Felipe Flores (Quito, 1991) is an Ecuadorian architect and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate. His research focuses on exploring how design can alternatively engage to issues related to encroachment on indigenous territories, resource extraction, the expansion of agricultural frontiers and contemporary narratives of what a possible post-development landscape in the Andean Amazon could hopefully look like.

Felipe Flores earned his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2020 through a Fulbright scholarship. At UIUC he worked as a research assistant from 2018 to 2020 on various research projects including a study of Visceral Geographies – focusing on bodily experiences and human feelings in their interaction with the environment – on the outskirts of Bogotá, Colombia; the development of Hempcrete, a new material based on the reutilization of agricultural waste fibers; and, the restoration of traditional Hutong Alleys of Beijing’s Urban fabric under the guidance of CEO Dong Gong from Vector Architects. After graduation, Felipe joined DLZ Corporation as an Associate Architect, where he has facilitated the design of Public Safety and Justice Architecture with specialized expertise in green building systems and integrated project delivery methods. 

Felipe Flores founded the Quito-based design studio FG Arquitectos since 2015 after receiving a Bachelor of Architecture from the Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE). The studio specializes in environmentally responsible design and construction systems at all scales, focusing on the possibilities of recycling, on-site clean energy production, water harvesting and reuse, high and low-tech hybrids, the investigation of local materials, and the reactivation of local ecologies.   

Felipe Flores is currently undertaking a PhD in Planning, Design and Construction while serving as a Design Studio Instructor at the Gibbs College of Architecture under the guidance of Dr. Angela Person. His research “Unveiling Indigenous Dwelling Patters in Western Amazonia” seeks to discover regional planning policies and design standards that would respect Indigenous rights to self-determination and territorial sovereignty and how these policies could be linked to climate change mitigation strategies and biodiversity preservation.