Facades+ Monterrey, Mexico

WELCOME TO FACADES+ MONTERREY!

The Architect’s Newspaper is celebrating 14 Years of Facades+ Conferences. We are thrilled to welcome both new attendees and longtime facades fanatics to our first ever event in Mexico. We bring fresh and relevant programming to each and every city and have an exceptional group of projects, people, and expertise for you today.

Facades+ Monterrey gathers top professionals from the worlds of design, engineering, fabrication, and construction to consider how high-performance envelopes are transforming the built environment across North America, and are responding to changing codes, climates, technologies, and client expectations.

I’d like to thank our amazing conference co-chairs, Ricardo Daniel Diez, Rodrigo Borghino, and Sameer Kumar of Techne, who have assembled today’s program of design leaders. We invite you to connect with the presenters and your peers during networking breaks in the Methods+Materials Gallery and throughout today’s event.

Please get to know our sponsors exhibiting in the Methods+Materials Gallery today and learn how they will help you shape the future of facade design and technology.

Has Facades+ struck a chord with you? Have a look at our upcoming events held across North America. Visit our website to learn more about our other events and additional opportunities to earn your CEUs.

We are eager to hear from you about how we might improve the Facades+ experience. Talk to us. And please spread the word—help us to continue to grow the Facades+ dialogue and community.

All the best,

Diana Darling CEO & Creative Director, AN Media Group

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

AGENDA

(TIMES IN CST)

8:00 AM CHECK-IN & BREAKFAST | Methods + Materials Gallery

9:30 AM WELCOME: Diana Darling | The Architect’s Newspaper

9:40 AM PARTNER WELCOME: Juan Manuel Rodriguez | Vitro Architectural Glass

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION:

Rodrigo Borghino | Techne

9:45 AM

9:50 AM

10:15 AM

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

Sameer Kumar | Techne

SPOTLIGHT Signature Facades Developed with a Simple Kit of Parts Presenter:

Chris O’Hara | Studio NYL, a Lerch Bates Company

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

PANEL High Rise: Lessons Learned On Super Talls

Presenters:

Antonio Cárdenas | CWSYSTEMS

Juan Andres Vergara | VFO Architects

Bujar Morava | RWDI

Julieta Boy | Gensler

Sameer Kumar | Techne

11:00 AM METHODS + MATERIALS BREAK

ROUNDTABLE Building Performance: Metrics for Success Presenters:

Alejandra Menchaca | AIRLIT studio

11:30 AM

12:15 PM

Alex Falcon | Eckersley O’Callaghan

Daniela Castro | JWA

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

PANEL Enhancing Building Skins: Innovations for Better Performance and Design Presenters:

Aaron Alterman | STI Specified Technologies

Agustín Grimaldi | Neolith

Sameer Kumar | Techne

SPOTLIGHT LUMARIS: Visionary Valle Oriente Presenter:

12:45 PM

Antonio Perez Vazquez | Perkins&Will

Rodrigo Borghino | Techne

1:15 PM PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Christina Martinez | Vitro Arquitectónico

1:30 PM NETWORKING LUNCH

ROUNDTABLE Advancements in Facade Design for Sports & Entertainment: A Global Perspective

Presenters:

2:30 PM

Luis Fernandez de Ortega | VFO Architects

Adela Rangel Fediuk | Akurat

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

3:15 PM

AGENDA

SPOTLIGHT From Monterrey’s Iconic Architecture to Certified Building Systems for the U.S. and Canada Presenters:

Gabriel Morales Sada | AkzoNobel

Sameer Kumar | Techne

3:30 PM METHODS + MATERIALS BREAK

PANEL Torre Gala: Transformative Towers Face the Landscape Presenters:

Hernán R. Chebar | RAMSA

4:00 PM

Estrella Esquivel | Schwarz

Mauricio Mireles Montaño | Convirtus

Mauricio Calderon Loaiza | ONE Development Group

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

SPOTLIGHT Global Innovations and Unexpected Possibilities Presenter:

5:00 PM

5:30 PM

Adrian Betanzos | VIA

Rodrigo Borghino | Techne

CLOSING REMARKS

Diana Darling | The Architect’s Newspaper

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne

Rodrigo Borghino | Techne

Sameer Kumar | Techne

5:30 PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION

WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE

April 23 - Doors Open at 9:30

TRACK A ENERGY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND RESILENCY

10:00 AM Moved by Climate: Bioclimatic Thinking for Adaptive Facade Design

Ricardo Daniel Diaz | Techne Rodrigo Borghino | Techne

12:30 PM LUNCH

Solar Shading Design and Performance Analysis

1:30 PM

Alejandra Menchaca | AIRLIT studio Bujar Morava | RWDI

Victor Peña | IBERO Cuidad de Mexico

TRACK B IN THE DETAILS: FACADE DESIGN, ENGINEERING + MATERIALS

10:00 AM Load Paths, Jointing, and Tolerances in Exterior Enclosures

Chris O'Hara | Studio NYL, a Lerch Bates Company

Felipe Francisco | Studio NYL, a Lerch Bates Company

12:30 PM LUNCH

1:30 PM Shaping Glass: From Hot Bending to Cold Innovation

Adrian Betanzos | VIA Keyan Rahimzadeh | VIA

SPEAKERS

CO-CHAIRS

SAMEER KUMAR Principal / Techne

Sameer Kumar is the Founder of Techne, a building enclosure design and consulting firm based in New York. With over 23 years of experience in the field of architectural facades, Sameer’s accomplishments represent a consistent pursuit of design excellence through the balance of craft and environmental performance in a wide variety of material expressions on several prominent projects around the globe.

Sameer extends his contributions to the architecture profession through his academic engagement as visiting faculty member with Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as through active participation in various architectural conferences as speaker and panelist. Sameer is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is a licensed architect in the State of New York. He holds degrees in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and CEPT University, Ahmedabad.

RICARDO DANIEL DIAZ Principal / Techne

Ricardo is Managing Partner at Techne, bringing over 10 years of experience in bioclimatic analysis, facade engineering, and highperformance building envelope design. His expertise integrates building science, energy modeling, and advanced visualization to support technically rigorous and commercially viable facade solutions.

Prior to Techne, Ricardo co-founded The Facade Studio in Mexico City, where he led the firm’s growth and market positioning while delivering facade consulting services for commercial, residential, retail, and hospitality developments. He played a key role in business development, client acquisition, and strategic partnerships, expanding operations into international markets and managing cross-border collaborations between Mexico and the United States.

RODRIGO BORGHINO Principal / Techne

Rodrigo is cofounder at the Facade Studio, a company based in Mexico City dedicated to solving facade projects focusing on energy efficiency, safety, affordability and design intent compliance of the facade. With around 10 years of experience working on facade systems, Rodrigo has specialized in calculating, designing and studying facade systems, being his main input as Engineering Director at The Facade Studio.

He has been leading design teams at The Facade Studio on mid-rise and high-rise buildings, commercial, residential, retail, hospitality and healthcare projects across Mexico. He has an Engineering bachelor degree by the Universidad Iberoamericana at Mexico City and he is constantly learning state-of-the-art methods of solving facade conditions.

For today’s complex high performance standards, Specified Technologies Inc. offers the most advanced Curtain Wall firestop solutions in the industry.

Scan to learn more

We engineer peace of mind.

SPEAKERS

AARON ALTERMAN

Consultant Support Specialist – US & Canada / STI Specified Technologies

Aaron joined STI in 2015 as a Territory Manager in the Gulf South. In 2018, he was promoted to the Curtain and Facades Specialist role, working with glaziers, fabricators, curtain wall consultants and perimeter fire containments contractors in the Midwest, Gulf Coast, Texas and Central Canada. In 2024, Aaron became the Curtain Wall and Facades Consultant Support Specialist for North America, working with curtain wall consultants, architects, engineers and code officials.

ADRIAN BETANZOS

Principal / VIA

Adrian is a Principal at VIA, a facade consulting firm with projects all over the world. He’s spent the last decade working for Apple Inc in their Sourcing and Innovation teams, pushing the envelope on facade design in the retail team. He has also worked at Vitro in Mexico, Permasteelisa North America and Front Inc, New York. He’s been a keynote speaker worldwide and has been an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at many restigious universities.

JULIETA BOY

Technical Director / Gensler

Julieta is an architect and Technical Director at Gensler’s Mexico City office, where she contributes her expertise to complex and large-scale projects. With over 25 years of experience at renowned architectural design firms, she specializes in the development of residential, corporate, commercial, and mixed-use projects. Julieta’s portfolio includes projects such as developing and building Torre Reforma, located in Mexico City.

ANTONIO CÁRDENAS

Director / CWSYSTEMS

Antonio Cárdenas is the Director of CWSYSTEMS, with extensive experience in the development and consulting of architectural facade systems for highprofile projects. He has participated in major office and high-rise residential developments, contributing to the engineering and executive design of facade systems. His professional focus is on the technical, constructability, and architectural optimization of facade systems, integrating aluminum and glass solutions that meet high standards of performance, aesthetics, and buildability. Through CWSYSTEMS, he promotes a vision driven by technical precision, innovation, and quality in building envelopes.

DANIELA CASTRO

Partner and CEO / JWA in Mexico

Daniela Castro is a highly accomplished architect and expert in sustainable design and real estate development. She has led significant projects across various sectors, including hotels, corporate spaces, residential buildings, and mixed-use developments. As the Partner and CEO of JWA in Mexico, Daniela focuses on advancing sustainable architectural practices across Latin America. Previously, Daniela served as the Chief Development and Sustainability Officer at Fibra Eco, where she developed the company's ESG strategy and promoted environmentally friendly practices in Mexico’s real estate sector.

HERNÁN R. CHEBAR

Associate Partner / RAMSA

Associate Partner Hernán Chebar has been with Robert A.M. Stern Architects since 1996 and has been responsible for the design and project management of many of the firm’s high-profile multifamily residential projects in New York, as well as a wide variety of building types in the US and internationally, from resort hotels to office buildings to assisted living facilities.

ESTRELLA ESQUIVEL

Design Director / Schwarz

Since 2017, Estrella Esquivel has been a part of Schwarz, where she leads the architectural and interior design areas, consolidating a portfolio that encompasses institutional, residential, and commercial projects. She currently serves as Design Director for the Gala tower in Mexico— designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects—and for the Kirana development in the United States. In the realm of vertical architecture, she has been involved in highly significant regional projects, such as the residential phase of Arboleda, Torre Sofia—designed by Cesar Pelli—and Torre Insignia, among others.

ALEX FALCON

Project Engineer / Eckersley O'Callaghan

Alex joined Eckersley O’Callaghan San Francisco in 2019 following the achievement of his Masters in Building Technology where he graduated with honours. His previous experience as an architect enhances his expertise as a Facade Engineer responsible for the analysis, design and engineering of facade systems with a particular focus on computational analysis and simulations. Alex is currently working on some of our most prominent US projects for Google Landings and 200 Park Avenue.

SPEAKERS

ADELA RANGEL FEDIUK Founding Partner and CEO

/ Akurat

Adela Fediuk is Founding Partner and CEO of Akurat —an architectural design firm and ConTech company focused on Design and BIM/Lean Management. For the past 13 years, Akurat has delivered Intelligent Virtual Design and Construction services for large-scale projects in Mexico and abroad. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Airport Planning, Design, and Operations at Tech University, and is certified in ISO 19650, GIS, and LEAN. She is Chair of the Tech Committee at Urban Land Institute (ULI) Mexico. Professor at Universidad La Salle Mexico City.

LUIS FERNANDEZ DE ORTEGA

Principal / VFO Architects

Luis Fernández de Ortega is an Architect by the Anahuac University in Mexico City. In 2009, he founded the firm VFO Architects with his partner Juan Andrés Vergara and since then he has served as Design Director where he leads various work teams and his role is to understand the needs and aspirations of his clients to translate them into sustainable architectural solutions.

FELIPE FRANCISCO

Design Principal / Studio NYL, a Lerch Bates Company

Felipe Francisco, AIA is an Architect, Builder, and Fabricator with experience ranging from large-scale commercial and institution projects, medium scale Passive House residential projects, and small scale digital fabrication projects. At Studio NYL Felipe’s role is that of Technical Design Lead for the Boston Office. As part of the facades division, he works with architects, building teams, and contractors to provide expertise on challenging facade systems.

AGUSTÍN GRIMALDI

A&D Projects – LATAM / Neolith

Agustín Grimaldi is an architect graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana, with a diploma in Sustainable Urban Systems from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). Since 2023, he has been in charge of managing Neolith’s façade projects across Latin America, leading the technical and strategic coordination of architectural solutions using sintered stone in different markets throughout the region.

MAURICIO CALDERON LOAIZA

Construction Director / ONE Development Group

Mauricio Calderon Loaiza is a veteran of the Mexican Real Estate Industry with a legacy of developing over 100 million square feet of high-impact real estate across Mexico. As the Construction Director for ONE Development Group, he spearheads a prestigious portfolio of high-end residential, mixed- use, historical renovation, and luxury resort projects that currently serve nearly a thousand families. Prior to joining ONE Development Group in 2025, Mauricio played a pivotal role in the expansion of Hines’ Mexican portfolio, overseeing 30 million square feet of diverse developments.

CRISTINA MARTÍNEZ

Head of Marketing / Vitro Arquitectónico

Cristina Martínez is the Head of Marketing for Vitro Arquitectónico in Mexico, where she leads strategic initiatives to promote and raise awareness about the value of incorporating high-performance low-e glass in building facades. Her work highlights how these advanced glazing solutions contribute to more sustainable construction, from significantly reducing environmental impact to enhancing occupant comfort and overall quality of life.

ALEJANDRA MENCHACA

Founding Principal / AIRLIT studio

Alejandra Menchaca is a Principal at AIRLIT studio, an environmental consultancy with a design-centric approach rooted in technical excellence. Alejandra combines expertise in mechanical engineering and building science to give clients a clear understanding of the impact design strategies and innovative solutions have on long-term building performance. Alejandra’s expertise includes passive design, visual and thermal comfort assessment, and indoor air quality. She developed zero net carbon policies with the city of Boston and compliance workflows for the MA stretch code.

MAURICIO MIRELES MONTAÑO

Co-Founder / Convirtus

Mauricio Mireles Montaño is CoFounder and Director of Operations at CONVIRTUS, a multidisciplinary building engineering firm based in Monterrey, Mexico, specializing in architecture, structural and MEP integration through BIM-driven and IPD-aligned workflows. With over 15 years of experience, Mauricio has led complex residential, mixed-use, industrial, and high-rise projects.

SPEAKERS

BUJAR MORAVA

Senior Technical Director & Principal / RWDI

Bujar’s three decades of professional experience, research, and consulting, has earned him a reputation for delivering outstanding results in the structural optimization of tall buildings and other dynamically sensitive structures. In addition to managing highly complex and very demanding projects around the globe, Bujar leads quality assurance and technical development for our structural, wind engineering, and damping system implementation consulting services.

CHRIS O’HARA

Senior Design Principal / Studio NYL, a Lerch Bates Company

O’Hara is facade director for the Skins Group, a division of Studio NYL, established to provide full service facade design specializing in thermal modeling, moisture/ condensation analysis, and in-depth detailing. Although Studio NYL is recognized for its skins work with cutting-edge glass and glazing, their team also specializes in digitally fabricated metal skins, GFRC, reinforced polymers, stone, ultra high performance concrete, terra cotta, and traditional precast.

VÍCTOR ALBERTO ARVIZU PIÑA

Coordinador de la Especialidad en Energía en la Edificación Sustentable / IBERO Cuidad de Mexico

Architect and Specialist in Energy and Environment in Architecture from the University of Sonora; Master in Architecture with a specialization in Bioclimatic Design from the University of Colima; and Master’s and PhD in Architecture, Energy and Environment from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. He specializes in sustainability, energy efficiency, and the environmental impact of buildings. He has been teaching since 2010, delivering courses related to bioclimatic architecture, building energy efficiency, renewable energy, among others.

KEYAN RAHIMZADEH

Principal / VIA

Keyan Rahimzadeh is a structural engineer and architect who has spent his career building complex facades, and the software to make it possible. After 10 years working on high-profile projects at Front, Inc. in New York and London, he led Computational Design at Grimshaw, and built software at a venturebacked AEC startup. He is now a Principal and Global Technical Director at VIA, where he oversees the technical initiatives of the practice, including software development and automation across design, analysis, and fabrication.

JUAN MANUEL RODRIGUEZ

Senior Vice President of Sales for Mexico and Latin America / Vitro Architectural Glass

Juan Manuel Rodríguez is Senior Vice President of Sales for Mexico and Latin America at Vitro Architectural Glass, where he leads commercial strategy and execution across a $400M+ revenue portfolio spanning flat glass and value-added products. He oversees sales operations for Vitro’s three flat glass furnaces in Mexico and holds P&L responsibility for the company’s value-added business.

GABRIEL MORALES SADA

Architectural Coatings Professional / AkzoNobel

Gabriel Morales Sada is a global architectural coatings professional focused on the synergies between powder-coated architectural aluminum extrusion and facade system performance, including windows and aluminum railing systems, in collaboration with global architectural components OEMs. With a consultative, OEM-driven approach, he works alongside architects, facade consultants, extruders, and applicators to align extrusion design, surface preparation, and coating technology with AAMA/FGIA-compliant, durable, and scalable solutions.

ANTONIO PEREZ VAZQUEZ

Associate Principal, Managing Principal, Monterrey / Perkins&Will

Growing up, Antonio’s father worked in construction and his mother with an airline–a combination that fueled Antonio’s interest in design and travel from a young age. Born and raised in Mexico, Antonio moved to Texas to complete high school, then traveled to Italy to further his education in architecture. While exploring the world, he realized the importance of making the community a better place by balancing architectural design with the needs and wants of different demographics.

JUAN ANDRES VERGARA

Design Director / VFO Architects

Juan Andrés Vergara is an Architect in Mexico City. In 2009, he founded the firm VFO Architects with his partner Luis Fernández de Ortega and since then he has served as Design Director where he leads various work teams and his role is to understand the needs and aspirations of his clients to translate them into sustainable architectural solutions.

THANK YOU SPONSORS

PRESENTED BY -

- DIAMOND

SPONSOR

-

GOLD SPONSORS -

SILVER SPONSORS -

INDUSTRY PARTNERS -