El Cielo

El Cielo is an architectural and urban design practice founded in 2004 by Armando Hashimoto and Surella Segú. Their work has been selected to participate in the Venice, Beijing, Seoul, and Pamplona biennales. Their projects have been publicized nationally and internationally; they were included in exhibitions on contemporary Mexican architecture in Australia and Italy. Hashimoto and Segú have been professors at the Ibero-American University, Anáhuac University, and Centro University. Hasimoto is currently a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). From 2013 to 2018, Hashimoto and Segú worked in sustainability at the Institute of the National Worker’s Housing Fund (INFONAVIT) where they were responsible for the generation and implementation of urban strategies and regeneration programs in deteriorated housing complexes and abandoned housing nationwide; the development of measurement tools for housing deterioration; and comparative research on international best practices, as well as research on the impact of programs aimed to improve the capacities of the communities in these developments. Segú is a LOEB Fellow of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a member of the National Housing Council, and also a strategic advisor for the Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Minister in Mexico. Segú and Hashimoto are currently fellows of the National System of Art Creators of Mexico. Since 2019, El Cielo has expanded to encompass architecture, urban planning, research, and consulting projects in urban development, housing, and community.