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.
San Juan Diego Church
Mexico City, Mexico
Through an unexpected invitation from the Archdiocese of Mexico, DONIS was commissioned to develop a proposal for the new San Juan Diego Church, located near the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the end of the same pilgrimage route. During the initial meetings, we visited the Basilica—designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and completed in 1976—to better understand its history, significance, and relationship to the new church.
The proposal conceived the church as a flexible place of worship capable of functioning both as an enclosed sanctuary and as a fully open space for the thousands of pilgrims who could visit the new church every year. A gently sloping roof, accessible to visitors, would operate as a monumental public platform featuring a large mural depicting the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the Tepeyac Hill. Pilgrims could walk upon the roof, physically becoming part of the image and the collective pilgrimage experience.
The interior is dedicated to reflection in both its spiritual and physical meanings. A large golden image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, placed on the floor of a circular open courtyard at the front of the church, and precisely oriented to the south, reflects sunlight onto the underside of the roof. As the sun moves throughout the day and the seasons, the reflected image slowly travels across the interior, transforming light itself into a sacred architectural element.
This luminous phenomenon creates a unique spiritual experience that can only be perceived from specific positions at particular moments in time, making every visit different while remaining a shared experience for the entire community.
The proposal was enthusiastically received by the Archbishop of Mexico. Ultimately, however, it was not realized, as concerns were raised that a new iconic pilgrimage destination might divert attention from the Basilica itself and divide the traditional pilgrimage route.
