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.
Busan Deurbanization
Gadeokdo Island Master Plan — South Korea · International Competition, Honorable Mention
In 1867, Ildefons Cerdà defined urbanization as the continuous expansion of the city across territory. More than 150 years later, that prediction has become reality: urban growth has spread endlessly, consuming landscapes and natural resources.
For the international competition to develop Gadeokdo Island in Busan, South Korea, we proposed the opposite model. Instead of allowing the city to expand indefinitely, we concentrated all development within a compact urban strip measuring 5.3 × 0.8 km—the size of Central Park in New York—while preserving the rest of the island as protected natural landscape.
This finite urban park creates a dense, walkable city surrounded by nature rather than a fragmented territory consumed by sprawl. In contrast to conventional urbanization, we introduced the concept of Deurbanization: defining clear urban limits to protect the landscape, reduce dependence on private automobiles, and bring people closer to work, services, and recreation.
Cities do not need to grow forever. They need boundaries. The city needs to be framed.
