Faculty

Profile

Alonso L Ortega he/him is an emerging transdisciplinary architectural designer + artist + educator + researcher based in New York. His work focuses on the investigation of materiality as political, the influence of digital processes on design language, and the disciplines adaptability to respond to diverse circumstances, scales, and frameworks. Ortega currently holds teaching roles as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University, where he fosters an experimental and exploratory environment that addresses contemporary challenges of spatial justice, equity, and coloniality. He also teaches at Parsons School of Design, specializing in spatial relationships, volumetric interactions, material assemblies, and new physical and digital visualizations. Ortega works with Mario Gooden Studio as a Junior Architectural Designer, leading and managing projects while addressing and engaging in the cultural landscape and intersectionality of architecture, race, gender, sexuality, and technology.   

Along with Ortega's numerous awards, citations, and recognition, his work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the International Exhibition of Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy; the Università Roma Tre in Rome, Italy; Charlotte Street Foundations, Art in the Loop Foundation, and 21c Museum Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri; and Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. ​

Ortega completed an advanced graduate degree in architecture from Columbia University and a B.Arch. from Iowa State University. It is Ortega's ongoing commitment to pushing the boundaries of architecture and its practice by pursuing curiosity, questioning convention, and creatively navigating problem-solving that continues to add value to the design profession.

Degrees Held

Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design | Columbia University | New York, NY

Through the Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, this three-semester program provides a framework to explore ideas through innovations in

representational tools while embracing a new probationary artifact. This operation explores specific methods of interscalarity in its political, social, and environmental scales.

Bachelors of Architecture | Iowa State University | Ames, IA

Situated in a multi-disciplinary and highly research based program, the 5 year theoretical framework provides conceptual, practical, and speculative thinking through material and

technology. This operation critically examines the complexities, social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the built environment.

Research Interests

As an active professional and educator in the design field, my work revolves around integrating interdisciplinary practices, critical thinking, and innovative design solutions to push the boundaries of architecture toward more equitable and inclusive outcomes. My teaching philosophy is grounded in merging theory and practice, fostering an environment where students critically engage with the socio-political dimensions of architecture. I aim to empower future designers to challenge established norms through creative, responsible design practices that respond to our rapidly evolving world.

Portfolio

alonsolortega.com