latina architects find their voices in the industry.
At Little, we are committed to moving toward authentic equity and diversity within the design profession. Hear from Little’s Meghana Joshi, Retail Senior Project Manager, about how we address inequities through representation in practice and mentorship.
