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Meet Maria Luisa Castellanos of United Architects in Coral Gables

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Luisa Castellanos.

Maria Luisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My interest in architecture started in high school when I lived in the small city of Macon, Georgia. On Sundays, accompanied by my mother and sister, we would visit model homes. When I was given the floor plans for a particular house, I would imagine what I would do differently to improve them. To this day, when I see ads in the Herald showing prospective buyers the floor plans to condo buildings, I still study the plans and consider what I would do differently.

Since I only did three years of high school, I was missing a credit to graduate. So the summer between my junior and senior year, I went to the public high school and took the American History class I needed. There I took an interest test. It was through this that I learned I was as equally interested in science and math as I was in art, that I should pursue the only career that requires both – architecture.

The following year I graduated and pursued a degree in architecture at Georgia Tech, eventually obtaining a Master of Architecture degree. With the degree in hand, seeing that Atlanta was in the middle of a recession, I moved to Miami. Being Cuban, I had almost all my relatives except my immediate family in Miami. During my childhood I vacationed here every year with my parents and sister. Miami seemed like the place to go. Little did I know that recessions are normally national phenomena.

When I got to Miami I stayed with my cousin and his wife. There was no work here either. However, my cousin Leopoldo, also an architect, said that not seeing want ads in the newspaper should not stop me, that I had to be out of the house by 9:00 AM and I could not come back to his house until 4:30. He gave me a list of architecture firms. He said the good firms are at the top, the mediocre firms are in the middle, and the really bad firms are at the bottom. He said work your way from the top down. He also said not to bother calling anybody, just to show up with my portfolio in hand and ask to see the principal of the firm at each office. I went to 60 offices in a month. Almost everyone opened their doors to me. Of the 60 offices only about 6 did not let me get past the secretary, but everyone else was really wonderful. And by the 4th of July I had my first job in architecture in Miami. Persistence is an invaluable trait!

Before founding United Architects in 1986, I worked for several local architecture firms where I was in charge of projects in the Miami area as well as in Saudi Arabia, Fiji, and Costa Rica. After several years, I co-founded the firm of Alligator Construction Corporation with my then-husband in 1984. Holding a general contractor’s license and working in the field as a contractor for 5 years, offered me invaluable experience. Now when I work out the details for a project, I first work them out in my head as though I were building the project, to make sure the details are actually buildable and practical. Because my drawings are well detailed, the contractor does not have to waste time trying to decide the best way to build something. In the end, this saves the client money.

When I co-founded United Architects with my husband, it was really intended to work as a subsidiary of the construction company so that we could do design-build projects. But in 1985 I was invited to join the Dade (now Miami-Dade) County School Board’s Minority Contracting Committee. And when in 1990, the school board, through this committee’s work established a small business program which was to include women and African-Americans, I got my first big break. The Dade County School Board hired me to design 3 major addition and remodeling projects for them.

Then, soon thereafter, I was hired by a client to remodel her house on Miami Beach. HGTV came calling and this project was featured on “Before and After” on HGTV.

At this point I have been through two major recessions, the 1990 and the 2009. My company and I have survived. Today, I have a mix of built projects, some commercial, some institutional, and some residential. Architecture is never boring and the business of architecture is never boring either. I treat all my projects with great care and attention, even if they are small in size. I want my clients to be happy with the work I do for them. After all, they are investing heavy-duty money into these projects. The least I can do is create the best project possible with their money.

I want my tag line come alive for them: “Turning raw ideas into plans for comfortable, livable, inspired buildings and residences.”

Has it been a smooth road?
Whenever there is a recession, everybody stops building. So architects are the first people to be hit by a recession.

In a good or a bad economy people still need surgeons, accountants, and attorneys, but when there is a recession, people no longer need architects. To me this is the worst. I have gone through several in my professional career but two while I have had my own architecture firm. I would not wish them on my worst enemy!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with United Architects – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I like to say that architects should not be specialists. You can either design or you can’t. If you can design, you can design anything and if you can’t then, you can’t.

Unfortunately, people want to put you in a box. They want to know what you have done before. And they want to give you more of that. This is unfortunate.

So if I had to pick a specialty or two, I would have to say I had many residential clients. I have also done work for the Miami-Dade County Public School System. I have also done several affordable housing projects. The most fun job to date was the pre-school I designed for Miami-Dade County. It was purposely designed not to be boring. Even the hallways are not rectilinear. I am most proud of how wonderful that project turned out.

I have heard a lot of horror stories of architects not complying with deadlines, of leaving their clients to ponder to where they disappeared. Most offices have a principal and a lot of staff. With me, you get direct principal involvement. I hold your hand from beginning to end. I educate my clients about the process in the beginning. I try to make it easy for them. Many times this is the first time they have ever built anything. I want it not to become a struggle for them.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the way Miami projects an image of outstanding architecture! We are the city for architects. I love Brickell, Miami Beach, the Miami Dade College Wolfson and Kendall Campuses. I love Downtown Miami, Coral Gables, and South Miami. I love Dadeland and The Falls.

I don’t like the way the leadership of the city ignores the really crucial problems – like the lack of transit and affordable housing. They are thinking of building a new civil courthouse, when the one they have now sits empty most of the time. They are talking about building 55 new courtrooms when the ones now are rarely used and they only have 26 of them. This is unconscionable!

The west side of the county needs a Metrorail that services FIU. Why are we even discussing a new courthouse? Where are our priorities?

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Image Credit:
The photo of the interiors of the condominium is by Nuurs Ortiz

Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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