Luis Ayala Rubio

Luis Ayala Rubio has been developing as an architect mostly through the opportunities provided by his private practice, established in Ponce in 1995. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Tulane University School of Architecture in 1993, being awarded a Commendation and the Faculty Thesis Award for best thesis project delivered that year. He became a registered architect in Puerto Rico, obtaining his license in 1997. He received his Master of Architecture degree from Tulane University in 2004.

Ayala Rubio is responsible for the design of all the projects produced by his office, coordinating documentation and engineering services with a select group of external consultants. He works closely with clients to establish project priorities and programs, obtain permits, develop design and manage construction contracts for commercial, institutional and residential projects. His practice is conducted under the recognition that Ponce, and the island for that matter, is a place that couples a strong architectural tradition with a difficult set of priorities, making it an arduous proposition to produce work that is both conscious and architecturally critical of its surroundings.

 Prior to working on his own, Ayala Rubio gained experience working for small offices such as Byron J. Mouton and Gabe Smith’s Architectural Devices in New Orleans, Jose Ramírez AIA in San Juan, and at the local office of Virgilio Monsanto Associates. Asides from his work as an architect, Ayala Rubio has exhibited his artwork in New Orleans and Ponce. He gained a brief academic experience while working as a Design Teaching Assistant for the Tulane University School of Architecture upon graduation.

 The opportunity to teach at the new PUCPR School of Architecture has provided Ayala Rubio with a platform through which to develop and expand on his interest in the themes of place, materiality, experience and emotion in architecture.