Design Portfolio
MAUR R
713.301.4961
Mauro Rodriguez
SCAD : GSAPP
DRIGUEZ
rodrixmau@hotmail.com
Manhattan, NY
Cover to Cover Housing In Mexico, the roof is more than shelter. It is a gesture of protection without restriction, an open system connecting public and private, formal and informal, individual and collective. This project reimagines the unique block around Mercado de San Cosme as a shared framework for vendors, fonda owners, and working class residents. Rather than replacing existing dynamics, the proposal builds upon them. A new civic infrastructure becomes visible, anchored by a roof that collects and distributes essential resources. This canopy becomes a shared asset, delivering water, electricity, shade, and other services across spaces, redistributing value between areas often divided by front and back of house functions. Inspired by the traditional Mexican markets, the project blurred thresholds to support both formal and informal economies while integrating affordable housing for young families. It addresses inequality through unity, offering dignity, shared purpose, and a renewed sense of belonging rooted in cultural life.
Location: San Rafael, Mexico City Course: ADV Studio VI Partner: Seong Hyun Leem Professor: Gabriela Carrillo & Thomas De Monchaux Term: Spring 2025
Ground Floor Plan
5
1st Floor Plan
We opened the San Cosme to the public by prioritizing human and pedestrian movement over cars, extending the market outward and blurring the boundaries between formal and informal, public and private. In Mexico, markets reflect a culture shaped by warmth, joy, and generosity, where social life naturally extends beyond walls. Mercados are home to many forms of talent. Beyond selling food, people repair cars, offer care, provide therapy, friendship, and healing. It is common for individuals
to embody multiple skills, and this layered normality became central to the project. We translated this mentality into architecture by designing a building that is as complex, adaptive, and performative as its users. Mercados also bring together all generations, from infants resting with their parents, to children playing after school, to grandparents shopping for their families. The project creates a welcoming environment for all ages, reflecting the concept of “cover to cover” as both a spatial and social condition.
7
This conceptual model is inspired by the reflected ceiling plan of Mercado de San Cosme, which informs both the facade and the interior programming of the building. Constructed from found objects, the model explores how the roof ’s open and connective logic can extend vertically. A kinetic element allows the structure to shift, generating multiple spatial configurations that reflect the adaptable and ever changing character of the market.
The project proposes a redefinition of housing. Rather than understanding housing solely as shelter, it is envisioned as an extension of the individual. With this idea in mind, the residential unit is treated as a market stall. By maximizing usable surface, residents are able to transform and personalize their homes according to evolving needs. The space can support selling goods, teaching, or functioning as a more traditional dwelling.
9
A
B
C
+ 18.1 METERS ROOF
SHARED ELECTRICAL CYCLE
KINETIC FACADE
+15.1 METERS 6TH FLOOR
+12.3 METERS 5TH FLOOR
+9.5 METERS 4TH FLOOR
SHARED WATER CYCLE
11
13
Home Alive Project Species Habitat Location: Brooklyn, New York Employer: TERREFORM ONE ROLE: Architectural Design Intern Term: Summer 2023
h
t
t
p
s
:
/
/
w
w
w
.
t
e
r
r
e
f
o
r
m
.
Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Terreform ONE is a nonprofit architecture and design research group dedicated to advancing a socio ecological future. Guided by the principle design against extinction, the studio integrates biotechnology and architecture to support biodiversity within urban environments. One of their explorations, Home Alive Project, envisions living architecture as a system grown from biological materials that serve both human use and ecological function. The project proposes an all natural pergola that incorporates planters and habitat spaces to support birds, insects, squirrels, and other species. As co-founder Mitchell Joachim explains, “It is a multi tiered structure that cares for avian species, insects, squirrels, and all our friends on the outside of our building. It begins with scaffolding and multi species facades. We fit the scaffolding with willows from farms, and after a year or two we remove the scaffolding and reuse it elsewhere, arriving at a multi species system held together by living structures.”
o
r
g
/
f
a
b
-
t
r
e
e
-
h
a
b
I developed a Grasshopper script that simulates natural growth patterns to inform the organic form of each habitat module. This algorithmic process generated complex geometries derived from biological structures, allowing the modules to integrate seamlessly with their surrounding environment. Once the designs were finalized, they were
fabricated through a precise 3D printing process, translating digital models into durable physical components capable of supporting multiple species. This workflow grounded the project in natural logic while enabling a direct and continuous transition from computational design to ecologically integrated architecture.
17
The research centered on developing a 3D printed system capable of withstanding harsh weather conditions while maintaining structural integrity over time. The objective was to identify a material, coating, or fabrication process that ensures long term durability. These printed elements, potentially made from ceramics or other environmentally responsible materials, are designed to support plant and animal life for decades. As noted during the design
process, “If we want this structure to last a minimum of fifteen years, the time required for trees to establish, we cannot leave raw fibers exposed to the elements.” The finalized components are suspended within the wooden modules shown to the right, each acting as a protective cradle for future habitats. Together, they form a resilient system that integrates durability, ecological performance, and long term environmental stewardship.
19
Lab Imprint Research Station Minimal space does not mean minimal care. The project proposes a modular, off-site research station designed for disassembly, approaching architecture from its end of life toward its beginning. Recognizing the temporary nature of inhabitation, the structure redefines minimalism by introducing comfort, warmth, and familiarity within an otherwise unlivable environment. This project questions conventional approaches to inhabiting extreme environments by designing with the site rather than against it. The modular, off-site research station embraces Antarctica’s conditions, using snow as insulation and protection instead of treating it as an obstacle. By merging architecture with the environment, the station redefines minimalism through comfort, warmth, and familiarity within an otherwise uninhabitable landscape. In a territory indifferent to human presence, architecture becomes the sole mediator between humans and their surroundings, transforming isolation into belonging. The station stands as a contemporary monument to human presence grounded in endurance and coexistence.
Location: Antarctica Course: YACADEMY - Offsite Technologies Tutor: Nicola Scaranaro / Foster + Partners Term: Nov 2025 - Feb 2026
Disassembly / Post disassembly The horizontal structure is assembled from 2-meter-long modules (A &B), optimized for transportation and ease of handling. Two module types are used: single-floor modules and double-floor modules, allowing programmatic variation along the length. Modules are mechanically connected through internal structural joints, keeping the exterior façade continuous and smooth, ensuring uninterrupted sliding during removal and preventing ice bonding at the envelope. Assembly Phase Structural and façade modules are prefabricated off-site in controlled conditions. Modules are transported and assembled into larger horizontal units on site. Units are mounted onto ski-runner bases and structurally connected. Mechanical and electrical systems are linked by module.
Module A
Module B
Selecting The Site Antarctica plays a critical role in regulating global climate systems, yet it remains one of the least instrumented and most inaccessible regions on Earth. The station is positioned in Commonwealth Bay, near the Australian and African continents, a location selected for its advantageous time zones and logistical access for material transportation. The bay’s distinctive geography provides natural protection from strong winds while offering researchers a strategic vantage point to study diverse ice conditions and surrounding biodiversity.
23
17 18 9
10 11
19 13
14 3 4 1
5
2
6
7 1.
Steel frame partition / bulkhead
8.
Isofrozen sandwich panel, 200 mm
2.
Corrugated sheet metal
9.
Double UPN 300 channels
3.
RHS steel structure (Rectangular Hollow Section
10. Castellated beam (IPE 250)
4.
IPE 250 steel beam
11. Intermediate-floor insulation panel
5.
EPS insulation layer, 300 mm
12. Resilient flooring
6.
Welded and bolted joint – interlocking connection
13. External window sill with enhanced thermal insu
7.
Steel foundation “ski-type” base
14. Ceiling hanger
2
1
3
4
5
5
4 12 8
15
2
16
1
5 15. Inspectable suspended ceiling 16. Precast driveable floor slab (vehicular-rated) 17. External ring beam / edge beam capping 18. Insulated precast ring beam / edge beam 19. PVC window frame with low-E triple-glazed insulated unit (triple pane)
ulation performance 0m
1m
5m
25
27
29
NYC’s Harmony Adaptive Reuse
This project addresses the issue of overbuilding through the creative reuse of materials and the recycling of their energy, transforming an existing structure into a working instrument. The site, a bank located at the intersection of Broadway and Spring Street, is treated not only as a building but as a material inventory ready to be re-imagined. The design uses the existing systems, including the air conditioning network and the subway lines beneath the building, to generate sound. Materials with distinct properties vibrate at different frequencies, producing unique tones, while changes in pipe size create variations in resonance. Visitors can interact with these elements, becoming composers within the space. The concept is rooted in the cognitive and therapeutic value of music. By allowing people to create their own melodies, the project fosters play, learning, and mental stimulation. The re-imagined bank becomes both an instrument and an immersive architectural experience that encourages creativity and deepens engagement with the built environment.
Location: Manhattan, NY Course: Design Studio I Professor: Lindsey Wilkstrom Term: Winter 2022
Turnning an HVAC into an Instrument
At the crossroads of Spring Street and Broadway, the city moves in constant rhythm. Footsteps, voices, subway rumbles, and storefront energy blend into an urban harmony. It is not a noisy city if you channel it well; patterns and melodies emerge from the flow. This intersection holds countless
unheard stories, each carried in the passing crowd. The building listens to these layers of sound, tuning into the city’s pulse and shaping a space that resonates with it, offering a pause that is part of the score rather than apart from it.
33
This innovative metamorphosis into an interactive soundscape is designed to have a profound impact on the city’s denizens. By allowing people to engage with the building’s materials to compose and experience music, it intertwines the urban
fabric with the therapeutic and cognitive benefits of music, fostering a unique sensory and emotional connection with the space, enriching the lives of New Yorkers, and redefining the intersection as a hub of cultural and creative rejuvenation.
35
United Atmospheres Air Purifier Installation This installation began as a class project in fabrication: a family of 3D-printable hydroponic pods, each a sculptural vessel developed through Rhino and printed in-house. The pods pair an exposed fan with a bed of expanded clay balls, a soilless system that keeps the form light, legible, and fully visible as an object. Installed at GSAPP, the pods hang as a suspended cluster of plant, root, and mechanism all on display, turning a functional device into something closer to a specimen. Growing edible plants hydroponically let the piece double as a small working ecology, while the roots and airflow quietly do the work of cleaning the air around them.
Location: Manhattan, NY Course: United Atmospheres Professor: Andreas Theodoridis Term: Spring 2023
Case Study: My Apartment
Gas stoves
HVAC & AC Unit Filters
Furniture
Fabric & Perfumes
Cleaners Animals Electronics
Particle Board
Identifying Air Pollution Contributers • • • • • • • •
Fabric softeners and perfumes Cleaners Furniture Electronics Common HVAC & window ac filters Gas stoves Particle board Animals
Case Study: Columbia University
Recorded Data
Classroom of Recorded Data
Particulate Matter Data
Lack of Ventilation
Carbon Dioxide Data
Increase in Capacity
39
Edible Plants While also purifying the air of Carbon Dioxide via photosynthesis, the plant will provide an extra layer of available nutrients by producing edible fruit.
Water Dispenser The water dispenser allows for the purification system to be self sustainable and low maintenance
Fan A fan is used to push the polluted air through the root system which is more successful in purifying the air rather than pulling air through the root system
Expanded Clay Balls Soil Barrier
Expanded clay balls are used in lieu of soil to accommodate for better airflow through the root system of the plant. By using expanded clay, the water remains cleaner for a longer duration of time and prevents mold and mildew from growing requiring minimal maintenance.
A barrier system is put in place to separate the excess water and expanded clay soil
Funnel The funnel is used to capture excess water and is recirculated back into the system to avoid any water waste
41
MAK8 Stereo Patent Speaker My passion for audio and my partner’s interest in textiles led us to create a speaker that merges sound with touch. Inspired by retro radios, the design combines soft, tactile fabric with a compact, sculptural form. Three central buttons control power and volume, each designed to be recognized by feel alone. We learned to wire speakers and program Arduinos, making the object both technically functional and creatively expressive. The exposed stitching and components celebrate the fusion of craft and technology, turning the speaker into a playful, immersive experience rather than just a device.
Location: Manhattan, NY Course: Making Senses Partner: Valery Kate Perez Professor: James Nanasca Term: Spring 2025
MAK8 Stereo Patent (01)
4 / 23 / 2025
M. RODRIGUEZ V. PEREZ
FIG 1.
FIG 2.
FIG 3.
FIG 4.
MAUR R
VKP
DRIGUEZ
Fig 1. Fig 2. Fig 3. Fig 4.
Front Plate _ Driver and Tweeter Frame _ Plywood Structure Back Plate _ Electrical Systems Stand _ Wood Planks
INVENTORS
43
The Process
45
LA SOBREMESA Dining Table and Chairs / In development
Location: Private residence, Mexico Role: Furniture design, Art direction Collaborators: Rory Peckham, designer Emete Design Studio, Mexico Status: In development, 2026
Sobremesa is a dining table and chair set being designed for a private residence in Mexico, to be fabricated with a furniture maker there, and developed with Rory Peckham, a woodworker I studied with at Columbia GSAPP. The table is sized to the family’s dining room and built around how they actually use it: long meals, full seating, the hours of sobremesa that give the piece its name. The brief was warmth. A table you want to sit at and stay. The design draws on a lineage of Mexican furniture and interior work, from figures who shaped it decades ago to makers working today. Honey-toned wood carries the structure, with leather at the joints and seats for softness and contrast. The material palette is tuned to the interiors of the house it’s going into. This is the first piece in a longer collaboration with the client, with more furniture and interior objects to follow.
Size Material Construction Wood Option
90” L × 42” W × 30” H Solid wood with leather detail Spindle back, solid wood frame Parota with black leather detail
Size Material Construction Wood Option
22.5” L × 16” W × 40.5” H Solid wood with leather detail Spindle back, solid wood frame Parota with black leather detail
47
Design Portfolio
MAUR MauroRRodriguez DRIGUEZ
SCAD : GSAPP
R 713.301.4961
rodrixmau@hotmail.com
Manhattan, NY