Emmanuel Ramírez, Estudio MMX

“A new spatial contract should be devised; one that recognizes that public is not enough. ‘Public’ needs to become more collective, inclusive, and tolerant and that's what the studio has been exploring: spatial strategies to requalify territories into intensively collective realms. Places that extend the household scale into greater spatial and experiential opportunities; that embrace the contemporary tensions, conflicts, and confrontations; that propose alternative and inclusive urban life experiences. We believe collective is the new public.” —Estudio MMX statement

Emmanuel Ramírez, a project manager and partner with Estudio MMX, presents “Architecture and territory” in conjunction with the annual Fort Worth AIA Design Awards. Together with fellow founders, Ramirez directs Estudio MMX, an urban and architectural design studio based in Mexico City. Estudio MMX, as a collaborative practice, aims to study the idea of territory from multiple perspectives and scales, ranging from deeply intimate spaces to the collective realms. These contexts, where life develops, are in constant change and pose scenarios for thriving experiences, but also unexpected risks.

Emmanuel Ramirez works as a consultant for various studios and academic institutions in Mexico and abroad. Together with Jorge Arvizu, Ignacio del Rio, and Diego Ricalde, he directs Estudio MMX. He has developed his disciplinary interests in the fields of strategic urban design, master planning, and architectural design. Ramirez has also taught at Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) and University of Texas at Arlington. He has received numerous awards including the Young Creators Scholarship from the National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) and, together with Estudio MMX, international awards such as the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects, Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard award, and national and international Cemex Awards; the studio was also named a Highly Commended practice by The Architectural Review’s Emerging Architecture award jury.

Established in 2010, Estudio MMX was founded by Jorge Arvizu, Ignacio del Rio, Emmanuel Ramirez, and Diego Ricalde. The studio functions with an approach open to any scale of intervention. The office develops proposals which vary from design and installations to architecture and urbanism, recognizing in each project a unique challenge due to its physical, economic, and social context. As such, Estudio MMX has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, and represented Mexico at the 2013 Latin American Architecture Biennial in Pamplona, Spain. The studio’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums such as the Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico; the Mexican Architecture exhibition in Paris; MUDE (Museum of Design and Fashion), Portugal; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York; and the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2018 and 2020.