Design Portfolio
MAUR R
713.301.4961
Mauro Rodriguez Diaz
SCAD : GSAPP
DRIGUEZ
rodrixmau@hotmail.com
Manhattan, NY
ÒPALO x SAUCED Pop-up
Location: Sauced NYC _ East Village Role: Photographer, Creative director, Videographer Partners: Òpalo X Sauced.nyc Date: June 27-28, 2026
ÒPALO is a pop-up project by chefs Jose and Jonathan, two Mexican cooks building something of their own in New York. Both came up through Casamata, Enrique Olvera’s restaurant group, and cook around the city today. Their food is personal, rooted in Mexican cooking and the places they come from. I met them through the New York restaurant world and began documenting their work. For ÒPALO x Sauced I directed the photography and video across the full arc of the event, treating a one-night pop-up as a single designed experience rather than a single service. A restaurant is designed as deliberately as any building: the light, the room, the pacing of a meal, the threshold between front and back of house. Documenting one is a way of reading that design from the inside, and it’s the part of this work I care about most.
The strength of a pop-up is that nothing is hidden. I documented the full cycle, from sourcing at the market to the prep the day before to the service itself. The moments that usually go unseen are the ones that explain how a space actually works, and reading them closely is the same attention a room asks for. Much of what this took carries directly into design work. Building visual references and mood, artdirecting a shoot, thinking through lighting and materials, and shaping how a project is presented across its menus, film, and platforms. It’s research, sourcing, and presentation held to a consistent point of view, done in Photoshop, InDesign, and Premiere and in close coordination with the people making it. Working this close to a hospitality concept is how I understand space: through atmosphere, sequence, and detail rather than plan alone. It’s the perspective I want to bring into interior and hospitality projects, where the feel of a room is the work.
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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
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PAPATZUL x BRUNCH Tulum Experience
Papatzul’s brunch never filled. The owner told us those seats sat empty week after week, so I proposed a one night popup to change that. The problem was atmosphere, not food, so I ran it as a design brief: build a room people want to walk into and stay in. The concept and direction were mine, the palette, the menu, the lighting, and the pacing of the night. I ran it as creative director: I built the marketing that filled the room, flyers and a
digital pu event’s lo them, and and Prem it needed and a so
It sold o brunch r restauran read hosp the feel o
ush, then designed the menu and the ook. I shot the stills, cut video from d worked in Photoshop, InDesign, miere. I served on the floor when d hands. My DJ ran the music ommelier friend ran the service.
out. For the first time in ages the ran at capacity, a real win for the nt, the DJ, and us. That is how I pitality: atmosphere as the product, of a room as the work.
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Wynn Al Marjan Island Hospitality & Entertainment Resort Wynn Al Marjan Island is a large-scale mixed-use hospitality destination located in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Developed as an integrated waterfront resort, the project combines hospitality, entertainment, retail, convention, and public realm programs within a landmark tower and resort complex. As part of the HKS design team, I contributed during the schematic design phase, supporting the development of tower massing, program studies, and design iterations. The project underwent continuous refinement to balance luxury hospitality requirements, operational efficiency, environmental performance, and its visual presence within the evolving skyline of the region. My work included room count and area studies, massing explorations, diagram production, presentation graphics, and design coordination using Revit, Rhino, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite.
Location: Ras Al Khaimah, UAE Employer: HKS Role: Architectural Design Intern Term: Summer 2022
Waterfront Planning The resort master plan organizes hospitality, entertainment, retail, and public amenities along a continuous waterfront experience. The landscape strategy establishes a sequence of promenades, pools, gardens, and gathering spaces that connect the tower, podium, marina, and shoreline into a cohesive destination. Working within the schematic design phase, I contributed to site planning studies, program coordination, diagram production, and presentation materials used to evaluate circulation, guest experience, and the relationship between architecture and landscape. The project evolved through multiple iterations as hospitality requirements, operational needs, and public realm considerations were continuously refined.
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DESIGN STUDIES DESIGN STUDIES
GLASS STUDIES
GLASS STUDIES
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Play Time Adaptive Reuse: Daycare This project proposes the adaptive reuse of an existing government facility in Veracruz to create a daycare for the children of public employees. Many parents working in the building face extended work hours while local schools dismiss students earlier in the day. As a result, children often remain in offices and corridors without appropriate spaces to play, learn, or stay engaged. Although a daycare currently exists within the facility, its interior conditions are inadequate due to poor material choices and environments not designed with children in mind. The proposal focuses on rethinking the interior architecture to create a safer and more stimulating environment. Material selection prioritized child safety and indoor air quality: natural linoleum flooring, FSC plywood millwork in low-VOC hardwax oil, soft rounded wall panels, and OEKO-TEX textiles. The design also promotes natural light, ventilation, and visual connections to the outdoors, creating distinct zones for play, learning, rest, and social interaction.
Location: Veracruz, Mexico Employer: TTProces Role: Architectural Designer Year: 2025, Proposal
PLANO LUDOTECA
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1 4.19
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This slide compares the existing floor plan with the proposed intervention. While the overall building layout remains largely unchanged, the project rethinks the interior organization through material choices, furniture layout, and more efficient use of space. The existing plan functions as a single open area where different activities overlap, while the proposal introduces flexible zones that support sleeping, learning, and play for children of different ages. The new plan also strengthens the relationship with the adjacent garden, allowing interior spaces to extend toward the outdoors.
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Learning Zone Area with computers, desks, and seating to support children’s study.
Birch Plywood
Kvadrat Textile
FSC-certified millwork in low-VOC oil. Soft, warm, and safe for small hands.
OEKO-TEX certified upholstery. Hardwearing, low-toxicity, and warm to the touch.
Reading Zone Area with bookshelves and a resting space for listening, reading, and conversation.
Larger
Play Zone Slide area, art area, and table games area.
Girls’ Bathroom
South Elevation
Wood-Wool Acoustic Panel
Marmoleum Linoleum
Softens sound in active rooms and rounds off hard edges for child safety.
Natural, non-toxic, and warm underfoot. Durable enough for constant play and easy to clean.
North Elevation
Children’s Zone
Boys’ Bathroom
area for younger children with books, toys, and activities.
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Harlem Tower Housing A new approach to affordable housing that challenges traditional design limits to re-imagine what “home” can feel like in the urban context of Harlem. The project offers an innovative perspective on space, focusing not only on square footage but on height, volume, and inventive spatial strategies. It moves beyond conventional apartment layouts to create residences that are compact yet full of possibilities. In New York City, where space is precious and every inch matters, the question arose: how can affordable housing feel as luxurious as it is accessible? This project answers by rethinking the living experience within limited dimensions. Through a three-dimensional design approach, interiors feel expansive and open, capturing the airiness and flow typically associated with larger homes. Elevated ceilings, flexible layouts, and multipurpose furniture transform spaces with ease. Every wall, corner, and view is intentionally designed to enhance comfort, efficiency, and a sense of belonging, offering residents a home that feels both generous and welcoming.
Location: Harlem, NY Course: Core Studio III Partner: Nicholas Richards Professor: Garry Bates Term: Fall 2023
Different Ways to Visu
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What If ? What if we measured housing by volume instead of just square footage? This question inspired a design that is flexible, adaptable, and deeply responsive to its residents’ needs. Imagine exchanging ceiling height with a neighbor to gain an extra room in your apartment. This approach not only makes housing more enjoyable but also ensures that every cubic inch of space holds value and meaning for someone.
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Facade Axonometric Detail Model
Co r r ug ated Metal Deck
6 ” C M U B a ck wa l l 4 ” M i n e r a l Wo o l I n s u l a ti o n Wo o d Fr a m e C a semen t W i n d ow
Op en -We b Ste el Jo i sts
C l a ddi n g S u p p o r t B r a ckets
G l a zed Te r r a c o tta Pa n el M o du l e
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Additional Work Construction Documents — Revit & CAD
A course built around carrying one building all the way through documentation. I modeled the structure and produced the set: floor plans, elev annotated to a consistent standard.
Working at that level teaches you things design studios don’t. How a set holds together, how one change moves through every other drawing, an
Location: Savannah, GA Course: ELDS 425 Professor: Huy Sinh Ngo Term: Winter 2022
vations, sections, and callouts, with sheets laid out and
nd how much of a building gets decided in the notes.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Second Story Incremental Housing: 50 Units This project proposes a community of fifty homes in Veracruz, built as affordable housing without treating affordability as a limit on quality. Rather than a single fixed house, the design offers a model that adapts to how families actually live and grow, letting each household begin at a scale it can afford and expand over time as its needs and means change. Each home can start as a single story and grow into two, with the structure already prepared for the second floor. A family can build what it needs now and add the rest later, without demolition or starting over when the household expands. The design stays true to Veracruz in its materials and its planting, using regional vegetation and shaded, ventilated construction suited to the climate. Beyond the houses, the plan gives the community a central park, a pool, sports courts, and a mile-long running and cycling path, all connected to the streets beyond.
Location: Veracruz, Mexico Employer: TTProces Role: Architectural Designer Year: 2025, Proposal
Casa Modelo 01 is the two-story version of the home, offering more interior space for families that have already grown or expect to. It is not a separate design but the next stage of Modelo 02, built on the same footprint and structure with a second floor added above. The upper level holds additional bedrooms and a terrace, while the ground floor keeps the shared living areas open and connected to the garden and the street.
Casa Modelo 02 is the single-story version, with a smaller footprint that leaves more room for a garden or terrace around the house. It is designed to be lived in fully from the first day, with everything a household needs on one level. The structure is prepared so that a second floor can be added later, letting the home grow into Modelo 01 when the family or its means expand, without starting the construction over.
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The material palette is drawn from Veracruz and built for its climate. Lime-plaster walls, terracotta roof tile, and dark local wood carry the houses, chosen for how they age, breathe, and hold up to heat and humidity over time. The design works with the weather rather than against it. Deep eaves and shaded entries keep the sun off the walls, cross-ventilation moves air through the rooms, and each house opens toward its garden so daily life can move easily between inside and out. Greenery is treated as part of the plan, not decoration around it. Native and regional species shape the streets and gardens, from flamboyán trees in bloom to coconut palms and low tropical planting, giving shade, color, and habitat. Green runs continuously through the community, tying the houses to the parks and paths between them. The result is a place meant to grow slowly and settle in, where the houses, the planting, and the people mature together.
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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
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Steel frame partition / bulkhead
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Isofrozen sandwich panel, 200 mm
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Corrugated sheet metal
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Double UPN 300 channels
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RHS steel structure (Rectangular Hollow Section
10. Castellated beam (IPE 250)
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IPE 250 steel beam
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EPS insulation layer, 300 mm
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Welded and bolted joint – interlocking connection
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Steel foundation “ski-type” base
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ulation performance 0m
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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
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The Process
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Design Portfolio
MAUR MauroRRodriguez DRIGUEZ
SCAD : GSAPP
R 713.301.4961
rodrixmau@hotmail.com
Manhattan, NY