Oscar Lopez

Oscar Lopez graduated from Arizona State University with both his Undergraduate (2009) and Master’s degree in Architecture (2012). During his time at ASU Oscar also received a minor in Religious Studies and Conflict. This area of study would later become the topic of his thesis and the winning proposal for a research travel grant (Class of ’77 Travel Grant) that sent him to Northern Ireland to study conflict and living in contention and the mediating role of architecture and memory.

During his undergraduate career, Oscar traveled through Italy for 6-weeks studying the work of Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. During Oscar’s undergraduate career, he interned in Barcelona for 3 months as a part of EMBT (Enric Miralles) and during his graduate career he mentored for 4 months under Juhani Pallasmaa during his tenure at Taliesin West (2012).

Upon graduation in 2012, Oscar worked for StarkJames Design+Build in Scottsdale Arizona, working on design & build projects of varied scale. It was during his time with StarkJames that Oscar practiced both in the field and in the studio, training as a master builder. Oscar then went on to work for Rick Joy Architects in Tucson, AZ. It was during his tenure at Rick Joy Architects that Oscar focused his training around materiality and experience, and how spaces and architecture are “lived in”.

Oscar was a part of Rick Joy Architects for close to 3-years before he left to start is own design & build studio s p a c e BUREAU, focusing on projects in both Phoenix and in Tucson Arizona. Since founding s p a c e BUREAU in 2016 Oscar and his practice have received 8 AIA Awards for built projects on the local, state, and regional AIA level.

Oscar has also been a faculty member with the University of Arizona CAPLA since 2016, teaching 2nd year architecture studios and serving as AIAS Advisor, committee coordinator, and leading a 6-week Summer Study Abroad to Spain & Portugal during the Summer of 2018 studying the work of Pritzker Prize winning Architects.
Oscar will lead the Fall 2019 CAPLA in Orvieto program, spending 4 months in Orvieto, Italy with a group of 12 Fifth-Year Architecture students. The program will work to develop a Winery and Vineyard that is focused on the senses.

Oscar is very invested as a part of AIA and is currently serving on the AIA Arizona Board, AIA Southern Arizona Board as acting Associates Director, AIA Western Mountain Region Conference Committee, AIA Arizona Communications Committee, AIA Western Mountain Region Emerging Professionals, and AIAS Advisor with the University of Arizona CAPLA. Currently, Oscar is Co-Chair for the 2019 AIA Arizona State Conference and was named the 2019 AIA Western Mountain Region Jason Pettigrew Scholar.