Architecture Competition Legendary Bird Home / Edition 2 Honorable mention - Daniel Romero Valencia

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winner for our "Legendary Bird Home / Edition 2" competition – Daniel Romero Valencia from Mexico!

Daniel Romero Valencia from Mexico

Daniel Romero Valencia (México, 1982) Daniel Romero is a Mexican industrial designer from the CIDI at the UNAM. He is founding partner of Tuux, a boutique workshop specializing in design, development and fabrication of projects of very diverse kinds, from the engineering and making of art pieces to the design and manufacturing of consumer products.

Daniel Romero is a partner and board member of the Abierto Mexicano de Diseño, an open-source design festival in Mexico City. He teaches industrial design, furniture and ergonomics at CIDI, UNAM. He is a partner and designer of the online store Hecho y Derecho, professor of online courses at Domestika. He also works as an independent designer for other manufacturers. For his design work he has received numerous awards both individually and with his studio Tuux, some of them are Red Dot Award: Product Design 2019 (Germany 2019), Selected among the 100 most creative Mexicans in the world (Forbes Magazine, Mexico 2019), Ibero-American Design Biennale BID (Madrid Spain 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020), Shortlisted in the National Design _Biennale (Mexico 2016), three awards at Diseña México 2016 (Mexico 2016), official selection for the Mexican Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 (Venice 2016), Clap (Argentina 2015, 2016), Quorum (Mexico 2013), Chilangos del año (Mexico 2013), Honorific mention in Dimueble (Guadalajara Mexico 2008), Gustavo Baz Prada Medal of the UNAM (Mexico 2007), National Youth Award for Social Service (Mexico 2007).

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

We strive to a design culture of excellence. We combine creativity, strategic thinking and great design in projects to add value.

Tuux is a design and manufacturing company that develops coherent design projects with a keen environmental and social responsibility. The interdisciplinary team is composed of designers, scientists, woodworkers, chefs and entrepreneurs, with members trained in Mexico and abroad, who collectively stack multiple international design awards and professional experience in design, sustainability, manufacturing and project management. Our client list is equally plural, including government agencies, cultural institutions, multinational corporations, and architecture and design firms, as well as small craft-makers workshops and individuals.

Tuux means bat in the Mixe indigenous language. For us the word not only represents the diversity of our culture, but also this small flying mammal is a constant reminder of the enigmatic roles that species and individuals play in balancing our planet's amazing yet fragile ecosystems.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

I am an industrial designer so I speak from the point of view of design in general. I believe that design has very powerful tools and methodologies to focus on a more desirable future.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

It is always important to participate, from the time you are a student onto your professional life. It helps to meet new and interesting people and projects, with similar values to ours. For this reason we have always participated in various competitions and we have proudly won multiple awards, both national and international, which have certainly opened doors for us to work at international level. We have a Red Dot Award: Product Design 2019 (Germany 2019), pieces and projects selected for the Ibero-American Design Biennale BID 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020, official selection for the Mexican Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 (Venice 2016), among others.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

First, it lets you practice and it is a good excuse to release projects that are still on the making and give them visibility. It also helps to meet other designers and start networking. Finally, it helps understand the diversity of the world, much larger than a school, especially with international competitions, and to compare your work on that level.