Álvaro Rojas, B.Arch '73

Álvaro Rojas is founder of Fournier_Rojas ARQUITECTOS, a practice committed to environmentally and socially responsible design located in Costa Rica.

Rojas has been an architectural educator since 1976 and founded the Universidad del Diseño and its Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Studies (1993), an experimental and alternative school of architecture that he directed as President of the University and Dean of the School of Architecture. Universidad del Diseño served as a catalyst for sustainable design and planning in San Jose, during a time in which architectural education opportunities were limited. The program engaged a diverse range of professionals outside of the architecture world to develop a holistic approach to design.

Álvaro is also co-founder of the experimental postgraduate program The Nomad School for Planetary Design together with architects James Wines, Michael Sorkin and Mauricio Quirós. The Nomad School for Planetary Design is an architecture and urban planning postgraduate educational project in the process of being launched.

Last year Álvaro brought Mundaneum International re_UNIONS, an international symposium showcasing Pan American architecture and theory, to the Spitzer School of Architecture.

How do you draw inspiration from your culture in your life and work?

As a Costa Rican immigrant to New York in 1963, I maintained strong ties with Latin America and my home country. I’ve always felt Latin American. I am proud of the enormous and diverse cultural wealth of Latin America and that of Latinos and Hispanics in the US.

Drawing upon my education in New York at both Brooklyn Tech and City College, I returned to Costa Rica with a passion for incorporating my culture and what I learned during my time in the United States into my life, professional practice, and teaching of architecture.