Introducing 2015 KRob Juror Michel Rojkind

A native of Mexico City, Michel Rojkind is a practicing architect and founder of Rojkind Arquitectos, a highly collaborative, research and experimental based design firm specializing in a wide spectrum of project types.

Michel studied Architecture and Urban Planning at the Universidad Iberoamericana from 1989-1994, while also being the drummer for the widely popular Mexican Rock band Aleks Syntek y la Gente Normal. From 1999 to 2002 worked with Isaac Broid and Miquel Adriá on Adriá+Broid+Rojkind Arquitectos, until starting his own studio, Rojkind Arquitectos, in 2002.

Based in Mexico City, Rojkind Arquitectos pursues a fascination for thorough investigation and exploration of contemporary programs, the latest technologies, and the translation of complex digital design into simple solutions for local fabrication. The firm works locally as well as internationally, having been short-listed to participate in several large-scale international projects in Mexico, Canada, Kuwait, and Europe. Their work spans a wide range of focus at various scales, from the intimacies of small objects to the complexities of large buildings and master plans.

The firm has won several Honors and Awards, including Interior Design’s Best of 2011 Award, as well as Arch Daily’s Building of the Year Award in 2011. They were also recognized by Architectural Record in 2005 as one of the ten best “Design Vanguard” firms. The firm’s design for the Nestlé Chocolate Museum, Toluca, Mexico was awarded the International Architecture Award (2008), and was also nominated for the British Museum Award (2008) for the ten best buildings of 2007.

In addition to his practice, Michel has been able to transmit his passion and design philosophy to students as a guest critic and professor for numerous universities around the globe. He has taught at various universities in Mexico City as well as abroad at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IACC) in Barcelona, the CTU in Prague, Czech Republic, and SCI ARC in L.A. He has also been a jury member at World Architecture News (WAN), World Architecture Festival (WAF), and the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) “Self Sufficient City” competition.