Event Description
This presentation will be an analysis of five or six buildings that have gone through the process of being re-used for a purpose other than the one they were originally designed for, contributing to strategies of sustainability by reusing the existing structures, and therefore avoiding demolition and new construction. In addition, this process contributes to the preservation of the urban morphology and collective memory.
Speakers
Sara Topelson de Grinberg, Founding Partner, Grinberg & Topelson Arquitects
Moderator: Jorge Arditti, Intl. Assoc. AIA, Mexico Country Representative, AIA International; Directors, Arditti + RDT Arquitectos
Moderator: Gustavo Ribeiro, Intl. Assoc. AIA, At-Large Director and Brazil Country Representative, AIA International; Founder, Sito Arquitetura
Watch Video | Take Quiz for CES: Estimated 1 LU/ HSW for AIA Members
Speaker Bios
Sara Topelson de Grinberg is an architect, active in many fields. Designer, professor, urban planner, has participated in architectural associations worldwide ; During 12 years, she was part of México’s government in Federal and Municipal capacities.
Named Mexico’s Woman of the Year 1996.
Mrs. Grinberg was the first woman President of the International Union of Architects (UIA) 1996 – 1999.
During her more than 45 year career as a partner in Grinberg & Topelson Architects, she has developed projects in the fields of urban planning, industry, education, culture, residential and low-income housing.
Sara was a professor at Universidad Anahuac, conducting workshops in urban and architectural design and teaching history of architecture. In May 2000 she was awarded the Academic’s Merit Medal, for 25 years of Excellency in academic work. She is an Academic Emeritus at Mexico’s Academia Nacional de Arquitectura.
From 2001 to 2003, she was Director of Architecture of the National Institute of Fine Arts of Mexico; promoting conservation of XX century architecture through register, publications and exhibitions.
She was Undersecretary for Urban Planning and Territorial Management at the Ministry of Social works, SEDESOL, México (2007 – 2012)
In 2003 she founded DOCOMOMO MEXICO.
Sara is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Japan Institute of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Spanish Council of Architects, among others.
Chairman of Urban Land Institute ULI Mexico (2014 – 2016) President of the International Women´s Forum IWF – México 2018 – 2020.
Awarded the lecture series Federico Mariscal, by the Faculty of Architecture, National University UNAM. And presented a comprehensive exhibition on her work and trajectory. 2022
Sara was the first woman to receive México’s "National Architecture Prize 2021".
Recognized as Honoris Causa Doctorate, by the Universidad Anáhuac México, 2023.
Grinberg + Topelson Architects have won several competitions; 1986 CIDECO Urban Complex, Lerma; Public Library Competition of the State of Jalisco 2005; Cemex Works Award 2006, National Housing Award in Mexico 2021 for the Los Almendros complex, Tizayuca, Hidalgo.
Moderator: Architect Jorge Arditti’s work belongs to a rising expression of modern architecture in Mexico, which has led him to worldwide recognition.
"Architecture contains an intrinsic inherent energy that has the ability to prompt events and produce a deep impact on social responses, which is what sets it aside from other creative expressions."
His architectural design is focused on creating innovating projects that consider solving spaces that provide users with a fulfilling and valuable experience, producing spatial sensations. We design buildings that respect the individual’s environment, integrating and improving the urban language of the city to which they will belong.
The architectural firm has more than 30 years of experience, developing the following type of projects: Corporate, Housing, Residential, Touristic, Religious, Sporting, Institutional, Commercial, Cultural and Governmental.
At Arditti + RDT Arquitectos, we believe that living in suitable and sustainable spaces contributes to having a better society, providing a better standard of living for those who reside in them. Architect Jorge Arditti’s work has been displayed in Mexico and abroad, in cities such as New York, Austin, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Rome, Beijing, Sofia, Cologne, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Haifa, San Salvador, Santiago de Chile, Miami, among others. His projects have been published in multiple local and international magazines.
Moderator: Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Gustavo Ribeiro obtained his Architecture and Urban Design bachelor degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais State – UFMG in 1992. He founded Sito Arquitetura in 1994, after winning the "National Competition for the Usiminas Cultural Center at Ipatinga, MG Brazil”, from which a book was later published in 1996. This significant prize created an excellent opportunity for him to achieve a rich experience at an early career stage, leading to 24 years of generalist practice.
He has won many other noticeable prizes throughout his career, namely Milton Campos Square, Betim MG; Belo Horizonte Centennial Landmark; COHAB headquarters, Belo Horizonte, MG; Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora Community Center.
At Sito Arquitetura he is the head of design for projects of various scales and typologies and has been diligently working on Single Family, Multi Family, Housing, Commercial, Hospitality, Retail, Mixed-use and Urban Development projects in Brazil and Africa.
He was a board member of CAU/MG for the 2021-2023 term, having also served the 2018-2020 term; Board member of AsBEA MG, serving as Director from 2010 to 2018; BIM committee member of AsBEA, conducting the BIM Workgroup from 2015 to 2016; In 1999 he took a graduate specialization course in Real Estate Development at FUMEC University in Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais Brazil, increasing his knowledge in this area. Since then, he has started a real estate development initiative, researching, planning and delivering projects. He truly believes that an insightful architect vision in this industry can greatly improve the way people relate to their environment.
