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.
Balandra Waves
La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Anyone who has visited La Paz, Baja California Sur, has most likely visited Balandra Beach. In our view, it is one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet: a landscape where the changing tides continuously redraw the bay, generating ever-changing patterns of white sand and flowing curves that are almost impossible to replicate or describe in their iconic natural beauty. The landscape is never the same. Tides, seasons, weather, sunlight, and even the passing minutes transform it into a constantly evolving spectacle of sand waves, infinite possibilities, and continuous movement.
When presented with the opportunity to design a mixed-use complex on the Malecón, La Paz's seafront, we immediately knew that the project had to somehow capture and reinterpret this dynamic beauty—the white sand in constant flux and its curves of extraordinary architectural potential. The entire project, from the façade and architectural geometry to tile patterns and furniture, incorporates the language of Balandra at different scales and degrees of abstraction.
The project integrates diverse residential typologies responding to different market needs, together with commercial and cultural programs, including a museum dedicated to the extraordinary natural beauty of Baja California Sur, as well as its ancient cave paintings found among the peninsula's iconic rock formations and mountains.
Balandra Waves translates an ephemeral landscape into a permanent architectural language, transforming the continuous movement of sand, water, light, and tide into a contemporary identity for the Malecón and the city of La Paz.
