What stimulates you? What do you see as the boundaries of Architecture? Can buildings be more than space with an envelope?

These were just a few of the questions that were posed by Michel Rojkind, founder of rojkindarquitectos, a Mexico-City based innovative firm founded in 2002, a firm that has been recognized by Arch Daily, Architectural Record and that takes every commission as an opportunity to explore the power of design. Michel was invited as part of the jury that came to select and award the 2012 AIA DallasDesign Awards. He spoke with us this Friday morning, at the Latino Cultural Center.

With a contagious attitude, Michel explored his firm’s projects from very unique perspectives: from buildings that rather than fulfilling the client’s program become a critique of the political system in a city where the unexpected is ubiquitous and part of daily life; from buildings that seem to be resolved on their entirety when drawings are issued – only to find that the local craftsmen have a true know-how and can solve very unique detailing in quite astonishing and cost-effective ways; from diversifying a practice not only in terms of typology of projects but by cutting across and in between disciplines, such as industrial design.

Michel’s presentation was followed by a one-on-one interview led by Heath May, AIA (HKS), where the discussion dealt with the Architect’s relationship with technology, media, fabrication methods, buildings that need to be more than sustainable objects within themselves, that start being entities which provide something in return to the place and the community with which they share, to embrace our architectural past and re-interpret that past, providing solutions that speak of our time.

A few sightings at this bright and early lecture included students and faculty from Skyline High School as well as from UT Arlington, Nate Eudaly – Executive Director of the Dallas Architecture Forum, Brian Mackay-Lyons – Founder of the Ghost Laboratory, who was here also as a jury for the Design Awards. We were quite pleased to see about 60 people that decided to wake up a bit earlier today!

Michel was not apologetic about questioning everything; he actually finds the nature of children as a way to approach every situation, without any preconceptions. He left us with a challenge: to challenge our own process of thinking. This was a true overdose of stimuli – quite fitting for a Friday morning.

Thanks again to our lecture breakfast sponsors:

Hossley Lighting

JQ Structural Engineers