Permanent Learner: Ensamble's Débora Mesa on Sensitivity, Materializing Ideas, and Learning by Doing
By Amy Stone
Débora Mesa Molina is a European Licensed Architect by the Polytechnic University of Madrid (ETSAM-UPM). She is principal of Ensamble Studio, a cross-functional team that she leads along her partner Antón García-Abril. Balancing imagination and reality, art and science, their work innovates typologies, technologies and methodologies to address issues as diverse as the construction of the landscape or the prefabrication of the house. Currently, through their startup WoHo, they are invested in increasing the quality of architecture while making it more affordable by integrating offsite technologies.
Their simultaneous contribution to the theory and practice of architecture has been recently recognized with the 2019 RIBA Charles Jencks Award. Débora is committed to sharing ideas and cultivating synergies between professional and academic worlds through teaching, lecturing and researching: she is Ventulett Chair in Architectural Design at Georgia Tech and previously served as research scientist at MIT, where she co-founded the POPlab –Prototypes of Prefabrication Laboratory– in 2012. In her interview with Amy Stone, Débora talks about her evolution as an architect with Ensamble, advising those just starting their careers to be open to learning and generous in receiving and giving.
AS: How did your interest in architecture first develop?
DM: As a kid, I didn’t have close references to architects and so didn’t quite know what architecture was about. In school, I loved art classes and classes about the history of art and architecture. I was always very attracted to materials and enjoyed drawing and painting.
Then, I grew a strong interest in traveling thanks to my parents. When I was fifteen, I spent two weeks in Greece with my mom and sister and was able to visit in person the works of classic architecture, urbanism, and art that I was learning about in books, I was profoundly impacted. When it got to be time to select a college path, I was split in parts. I loved art, and also science, and humanities, and many other things. Architecture was a rational choice, a consensus. Architecture seemed to be capable of bringing my areas of interest together without restricting myself to a few. I started without really knowing what I was getting into, but I had a strong intuition that I was making a good decision.
What did you learn about yourself and architecture while you were studying?
I discovered my technical side and that, combined with poetic sensibility, is powerful. I learned that on top of drawing things I prefer to make them! I also learned about my own resilience, both in university, which involved intense work, but mostly, outside of it, when exposed to construction environments. I realized then that being a sensitive person is not at odds with being tough and with shining in tough contexts.
Stone Wall Mockup in Granichan Quarry, Galicia, Spain, by Ensamble Studio, 2006. Courtesy of Ensamble Studio
Cyclopean House in Brookline MA, USA, by Ensamble Studio, 2015. Assembly Process courtest of Ensamble Studio
Ca'n Terra in Menorca, Spain, by Ensamble Studio, 2019. Courtesy of Ensamble Studio
You discovered your own grit! How did you get your start in the field after school?
In the Polytechnic University of Madrid where I studied, most of the teachers, if not all, are architects in practice, which gave me a way to get exposed to what it meant to be an architect. I would investigate who these architects and professors were and what they did, and I would listen to their ideas in class.
I worked in the summers and during my fourth year, I started working at Ensamble Studio when the firm was emerging. I was interested in the kind of projects they were approaching and excited about joining a small team where there was a big exposure to very different matters. During the school year, I continued taking morning classes and working in the afternoon. When I finished my studies, I shifted to full-time. I came to know I belonged there and so never had the need to move elsewhere. I feel really lucky about this early realization.
Since school, you’ve been with Ensamble?
Yes. And I’m not going anywhere! [laughs]
That’s great! From Madrid to Boston and Atlanta in 2020, walk me through the chronology of your career and significant milestones and big moments or highlights for you.
When I started at Ensamble Studio, we were walking our first steps, doing mostly competitions. One of them developed into a project that I was able to work on throughout all design stages. By the time I graduated, that project went into construction. I moved from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela for almost two years to manage the construction. It was a bit scary but very exciting. It was an amazing learning process for me, and also for the office. We were learning as we were doing: developing unconventional construction systems, working on the site, and assuming full liability for our inventions.
That two year period was one of the toughest moments of my career and it was life changing. I was working many, many hours a day assuming difficult responsibilities in areas that were new to me. I felt I had to give 200% to accomplish what was needed. I learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of. And I grew exponentially as an architect by being exposed to architecture through a completely different lens, one that is foreign to the protected environment of academia, and even that of the architecture office. Working close to builders, quarry workers, project managers, city officials, institutions; and trying to introduce innovation in a very conservative environment measuring risks and emotions, prepared me and the team for a lot of the work that we have been doing since. Such experience was also very meaningful internally as it proved to myself and my Ensamble colleagues that I was fully in.
“I realized then that being a sensitive person is not at odds with being tough and with shining in tough contexts.”
From there, we started to do other super exciting projects. I kept my involvement in design and construction and adopted more of a leading role. Both Anton and Javier -my bosses first and my partners now- have always been very generous, and gave me plenty of space to grow.
When we started working on competitions internationally, we also started to get calls from different universities offering teaching positions. In 2008, I moved to Ithaca for a semester to assist Anton with his teaching, and had my first experience in academia, in Cornell University, which was very exciting. That opened another path for me because I discovered a new vocation. I kept a focus in practice, but every time there was a good teaching opportunity, I would take it.
Another big shift was when we moved to the US. We thought we would move to Boston for just a few years. Anton and I taught at MIT and opened a research lab. We worked on an incredibly unique commission in Montana, Tippet Rise Art Center, which was a once-in-a lifetime experience. From there, we started getting more work in the US and we’ve never been able to fully go back. So we set up our team in different places. We are in Europe - because we never left Madrid and we have a solid team there - and in the US, which has brought a whole other level of opportunity academically and professionally. The Ventulett Chair I currently hold at Georgia Tech is part of this journey.
Where do you see yourself in your career today?
I am a permanent learner. I always feel like I’m beginning in some way. Everytime I teach a new course, it’s like I am starting from scratch as I encounter new faces, build new teams, and propose new challenges. Every time I start a project, there is so much to research and explore that it is impossible to reach the point of total control. That may be in part because of the type of practice that we have where we are more interested in evolving than in revolving around what is already known and certain. We do not operate in a comfort zone.
Research in Progress, 2019 sketch models by Ensamble Studio, courtesy of Ensamble Studio
Ensamble Studio Madrid Team in 2015. Courtesy of Ensamble Studio.
I love that. Do you feel like the constant feeling of starting anew is exhausting or exciting?
I like the feeling. It is key to the work. There are very clear, strong lines of research that we have been building and developing through different projects. There is continuity of topics, ideas, ambitions and visions from project to project, but every project also opens intriguing doors that put us back in the starting position.
And I can see that comes across in your work. There is an exciting level of experimentation and confidence in navigating the unknown. What have been your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge today is to keep the concentration and focus, to avoid being too distracted or pulled in too many directions. When we started as local architects in Spain, we had probably less resources but we were more focused. Our radius of action was smaller and so it was in a way easier to make certain choices. Today - in part because of globalization and working in multiple places - it is harder to be on track. Being local must feel like total luxury now.
Practice is something that requires constant dedication and academia can be very demanding as well. When we add family and friends to the equation it gets even more complicated. So for me - being interested in a wide range of things that I enjoy doing - it’s a real challenge making certain sacrifices to be able to concentrate and excel at what I’m doing instead of trying to attack a lot of the things at the same time. I guess I am not alone here.
Then, more specifically, one of the biggest challenges has been how to maintain the intensity and tension between the office in Madrid and the office in Boston. The physical distance and psychological distance is hard. Our transatlantic move was meant to be a three-year adventure, but it keeps extending! It is not ideal to be away from part of your team on a regular basis. It is not ideal to be away from your family and your friends from childhood, your culture, your country, and notably these days with the pandemic.
“...there is so much to research and explore that it is impossible to reach the point of total control...we are more interested in evolving than in revolving around what is already known and certain. We do not operate in a comfort zone.”
Absolutely. What have been your biggest highlights?
One of my biggest highlights was one I mentioned: being a very young architect and being exposed in a very short time frame to the whole process of what it means to have an idea and make it material. Also, finding along the way incredible partners and people that I have learned from and that I admire. Not just people from my own team, but also clients, consultants, builders, users of the buildings that we build.
Maybe the ultimate highlight is being able to build places that people inhabit and experience and enjoy. These projects begin as intimate thoughts, as internal processes, but after a lot of sweat and effort, you know they are no longer yours. They are out there as part of a city or landscape. They are to be used by others. That’s one of the mysteries and the amazing miracles of architecture. I say miracles because when you succeed to arrive at that point, it’s a true miracle.
I feel the same way. When I’m on site and see my ideas and work built out, I always say it’s magic. Who are you admiring right now?
I admire my partners. That’s why they are my partners. I’ve learned from them most of what I know, we’ve grown together and continue to do so every single day. I admire people who believe in what they do, who persevere. With the ongoing pandemic, I think a lot about my parents who are doctors in Spain. Along with them, I think of the other essential service workers, the people who are showing up and doing their jobs despite the difficult circumstances. They aren’t running away. That talks a lot about a sense of responsibility and community. I feel a lot of admiration for people who are able to keep the concentration, the sense of responsibility, the love and respect for the things that they do, no matter how big or small.
Domo, Structures of Landscape for Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, USA, by Ensamble Studio, 2016. Photography by Iwan Baan.
Ensamble Fabrica in Madrid, Spain, by Ensamble Studio, 2019. Construction Process courtesy of Ensamble Studio.
Hemeroscopium House in Madrid, Spain, by Ensamble Studio, 2008. Photography by Roland Halbe.
What would you say your mission is? What is the impact you want to have on the world?
I want to make Architecture with capital A, that is inspiring and accessible. We do many private projects that are part of our research agenda, and are highly relevant to our firm. But are specially moved by our more public buildings that get to be used by many more people. I think that is when the profession gets more fulfilling - when you know the things that you’re doing can be enjoyed by many.
I want to advance the field of architecture in which I practice, the role of the architect. I want to contribute, even if with a small seed, to make better places, better buildings, better cities. That keeps me hooked to architecture.
And that’s what keeps me connected to academia as well, despite the problem of diversification that I mentioned earlier. Building better places requires a lot of talent, energy and sustained effort, and younger generations are key. I like sharing what I learn, what I’m curious about and passionate about with students who are invested in architecture and willing to become architects, especially when it helps to unlock interests and spark ideas.
We’ve been loving having you at Georgia Tech and learning from your expertise and insights.
What do you wish you knew when starting out that you know now?
If you had talked to me when I was a student, I would have liked to know there is not one truth or one way of doing things. Everybody is trying to figure it out along the way. When I was a student I had a lot of respect for my professors, and sometimes took very seriously what they said, so it was confusing when professors were not aligned.
I would have liked to be more relaxed and conscious about this. If I had seen my professors as human beings [laughs] I would have probably seen their perspective through a more constructive lens. As you grow as an architect, you start to walk your way and realize that doubts and questions are always present. Especially at the speed that events happen nowadays, and scenarios shift, it is hard to be certain about anything.
Seeing people as humans is something we are always learning more about along the way, right?
Finally, what advice do you have for those who’re just starting out?
Be open to learning and generous about receiving and giving. Accept your limitations and know your strengths. Pursue happiness. Find your own path without too many preconceptions and try not to impose on yourself what does not fit you well. Our heads are able to trick us more than our bodies, which are pretty smart at identifying where we feel comfortable and where we don’t belong. Paying more attention to our gut feelings is good advice.