Welcome to the Archello Podcast, architecture’s most visual podcast series. Listen as Archello's Paris-based Editor in Chief, Collin Anderson, sits down with architects to discuss their careers and projects. Each audio episode is accompanied by a rich visual storyboard which listeners can use to follow the discussion.
Introducing Fernando Sordo Madaleno de Haro and Rosalba Rojas of Sordo Madaleno
In this episode, Archello visits the newly-launched London office of Sordo Madaleno, a leading Mexican architecture firm based in Mexico City, and one of Mexico's largest practices with over 200 architects.
The interview is with Fernando Sordo Madaleno de Haro and Rosalba Rojas, two leaders in the office of Sordo Madaleno, which was founded by Fernando’s grandfather in 1937. Fernando, who is a partner in the firm, moved to London last year to set up a new international office for the practice. Rojas is an architect based in the Mexico office, where she directs the Sordo Madaleno Foundation and leads its archival work.
Listen and scroll as we explore Sordo Madaleno’s history, its projects in Mexico and Europe, the experience of opening a UK office, and the foundation it established after discovering a lost treasure trove archives containing both built and unbuilt projects.
On growing up in a family of architects
Sordo Madaleno is a cornerstone of Mexican architecture. Founded 85 years ago, the firm has been guided by three generations of architects from the same family.
According to Fernando, Mexico has a tradition of passing down the architectural torch through generations. Now, he is at the helm of the practice representing the third generation, and has hopes of a fourth continuing the legacy.
"It's a really interesting phenomenon that happens in Mexico because I think we see (architecture) as a trade...passed on from generation to generation." -Sordo Madaleno
Fernando was born in Mexico in 1991, and immersed in architecture from an early age. He followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, and is beginning to reshape the studio’s identity as a partner and leader. He sees Leading Sordo Madaleno as a significant responsibility, but also as a positive force that informs contemporary solutions. The collaboration of different generations, blending youth with experience, creates a resilient and innovative practice.
On opening a Mexican office in London
Fernando moved to London in 2023. He notes London’s international and multicultural environment has made the transition smooth, with the city's diversity adding a new dimension to the practice. Unlike in Mexico, where the large majority of the office staff are Mexican, the London office is 50 percent international, enriching the work with varied cultural perspectives.
Fernando believes he brings a distinct sensibility from Mexican architecture to Europe, rooted in a mindful use of natural resources and materiality. The focus of his practice is on creating spaces rather than forms, a philosophy that reflects the broader trends in contemporary Mexican architecture. He believes that the innovative and high-quality work emerging from Mexico can resonate globally.
The decision to move to London was driven by the opportunity to introduce ideas rooted in Mexican culture to a new audience. Fernando sees this sensibility to the environment and materials as universally applicable, enriching architectural practices beyond Mexico.
"We have all these experiences in Mexico City and around Mexico that we believe we can translate to other places in the world. That was the vision, and some projects came to the office from Europe and the Middle East. So we took the chance. We wanted to be closer to our clients, and a lot of the architectural agenda is being developed here in London." -Sordo Madaleno
On the design of two churches in Mexico
One of Sordo Madaleno's most celebrated and recognizable projects is one by Fernando's father, the San Josemaría Escrivá Church in western Mexico City, completed in 2008. It boasts a striking form which features two merging ellipses in its floor plan, and aims to evoke timeless values using natural light and raw materials.
The project draws inspiration from past architectural achievements, such as the San Ignacio project designed by Juan Sordo, the founder of the Sordo Fernando firm. The San Ignacio project, a 1961 design by Juan Sordo, stands out for its innovative use of prefabricated materials and traditional Latin cross layout. Its simplicity and repeated elements create a dramatic space, emphasizing the blending of modernity with tradition.
The more recent San Josemaría Escrivá project employs zinc cladding on the exterior for durability and to echo the materials used in colonial Mexican churches. Inside, the use of natural wood brings warmth and directs attention upward, symbolizing spiritual ascent. These material choices reflect a deep connection to cultural heritage and thoughtful architectural decisions.
Beyond its religious function, the church serves as a community center, playing a vital role in the development of this new part of the city. Beneath the church, there are various community spaces, crypts, and chapels, making it a bustling hub despite its outward appearance.
The interplay of light and mass in both church projects could be described as a hallmark of Mexican architecture, enhancing the buildings' readability and creating dynamic environments that change throughout the day.
On building with wood
In 2020 Fernando completed the Valle San Nicolás Clubhouse, an amenities building for a residential project on a rural site in Mexico. It is a single-story, circular timber structure that appears to float on the edge of a lake. The project began when the architects were invited to create a master plan for a residential community, aiming to establish a central building that would unite it. The challenge was to start from a blank slate on a vast terrain, leading to the decision to create a circular form that offers 360-degree views and incorporates a central courtyard.
The building's materiality draws from local traditions, particularly the use of wood, reflecting the surrounding forest. The design showcases exposed structural elements, emphasizing simplicity and harmony with the landscape. A pool creates a central axis, enhancing directionality and framing stunning sunset views.
The design of the clubhouse balances two scales: a clean, geometric form from afar and a warm, textured facade up close. The use of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and detailed timber work are significant features, highlighting Mexico's rich biodiversity and the unique opportunity to use local resources. The architects aimed to make the building site-specific, integrating natural stone and craftsmanship to blend seamlessly with its environment.
According to Sordo Madaleno, the project exemplifies architecture responding to its context, embedding a piece of the lake within the building and creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. The use of CLT, though not typical in Mexico, was feasible due to local resources, offering a sustainable and contextually appropriate solution.
On the design of a Spanish football stadium
An ongoing project of significant scale, the El Molinón Stadium in Asturias, Spain, is a 30,000-seat stadium slated to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. This project marks a major endeavor for the architectural firm, demonstrating its versatility in tackling different building typologies. The stadium's location in the city center, adjacent to a river and park, presented unique opportunities for integration with the urban landscape and existing commercial spaces.
Sordo Madaleno aims to respect the stadium's historical significance as the oldest football pitch in Spain, expanding seating capacity to 40,000 while preserving the original seating structure. The design focuses on enhancing public engagement, making the stadium a vibrant part of the community at all times of the year, not just on match days. Vertical circulation elements, necessary for increasing capacity, double as inviting public spaces, merging functionality with community use.
Working in Spain presents unique challenges and opportunities, especially given the cultural importance of football. The firm strives to create a stadium deeply rooted in its context, reflecting the identity and passion of the local community. This commitment extends to sustainability, with plans for post-World Cup use including transforming additional seating into cultural spaces.
On discovering a lost trove of documents and establishing a foundation
Rojas now directs the recently-established Sordo Madaleno Foundation. Its three pillars are educational, cultural, and social projects, with a historical archive being a crucial part of the cultural component. The foundation's cultural and educational components include publications, exhibitions, and launching scholarships for master's degrees and researchers. It offers mentoring programs where students can work directors from the firm.
"The main goal of the foundation is to give back to the city everything that that's been given to the firm and to us as part of the firm. We believe that that architecture has the power to transform, to transform realities, to transform the life of people that leave that building to transform urban dynamics to transform at least for some period of time." -Rojas
In 2017, when Sordo Madaleno relocated its offices, it stumbled upon the historical archive of its founder, Juan Sordo Madaleno. What was previously a modest collection of 200 items suddenly expanded to an astonishing 125,000 items. This discovery was unexpected, found hidden between two slabs in a house during the move. According to Rojas, workers were about to discard the materials, thinking they were rubbish, before the architects realized the significance of the findings.
The archive contains drawings, models, letters, invoices, and more, all preserved in excellent condition due to their isolation from light and humidity.
This discovery was monumental for the practice, revealing new projects and utopian ideas long forgotten. Last year, Sordo Madaleno held an exhibition showcasing the most significant pieces of this archive, many of which had never been seen before.
On producing a historical monograph
Earlier this year Sordo Madaleno published a monograph, a project spearheaded by Rojas. Edited by Barry Bergdoll, the retrospective publication selects from the office's 400 built projects as well as its extensive library of unbuilt works, many of which were part of the archival discovery. The book showcases the firm’s diverse portfolio which ranges from individual buildings to large-scale urban plans, and includes hotels, houses, restaurants, urban spaces, and real estate developments.
The book includes contributions from sixteen authors, and delves into the firm's rich history to highlight the firm's project and also contextualize them within the broader urban and economic developments in Mexico and internationally.
The book is a large, detailed publication that meticulously connects various projects and typologies over the decades. It was developed with contributions from experts in housing, retail, and hospitality, reflecting on how tourism and economic growth shaped Mexico's architectural landscape. The historical archive, now part of the firm’s cultural initiatives, is a testament to the enduring impact of their work on national history and architecture.
