This project continues research on Mexico’s wooden architectural tradition, expanding the understanding of a material history often overshadowed by the country’s association with monumental stone construction. While Mexico is widely recognized for its massive architectural heritage, a parallel tradition of lightweight, assembled timber structures has existed across centuries. Through a national catalog of emblematic constructions, from Mesoamerican structures to contemporary laminated timber projects, the research documents, analyzes, and artistically reinterprets historical and modern examples, demonstrating wood’s structural versatility and cultural continuity. Combining fieldwork, interviews, photographic and graphic documentation, and abstract three-dimensional explorations, the project reveals the technical diversity, symbolic meaning, and environmental intelligence embedded in Mexico’s timber architecture. In the context of today’s environmental challenges, reframing wood as a continuous and sophisticated tradition, rather than a temporary ecological trend, broadens architectural discourse and encourages renewed engagement with a resilient, lightweight, and deeply rooted material culture.

Alexander Garduño is an architect who graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where he serves as a faculty member. He holds a master’s in mass timber design from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and participated in the Wood Program at Aalto University, Finland. He is pursuing a master’s of science in Design + Make at Hooke Park, Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA), United Kingdom. His work explores timber construction and sustainable material systems. Notable projects include KORE, presented at the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale 2022, and CASA UNAM for Solar Decathlon Europe 2014. He has received grants from the Young Creators Program of Mexico’s National System for Creative Support (SACPC, formerly FONCA), and a Scholarship for Studies Abroad funded by the Secretaría de Ciencias, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación (SECIHTI) and SACPC. He is cofounder of LEM - Experimental Wood Laboratory. In this project, he leads fieldwork, archival research, and 3-D scanning.

Veronika Kudriashova is an architect who graduated from the National Superior School of Architecture of Montpellier (ENSAM), France. She holds a master’s in mass timber design from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and completed the Wood Program at Aalto University, Finland. She worked at Tatiana Bilbao Studio in Mexico City, contributing to housing and public buildings. She has designed and built prefabricated wooden saunas and participated in community-based initiatives such as the Eskaapi Library in Ghana. Veronika is cofounder of LEM - Experimental Wood Laboratory in Mexico, leading research, fabrication, and artistic projects centered on timber construction. She collaborates with architect Javier Sánchez on projects focused on sustainable strategies and local materials. She is a member of Arquitectas MX and has participated in collective exhibitions exploring material culture and gender in architecture. In this investigation, she oversees organization, fieldwork, documentation, drawings, and the development of the digital catalog.