’The design of our cities shapes the quality of our lives’

When Carie Penabad, associate professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture, and her husband Adib Cúre, also an associate professor in the school, designed a company building in southwest Guatemala, they brought in volcanic stones from a nearby river to pave the adjacent gardens. Wanting to integrate the spectacular view of a nearby volcano, they fashioned a belvedere, or open space gallery, in the center of the building so workers could enjoy the volcano as one would a piece of art. Integrating the local history, culture, materiality, and fauna is a trademark to the architecture that Penabad creates. In her many years as an architect and professor, she has pursued projects that have ranged from designing institutional buildings, housing, schools in rural Guatemala, and even mapping shantytowns in Colombia. Penabad's has a long-standing interest in the study of local traditions. Alongside Cúre, she has led a number of design courses entitled "Vernacularology,” an invented word that encompasses the study of vernacular traditions, from individual buildings to large settlements. "I am passionate about cities, and I do believe that the shaping of our cities influences the quality of our lives,” she said.