Claudio Vekstein (Buenos Aires, 1965) is a Full Professor of Architecture at The Design School, Arizona State University since 2002. He has recently been granted a Doctor Honoris Causa (Honorary Degree) by the National University of Rosario, Faculty of Architecture, Planning, and Design, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. His academic appointments include Visiting Researcher at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design, and Architecture in Espoo, Finland, Visiting Professor at the National Universities of Rosario, Littoral in Santa Fe, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, and Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina, the University of Montevideo in Uruguay, Talca in Chile, Encarnacion in Paraguay, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lima in Perú, Quito, and Cuenca in Ecuador, Chihuahua in México, Johannesburg in South Africa, Frankfurt in Germany, and Copenhagen in Denmark.
Claudio Vekstein is also an architect, founder, and principal of the public architecture office [OOPP] Opera Publica, operating mainly in Latin America since 1995, and in Arizona, USA. His radical practice includes among its latest built works, the Memorial Space to the 100th Anniversary of the Farmers’ Revolt in Santa Fe, Argentina, and the Montessori School in Lujan, Buenos Aires. Other built public works, also widely published and exhibited, including the Memorial Square to Ernesto “Che” Guevara and the Mill Cultural Factory, both in Santa Fe, Argentina, the Forum for Arts and Sciences, the Emergency Room for the Municipal Hospital, the Institute for Rehabilitation of the Disabled, De la Cárcova Art Museum, the River Coast Park, Amphitheater and Monument Homage to Amancio Williams, all in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His work received several awards including the Public Practices Award granted by the International Architecture Biennale of Argentina, the Baukunst Architecture Award granted by the Stiftung Städelschule für Baukunst, Germany, the S.ARCH International Architecture Award, Hong Kong, the National Award to the Built Patrimony by the International Centre for the Preservation of the Architectural Heritage, the Latin-American Award on Hospital Architecture and Engineering by the Association of Hospital Architecture, Argentina, the Design Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, USA, the Biennale Prize for Architecture, Urbanism and Theory by the Architects Council of Buenos Aires, and the Vitruvio Award for Integration of Art and Architecture by the Argentine National Fine Arts Museum.
The works have been also published and exhibited in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, United States, Canada, Spain, Germany, Holland, Austria, South Africa, Korea, having participated by invitation in the last three editions of the International Architecture Venice Biennale (2021, 2018, and 2016), in Venice, Italy.
Prof. Vekstein was the last disciple of master architect Amancio Williams in Argentina, completed Master Studies at the Städelschule Art Academy of Frankfurt, Germany under Profs. Enric Miralles and Peter Cook, and undergraduate studies at the School of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism from Buenos Aires University, Argentina.