Architecture Lecture Series
The Architecture Lecture Series welcomes architectural and experiential design leaders from around the country to the University of Kansas to illuminate new ideas and inspire purpose-driven design practice. Lecturers bring a wide range of expertise in areas such as sustainable building, digital environments, public interest design, historic preservation, health and wellness design, and more.
Fall 2026 Schedule
Fall 2026 Architecture Lecture Series, Re-Generations: Current Architecture Practices in Mexico, lectures take place in The John C. Gaunt Forum in Marvin Hall and are free and open to the public.
September 18, 1:00 pm
Alejandro Aptilon, Faculty Spotlight / Alejandro Aptilon Arquitectos
Alejandro Aptilon is an assistant teaching professor of architecture at the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design and principal of an award-winning architectural practice founded in Mexico City in 1998. His firm has completed projects in Mexico, Israel and the United States and has been recognized for its contributions to contemporary Mexican architecture. Aptilon holds degrees from the Israel Institute of Technology and Columbia University. His work has been widely exhibited and published, and he is co-author of the influential book Las Casas del Pedregal 1947-1968.
The opening lecture will introduce the aims of the Fall 2026 Lecture Series: to shed light on the historical trajectory of architectural practice in Mexico, from its ancient origins to contemporary practices. To this end, the lecture will draw upon Alejandro Aptilon’s current research into the reciprocal architectural influences between Mexico and the United States and will present a representative selection of Modern and contemporary Mexican architectural practitioners, including the series’ guest speakers. This synthesized introduction will provide context for the content, intentions, and reasoning underlying the architectural production of these practices with an emphasis on the work of Alejandro Aptilon Arquitectos.
November 6, 2:00 pm
Magui Peredo, Estudio Macías Peredo
Magui Peredo is co-founder of Macías Peredo Quirarte, architectural studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico. She holds a degree in Architecture from ITESO and a Master’s degree in Architectural Theory and History from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona. She is a member of Mexico’s National Academy of Architecture. Her practice explores the relationship between contemporary architecture and cultural identity. Among other awards and monographic publications, the studio received the Architectural League of New York’s Emerging Voices Award (2014), was featured in El Croquis (2024), and its work is also represented in MoMA’s collection.
Building from Culture explores the origins of the interests and ideas that shape the work of Macías Peredo Quirarte. Through a reflection on the studio’s architectural practice and selected projects, the lecture reveals how culture is understood as the larger project, with architecture serving as means of engaging with it.
November 13, 2:00 pm
Javier Sánchez, JSa
Javier Sánchez Corral, Hon. FAIA, is founding partner and director of JSa Arquitectura, a Mexico City-based practice established in 1996. Known for his "micro-urbanism" approach, Sánchez has led projects that contribute to the revitalization of urban neighborhoods through housing, cultural, hospitality and mixed-use developments. A graduate of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Columbia University, he has received more than 120 national and international honors, including the Golden Lion for Best Urban Project at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the Gold Medal of the National Biennial of Mexican Architecture.