Home

Welcome to my portfolio!

I am Luz Marie Rodríguez Ph.D. - Assoc. AIA
architectural historian . consultant . scholar . educator . writer

"You don't have to like something to learn from it."

That's one of my favorite quotes. It's from Robert Venturi and is one I often cite to my students.

My professional history showcases my interests in teaching, research, and archival management. All three are intertwined.

Growing up I though I wanted to be an architect. However, while in architecture school I soon discovered a passion for the history of architecture. This eventually developed into a path into teaching, research, and critique. I believe that was the logical result of being the kid who always asked "why?"

After college, I started my career as an archivist for architectural collections at the University of Puerto Rico. The Architecture and Construction Archives was an incredible playground for an architectural historian. It also sparked a new interest in conservation and cultural management. During my work as Senior Archivist for Architectural Collections I was given the chance to train in Preservation of Archives and in Paper Conservation.

Eventually, I had the opportunity to finish my Ph.D. in Theory and History of Architecture at the Superior Technical School of Architecture in Barcelona –part of the Polytechnic University of Cataluña. For my dissertation, I analyzed the colonial framework of modern architecture in Puerto Rico from a Postcolonial and Cultural Theory perspective. My contribution was an alternative readings on works of modern architecture in Puerto Rico, using buildings as gateways for understanding socio-economic-political issues within a context of colonial negotiations and coloniality.

I often ask myself if architectural education today is adequately training critical thinkers and inclusive social beings who may design better futures. That is, are schools forming people who will become critical practitioners? How many professionals with a global mindset and able to acknowledge diversity as a design resource, as opposed to a problem, are turning out? These are the questions I'm asking myself these days.

Research, it might be argued, is a life skill. In the particular case of architecture, critical inquiry adds value to professional practice. However, architects seldom develop their practices around conscious problematization. However, in the current state of affairs, it's difficult to dismiss the fact that critical practices are becoming fundamental, maybe more than ever, as we seek ethical and sustainable approaches to dwelling and place-making.

This is a portfolio of my academic work and current research projects. As such, it's focused on teaching and scholarship. As am I, it's always under construction. Feel free to look it over and to drop me a line if you are so inclined! You might also want to visit my profiles at LinkedIn and/or Academia.edu.

visit linkdedIn

visit academia.edu

a little about myself

I hold a Ph.D. in Theory and History of Architecture from the Superior Technical School of Architecture in Barcelona, at the Polytechnic University of Cataluña, Spain. Before that, I finished a Master of Science at Mississippi State University's School of Architecture with a focus on Architectural History and previously, a Bachelor of Environmental Design at the University of Puerto Rico's School of Architecture.

From 1997 to 2012, I was the Senior Archivist at the University of Puerto Rico’s Architecture and Construction Archives (AACUPR). In 2012, I joined the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico's School of Architecture as Associate Dean. Then, in 2014 I was appointed Interim Dean, position I held until 2015. I remained as part of the faculty until December 2016, when I decided to move to Ohio. I've also collaborated, as adjunct faculty, at the University of Puerto Rico's School of Architecture and at the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, as well as in the International School of Design and Architecture at Turabo University.

I currently live in Dublin, Ohio, where for the past two years I've been taking a break from teaching in order to pursue a couple of research projects. It's been great being able to focus solely on research. However, I will not deny that I miss the active dynamics of university life. Most of all, connecting with students and the stimulating intellectual exchanges with other colleagues and peers.

I've been very successful teaching survey courses on the History of Architecture as well as studios focusing on Research for Design. I am committed as well, to the development of solid scholarship. I am the author of three nominations to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), two of them with support from the Historic Preservation Fund. I'm proud to be one of the 2018 Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts grantees. The grant from the Graham Foundation funds the second phase of my research on New Deal colonial architecture. The project will eventually produce a publication as well as a multimedia platform under the Digital Spatial Humanities framework.

LEARN MORE

colleagues say:

Under her direct supervision at the Architecture and Construction Archives, University of Puerto Rico (AACUPR), my graduate education was significantly improved. More importantly, generations of students, as well as the profession in general, owe [Dr. Rodríguez] a rich scholarship on topics seldom or never studied and new readings not considered by other historians on the Island [Puerto Rico]. That, in my opinion, is her biggest contribution.

I consider Dr. Rodríguez, above all, a scholar of international and interinstitutional caliber who proposes original and innovative interpretations. In addition, I must underline that the Mexican institutions that have invited her as keynote speaker can attest to her contributions for the integral education of our architecture students. At the IPN (Instituto Politécnico Nacional), for example, her scholarship has been included as part of our teaching material.

Dr. Rodríguez’s lines of inquiry are extremely needed in order to meet the objectives of the contemporary university. As a scholar, her most fundamental contribution to the study of architecture is her crosspollination of theories and her interdisciplinary scope. Her work shows brilliant readings of very important cultural critics which find way into her courses, as she favors an integrative approach towards teaching.

Over the years, Dr. Rodríguez has been consistent as a rigorous and tireless researcher, as a formal but animated intellectual, as well as a demanding but devoted educator. Her work is a much-appreciated counterpoint to traditional approaches to the History of Architecture in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Her scholarship contributes critical and contemporary lines of inquiry and sets a standard for an original focus supported by a strong dialog with Cultural and Social Theory. Dr. Rodríguez’s work has been an important resource for the Historiography courses I teach. Her dynamic exposition of the interconnectivity between architecture and culture and her alternative readings about the architectural objects and discourses, have not only opened my student’s curiosity but have influenced as well, the ways they now question the discipline.

students said:

Excellent teacher. Very interdisciplinary. She makes important connections.

Hers is one of the most organized and well-prepared classes I have ever taken. Dr. Rodríguez’s discussion of the contexts in which architectural movements occurred helped us visualize and understand the ways design practice reacted to concerns at different moments during the modern period. I liked very much the accessibility of the course's materials and her prompt response to students’ questions. She is an extremely good lecturer.

learn more

Dr. Rodríguez is excellent. There hasn’t been anything negative during this course. She is always on time, has the required knowledge, and has been available to answer questions. Her class is just spectacular.

She shows passion for what she does and is able to transmit this to her students. We clarified many topics during the semester and have learned a lot. She is an excellent teacher.

She is an excellent research mentor.