About

DONIS is an international studio of architecture, urbanism, research, industrial design, and art. The studio has won several international prizes, including the Dubai Frame, selected as the first-prize winner from 926 proposals in an international competition regulated by UNESCO-UIA; the first prize for the National Palace of Justice in Paris; and the winning design for a new landmark for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the City of London. DONIS designs, develops, and builds projects across a wide range of scales and programs, consistently pursuing innovative, sustainable, and socially engaged architecture. DONIS was founded by Fernando Donis, Mexican Dutch architect who received his Master’s degree from the Architectural Association in London through the Design Research Laboratory (DRL), where he studied under Patrik Schumacher and Brett Steele. He also received a PhD in Architecture from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), through the doctoral research program The City as a Project, led by with Pier Vittorio Aureli. His doctoral research, FRAME, is a five-chapter study of the archetype of the frame and its role in the architectural and urban history and culture of Mexico. Following his studies at the Architectural Association, Fernando Donis worked closely with Rem Koolhaas as an Associate at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) for nine years, from 2001 to 2009. During this period, he was the main designer of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, among numerous other architectural projects and masterplans. He also collaborated with AMO, OMA’s research and design branch, contributing to research projects concerning the European Union. Fernando Donis has taught at the Berlage Institute and the Academy of Architecture in Rotterdam, as well as at Universidad Iberoamericana and Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico, integrating architectural research, design, and urbanism across multiple scales. His work and career have received international recognition. In 2011, CNN Expansión selected him as one of the 30 most promising and influential people in Mexico. In 2015, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected him as one of the country’s most creative Mexicans living abroad.

Fernando Donis, founder of DONIS
Fernando Donis · Founder
DONIS

Frame City

PRIMER LUGAR EN CONCURSO INTERNACIONAL

Ubicación – Mundo

Año – 2021

Programa – Programas urbanos, Vivienda, Trabajo, Servicios, Parque, Agricultura, Generación de energía

Escala – 1 millón de habitantes

Frame City es un nuevo modelo para la ciudad sostenible del siglo XXI. El proyecto ganó el concurso internacional Redesign the World, organizado por Dezeen, la plataforma líder mundial en arquitectura y diseño.

La propuesta de Fernando Donis crea nuevas topografías habitables en las que la humanidad y la naturaleza coexisten.

El concepto Frame City de Donis busca revertir el daño causado a la naturaleza y al bienestar de las personas por un siglo de rápida urbanización.

Cada ciudad de alta densidad, diseñada para albergar a un millón de personas, está formada por estructuras aterrazadas similares a montañas, construidas con madera laminada cruzada (CLT), concebidas para enmarcar los paisajes naturales.

Las carreteras y los vehículos privados serían sustituidos por infraestructura peatonal y ciclista, mediante una cuidadosa planificación urbana que garantiza que los servicios y equipamientos necesarios se encuentren a menos de 15 minutos a pie o en bicicleta de las viviendas.

Donis imagina que cada ciudad estaría diseñada para integrarse y complementar su entorno natural, creando una red diversa de distintos asentamientos urbanos que daría lugar a un rico intercambio cultural y al turismo.

«La propuesta de Donis de crear una nueva topografía habitable para las personas, al tiempo que favorece a la naturaleza, es poderosa, convincente y distinta a cualquier otra propuesta que recibimos», señalaron los jueces de Redesign the World.

«Ha habido muchos intentos por incorporar más áreas verdes a nuestras ciudades para fusionar la naturaleza y la arquitectura, pero Frame City aborda este desafío de una manera realmente innovadora y memorable.»