Rozana Montiel: Architecture as Social Construction
Rozana Montiel, a Mexican architect who showcased her work at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, reimagines barriers as opportunities through her participatory design approach. At the Arsenale, a replica of a boundary wall is substituted with a screen that displays live images of the canal. Montiel perceives architecture as a tool for building connections and initiating transformation. Her notable projects include revitalizing communal spaces in San Pablo Xalpa and converting an abandoned canal in Zacatecas into vital neighborhood infrastructure. In Veracruz, she designed a community center featuring a sports field and botanical garden. Montiel has received the 2016 Emerging Voice award and the 2017 Moira Gemmill Award, and she is currently engaged in post-earthquake rebuilding efforts in Jojutla and San Mateo del Mar.
Key facts
- Rozana Montiel featured at 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale
- Installation at Arsenale: reproduction of wall section with screen showing real-time canal images
- Participatory design approach: transforming barriers into horizons
- Housing Unit of San Pablo Xalpa: residents freed common areas, added canopies
- Manuel Ponce complex in Zacatecas: micro-interventions turned disused canal into neighborhood infrastructure
- Cancha in Veracruz: portico with multipurpose rooms, shops, play areas, plaza with botanical garden
- Won 2016 Emerging Voice from Architectural League of New York
- Won 2017 Moira Gemmill Award from Architectural Review London
- Post-2017 earthquake reconstruction in Jojutla and San Mateo del Mar
Entities
Artists
- Rozana Montiel
Institutions
- Architectural League of New York
- Architectural Review
- Artribune
- Venice Architecture Biennale
- Arsenale
Locations
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- San Pablo Xalpa
- Zacatecas
- Veracruz
- Jojutla
- San Mateo del Mar
- New York
- London