Nuestro Ambiente at a Crossroad
2025-11-11 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Architecture Center Houston, 902 Commerce St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join award-winning journalist Linda Lorelle and a panel of experts, Cesar Espinosa (FIEL), Charles Foster (Foster LLP), Stan Marek (MAREK), and Emiliano Valencia (ABIC), for an insightful conversation about the vital role undocumented laborers have played in America’s construction workforce, the real human and economic costs of the current immigration system, and proposed policy solutions to provide legal status for foreign workers to meet nation’s growing workforce needs.
Panlists:
Cesar Espinosa
Cesar Espinosa is co-founder and current Executive Director of the largest immigrant-led civil rights organization in Texas named FIEL (Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha – Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight).
FIEL is immigrant-led organization that seeks to empower the immigrant community in Houston, the State of Texas and The United States. Mr. Espinosa has served and is currently serving on a variety of boards at the local, state and national level.
He has also always worked on a variety of issues including, race relations, police reform and a variety of issues uplifting many communities. Mr. Espinosa is an advocate for immigrants’ rights, students’ rights and human rights.
Charles Foster
Charles C. Foster is the Chairman of Foster LLP and is based in the Houston office.
Charles has dedicated much of his career to the improvement of his community. He served as senior immigration policy advisor to President George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential campaigns and as an immigration policy advisor to Barack Obama in the 2008 campaign. He is the founding Chairman of the Immigration & Nationality Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and has previously served as Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Immigration, the Greater Houston Partnership’s Economic Development Advisory Committee and World Trade Division, the American Bar Association’s Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law, and the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality and is past National President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Houston Forum and the Houston Club and Board member of Ripley / Baker.
Stan Marek
Stan Marek, CEO of MAREK, one of the largest interior contractors in the Southwest. Stan has been focused on workforce development, sustainability and Comprehensive Immigration Reform. He is the co-founder of Texans For Sensible Immigration Policy and a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s task force, Americans For Immigration Reform.
Emiliano Valencia
Emiliano Valencia is the Texas deputy director for the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC). ABIC is a bipartisan coalition of over 1,800 employers and CEOs from across the country to provide a strong and unified voice seeking lasting immigration solutions. ABIC employers include agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, technology, and construction.

Image: Yo Creo by Real 333 (Eliud Zavala). Located in the Second Ward on the former Talento Bilingue de Houston building. Courtesy of Luis Ayala.

Nuestro Ambiente at a Crossroads is in conjunction with our current exhibition, Nuestro Ambiente: Latinos Shaping Houston, on view through January 30 at Architecture Center Houston.
Exhibition and Programming Sponsors
Marek; Martinez Architects; Gage Architecture; RDLR Architects; Regional Hispanic Contractors Association InfraTECH; DBR; Kirksey Architecture; Daniel Ortiz, AIA; Wilson and Catherine Maxey.

Innovators in Discussion
2025-12-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Architecture Center Houston, 902 Commerce St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join us for an open and insightful forum celebrating the voices of Latino and Latina architects who have shaped—and continue to shape—Houston’s built environment. This session, part of the TertuLiAs series, brings together more than ten distinguished professionals whose work spans decades of influence, innovation, and cultural expression in architecture and design.
Innovators in Discussion looks to the past to pave the way for Houston’s future. Through compelling stories and meaningful dialogue, panelists will reflect on their personal journeys, the cultural heritage that informs their work, and the evolving role of Latino professionals in the architectural landscape.
Panelists:
Fernando Brave, FAIA
Art Chavez, AIA
Romulo Tim Cisneros, AIA
Benito Guerrier, AIA
Carlos Jiménez
Rafael Longoria, AIA
Camilo Parra, AIA
Roger Soto, AIA
Lorie Westrick, AIA
moderated by
Stephen Fox
This session is organized by the LiA Exhibition Committee and the LiA Outreach Committee of the AIA Houston Chapter’s Latinos in Architecture (LiA). It is part of the 2025 Nuestro Ambiente exhibition, which honors trailblazers in our community and fosters a shared sense of belonging through architecture.

Get to Know an Architect: Patrick Lopez
2026-01-31 12:00 - 13:30 | Julia Ideson Building, 550 McKinney St, Houston, TX, 77002
Patrick Lopez (1937-2018) studied architecture at the University of Texas and the University of Houston and opened his own design firm in 1964. Yet it was his childhood fascination with images in comic books and cartoons that inspired his career as an illustrator. His talents were recognized and sought after by major firms across the country. Lopez spent years working with some of the best architects, including Helmut Jahn, Philip Johnson, John Burgee, S. I. Morris, and Eugene Aubry.
In collaboration with the Houston History Research Center (HHRC), join us on Saturday, January 31, at the Julian Ideson Library for a conversation and a look at the library’s collection of Lopez’s architectural renderings with HHRC Architecture Archivist Ginger Berni.
The event is free and open to the community. RSVP here.

This event is part of our current exhibition, Nuestro Ambiente, on view through January 30, 2026.
Exhibition and Programming Sponsors:
InfraTECH; Luis Ayala Studio; Marek; Martinez Architects; Page now Stantec; Spaw Glass; RDLR; McCoy Rockford; and Art Chavez, AIA.
Additional support provided by
DBR, Wilson and Catherine Maxey, and Daniel Ortiz, AIA

TertuLiAs: Designing the Everyday
2026-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 | LEAM Project Site, 1226 Krist Dr, Houston, TX, 77055, United States
Join the Latinos in Architecture (LiA) Committee for an intimate TertuLiA a three-part series featuring leaders from diverse practice areas. The series highlights how Latino professionals are finding their voice, contributing to the profession, advocating for representation, and uplifting the next generation, from high school students to emerging architects. While reflecting on how Houston’s Latino population influences design and architectural work across the industry.
For our first 2026 TertuLiA, we are focusing on residential, design–build, high-end, and small commercial practices including Paul Benavente (Stella Maris Architecture), Luisa Aurrecoechea (LEAM Design + Build), Franco Albarran, AIA (Albarran Architects) and Paola Rubio (Paola Rubio Design Studio). Starting the TertuLiAs series this year with residential design professionals offers meaningful benefits for us as Latinos in Architecture. Residential work remains one of the most accessible and community-connected areas of practice, especially for early- and mid-career Latino designers. By learning from colleagues who specialize in residential, design–build, high end projects and small commercial, we gain insight into project delivery methods, client engagement, and business development models that often lead to entrepreneurial opportunities, pathways where Latinos have historically thrived.
Of the over 121,000 registered architects in the United States, only 6 percent identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to NCARB. Latinos represent 19.1 percent of the total U.S. population, the nation’s second largest ethnic group. In Houston, Latinos comprise 44.1 percent of the population.
Join us for this first 2026 session to hear about their experience, their journey, challenges, successes, and how they’ve shaped their practice.
This session will take place at one of LEAM Design + Build’s residential projects.

About the Panelists
Franco Albarran, AIA
Franco has extensive knowledge in Custom Residential Architectural Design and Construction. He also has an excellent construction discipline as he coordinates the interconnectivity of architecture and construction. His job site awareness brings a higher level of control through proactive steps that elevate the value of the project. Franco‘s passion for design and construction have led him to be fully engaged in both disciplines of architecture and construction. He feels both disciplines are interconnected and provide feedback for one another.
Luisa Aurrecoechea, LEED AP BD+C
Luisa Aurrecoechea is the founder and principal of LEAM Design Build, a Houston-based design and construction firm specializing in custom residential architecture and interior design. Originally from Venezuela, Luisa earned her architecture degree in Caracas and later completed a Master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma and a furniture design degree at the University of Buenos Aires.
She began her career working on a wide range of commercial and institutional projects in the United States, including schools, theaters, and large-scale developments. After years in commercial architecture, she founded her own firm to design and build thoughtfully crafted homes that blend sustainability, practicality, and contemporary design.
With over a decade of professional experience, Luisa is passionate about guiding clients through the entire process, from concept and design to construction, creating homes and interiors that are both beautiful and functional. Her work emphasizes efficient building methods, strong collaboration with clients and builders, and spaces that support the way families live today.
Paul Benavente
Paul Benavente owns and operates Stella Maris Architecture, which is located within a NASA-era building across from Space Center Houston. He and a long-term architecture colleague serve projects in light commercial, residential, and institutional sectors. Paul earned degrees in Architecture and Scholastic Philosophy in 2002 and 2007, respectively. He possesses licenses in Texas and New Mexico.
Paul finds inspiration in domestic and international travel, making each vacation a “study trip” in architecture. Both Instagram and the office photo document these inspiring moments in architecture. His education in philosophy is foundational to his practice. The firm’s motto derives from a perennial understanding of beauty in created work: “Beauty as a Discipline of Architectural Practice.” A study of architecture explained according to philosophical principles was nationally published in Palladiana, 2020, and continues to be a source of education passed on to students. The craft of building is a passion. Paul has visited fabrication shops of various trades and has organized open house events for trades such as terrazzo and decorative plaster.
Paola Rubio
Paola Rubio is the Founder and Creative Director of Paola Rubio Design Studio, a Houston-based boutique interior design studio specializing in high-impact commercial and hospitality environments. Born and raised in Veracruz, Mexico, Paola began her career in architecture, graduating with honors from the National Technological Institute of Mexico before relocating to Houston to pursue her passion for interior design.
She began her U.S. career at a high-end residential design firm, where she developed a strong foundation in luxury detailing and refined aesthetics. Driven by a deeper passion for experiential spaces, Paola transitioned into the commercial sector, serving as Design Director at a design-build firm known for delivering complex, high-end projects.
Now leading her own studio, Paola focuses on creating thoughtful, brand-driven environments that elevate the user experience. Her work reflects a balance between creative vision and real-world execution, shaped by her design-to-build approach. She is currently pursuing her NCIDQ certification while continuing to expand her growing portfolio of commercial projects across Texas.
