The Inspiring Life and Career of Our 2024 MVP: Pablo Moncayo

Our guest today is Pablo Moncayo, Project Manager here at Candelaria Design since 2018 and our current year’s MVP as voted by the entire Candelaria Design staff. Each year our team nominates and votes for our Most Valuable Player – someone who embodies teamwork, leadership, a willingness to learn and go the extra mile. We talk about what this means to Pablo, how his childhood lead him to architecture, his projects past and present, how he has seen the architectural landscape change here in Phoenix and his goals for the future. 
Pablo moved here from Chihuahua, Mexico in 2001 to live with his Aunt. Later in 2008 he went to undergrad at Taliesin-The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, now known as The School of Architecture and later earned his master’s degree in Architecture there. He has since remained a board member at the School of Architecture. He shares with us his passions, his sources of design inspiration, favorite travel destinations, and his inspiring personal story!

The School of Architecture formerly known as Taliesin-The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture: https://www.tsoa.edu/  

Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona: https://franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west/

Elrod House in Palm Springs, California: https://architectuul.com/architecture/the-elrod-house

Arango Mabrisa House in Acapulco, Mexico: https://archeyes.com/arango-marbrisa-house-john-lautner/

 Las Setas in Sevilla, Spain: https://www.setasdesevilla.com/en/

 La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain: https://sagradafamilia.org/en/

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, Spain: https://cac.es/en/

Building with Rammed Earth with Otto Pappa

 This podcast episode features Otto Pappa, architect and founder of Ottocrete, specializing in rammed earth and concrete-based designs. Otto and Mark met while working on a very cool, modern house in Paradise Valley, that is now the recipient of  two design awards! Otto founded  ottocrete with the desire to fuse timeless design with timeless construction, blurring the lines between sculpture, art, and architecture. Otto  hand-makes all his pieces and his work can be found worldwide, from California to Spain to Austria in both private spaces and commercial such as the Hermes store in Orange County. 

Follow Mark & Isabel's Holiday trip on his Instagram @mcandelariaarch and via the links below:

Castilla Termal Monasterio De Valbuena

Restaurante Arzak 

Shrine of Fatima 

Bienvenue au Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes (France)  

A LISBON VIEWPOINT 

Join us on one of our 2024 Inspiring Living Tours:

Oaxaca, Mexico Cultural Tour May 2-8

Willamette Valley Wine Tour August 8-13

Iconic Hour: Architectural Case Study with 3 Leading AZ Architects

On this special episode of ICONIC Hour, Publisher Renee Dee is joined by three of Arizona's most prolific architects: Mark Candelaria, Brent Kendle, and CP Drewett. Each has made an impact on the architectural landscape of Arizona, utilizing their unique talents to create beautiful works of art within the desert environment.

In this episode, these three architects discuss their backgrounds in architecture, their sources of inspiration, and how to preserve and continue Arizona's flourishing architectural and cultural progress.

Click above to watch the podcast on YouTube or click below to listen to just the audio.

40 Years as an Architect: Then, Today & the Future

Today, March 4th, Mark celebrates his 40th anniversary of his first day working as an architect and has two special podcast episodes to commemorate!!

March 4, 1982 was my first day on the job in an architect’s office - that office being the offices and studio of my mentor and good friend, George W. Christiansen! Some 2000+ homes later and over 20 tours, it’s rewarding to look back and remember where this all started! I am SO grateful to all of my colleagues who helped me along the way, my clients who trusted in me and gave me the opportunity to create their dreams, and my family who put up with my endless efforts and hours in creating these homes and now our company, Candelaria Design! 

To celebrate and tell the story I have created two podcast episodes, the first episode is with the two people who were with me on that first day in 1982. These special guests are CCBG President and Architect, Brian Cassidy and Dianne Kleber who ran George’s office and called and told me I had gotten the job!.

Then we flash forward 40 years and the second episode is with my current partners at Candelaria Design, Evelyn Jung, Meredith Thomson, and our newest partner, Tim Mathewson! We look back at the nearly 23 years of Candelaria Design and then talk about what we see for the future of architecture and Candelaria Design! 

⁠⁠These are two fascinating episodes full of wonderful memories and exciting plans we hope you won’t miss!

Being a Dad in Architecture with Erik Peterson

In this episode 42 of Season 2, Mark and “rival” architect Erik Peterson of PHX Architecture spend a weekend together with their daughters during the Xavier Father-Daughter Ski Trip in Durango, CO. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other and shared interests, so naturally we decided it would be fun and interesting for our listeners to hear us podcast together! We talk about architecture, being dads, and pick up on where Erik’s chat with Renee Dee on her “Iconic Hour Podcast” left off. Listen to that podcast to learn more about Erik’s personal and professional story here.

If you enjoy our podcast, I’d so appreciate if you’d take a minute to subscribe and rate this podcast, it makes a huge difference for our growth!

Erik is President of the award-winning PHX Architecture, he presides over the 30-person firm headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ with a second office in Beverly Hills, CA. Erik specializes in lifestyle design includ­ing luxury, bespoke res­i­den­tial, golf club­houses, boutique resorts and distinctive dining.

A Look at a Masterful Career with Architect Brent Kendle

This episode features a fellow acclaimed Arizona architect, Brent Kendle. Brent grew up in Chicago and was inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright to become an architect and attend ASU’s Architecture Program. The Passive Solar program they were promoting to students was very pragmatic and eco-friendly, which appealed to Brent's preferred style of design and prompted him to move West. Mark met Brent back in the early 80’s while attending ASU’s Architecture school together, and they briefly reminisce on their college classes.

Fast forward, after 10 years as a partner at Cornoyer Hedrick in Arizona, Brent ventured on his own to found Kendle Design Collaborative, located in Scottsdale, in 2002. Today, they are an internationally acclaimed residential architectural firm specializing in regionally inspired modern design. KDC’s projects have been featured in luxury magazines, national brand advertisements, international design exhibits, books on modern and eco design, and design publications from more than 30 countries.

Connect with Kendle Design Collaborative:

https://www.kendledesign.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kendledesign/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/

https://www.facebook.com/kendledesigncollaborative/

Meet the Principals: Meredith Thomson, AIA

Meredith Thomson, AIA, joined Candelaria Design in 2013 and officially became a partner and principal of the firm in December of 2018.

Meredith grew up in Phoenix, then attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor Degree in Architecture. Her Senior year she traveled throughout Italy and Europe, fueling her passion for traditional design. She was also fortunate to spend a summer in Chicago interning with Liederbach and Graham Architects, where she discovered her calling to be a residential architect.

After graduation, she went to work with Fairfax and Sammons Architects in New York City, where she spent three years working on projects in and outside of the city; including a townhouse in the West Village and a summer home in Long Island. Missing family on the West Coast, Meredith decided to make her way back and landed a position at Peter Pennoyer Architects; a New York based firm that has a sister office in San Francisco. From there she transitioned into the interior design world, working for Tucker and Marks Interior Design as an interior architect.

She made the final jump back to Phoenix in Spring of 2013 and joined the Candelaria Design team! Meredith oversees the design and production of Candelaria Design and has leant a tremendous amount of talent to this firm! She truly embodies the Inspiring Living spirit with her designs, cooking and lifestyle!

Follow Meredith on Instagram: instagram.com/mmt_architect/

Embellishing Our Homes & Lives with Landscape Designer Jeff Berghoff

Today’s podcast features our friend in the architecture and designing home realm, President of Berghoff Design Group, Jeff Berghoff. Jeff is regarded as one of the most influential landscape designers in the southwest. He founded Berghoff Design Group in 1997 and it has grown into over 200 employees. Throughout the past 20 years, he has continued to develop classic designs transforming residential properties into beautiful garden showpieces, featured in magazines throughout the country.

Jeff Berghoff has a degree in Landscape Architecture from ASU, is a member of ASLA and a part of the Arizona chapter YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization). Jeff has received the Grand Award Golden Nugget from the PCBC for superior and outstanding contributions to the southwest in both design and construction.

He shares with us where his love of landscape began, how he started his landscape business, who and what inspires him, some of his favorite projects and tips for all of us to maintain our gardens and yards at home!

Follow Berghoff Design Group here:

http://www.berghoffdesign.com/

https://www.instagram.com/berghoffdesign/