Hernan Diaz Alonso is the principal and founder of Xefirotarch, (www.xefirotarch.com), an award winning design firm in Architecture, Product and Digital Motion with practices in Los Angeles and New York. He currently teaches studio design and visual studies at SCI-Arc and is the Thesis Head, and is a design studio professor at the GSAP - Columbia University.
He received his architecture degrees from the National University of Rosario, Argentina, and from Columbia University's AAD Program, from which he graduated from with honors and received several design awards. In 1996, he worked as a designer in the office of Enric Miralles in Barcelona and in 2000-2001 he was senior designer at Eisenman Architects in New York.
Diaz Alonso has lecture widely around the world: MIT, Cambridge; Archilab, Orleans France; Nexus, Mexico DF; IDCA Conference, Aspen Colorado; U C at Berkeley; Columbia University; Princeton University; University of Kentucky; Sciarc, California;
He receive several awards, among which are: Pusan International Competition, 1st Honorable Mention; Miami + Beach International Biennale, Honorable Mention; Dublin U2 Landmark Tower International Competition, Final selection; Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky Metro Design Plaza International Competition, First prize; Mexico DF International Competition "Arquine"Frida Khalo's Cultural Center, Third Prize; Completion of the Flag Memorial National Building, Honorable Mention; Rosario, Argentina, Catholic University Competition, 2nd Mention.
Diaz Alonso's work has been largely published, in the books Session (co editor), "Next Generation Architecture" (cover) by SFMoMA’s curator Joe Rosa, Nexus, Fluxes, and multiple publications some of which include: Architectural Record (Cover), Metropolis, L'Arca, A+U, Praxis, Arquine, Clarin, La Nacion, NYTimes - in an article curated by Herbert Muschamp 'Think Big'-, Prophecy, Zoo, B-Guided, 34, Archilab Catlogue, Venice Biennale 2004 metamorphose, Arquitectura Argentina del Siglo XX.
His work is currently being exhibited in the 2004 Venice Biennale, Metamorphose; Archilab, Orleans France; The naked City, Beijing Biennale; "Glamour", San Francisco MOMA; 2003 "Virus", Universidad de Costa Rica. Previous exhibitions include: "Emotional Rescue", SCIARC Art Gallery; "Blue Diamond 66'“, Artist Space, Soho, New York; "Mobility", Rotterdam Biennale 2003; "Beyond Media", Florence Italy.
His first solo show is schedule to open in March 2006 in the San Francisco MoMa, and will travel widely in Europe, Asia and USA. The catalogue will be print in parallel with the publish of a monograph of Xefirotarch (2006)