Ariel Chavela

Joining Alamo Architects in 1999, Ariel holds degrees in both architecture and engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. While still an architecture student at UT, in 1989 he worked for a year and a half in Genova, Italy as an intern in the office of Renzo Piano on the Kansai International Airport project. During his tenure at Alamo, Ariel has contributed to the success of many award-winning projects, ranging from retail to institutional, that include San Antonio’s Humane Society (ASPCA) headquarters, the Shops at La Cantera, two Neiman Marcus stores, and the San Antonio Zoo Parking Garage.

In all his projects, from concept to execution, Ariel combines an innate understanding of construction technology and structural systems with a strong contemporary architectural aesthetic. His passion is the practical integration of all building systems, from the mechanical needs and code requirements to the comfort and convenience of the interior spaces, with elegant design. Because Ariel has spent most of his career working on large scale projects, he has always had a strong commitment to designing comprehensive buildings that respect their time and place yet will remain beautiful and relevant for the use of future generations. 

Among many other projects, Ariel was the Senior Design Manager for the UTSA Science & Engineering Building, and the Texas State University’s Engineering & Science Building.  His institutional work includes projects for The University of Texas San Antonio, UT Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M San Antonio, Alamo Community College, and other educational work, as well as master planning city-wide. In addition, he has collaborated with other architectural firms from all over the US on several medical and research facilities such as the 144 bed Multispecialty Research Hospital for UT Health San Antonio, The Barshop Institute on Aging, and The Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, also for UT Health San Antonio.

Ariel, a native of Mexico, has lived in the US for more than 30 years, he loves to travel and has practiced architecture in Mexico, Italy, and the United States. He fluently speaks English, Spanish, and a smattering of Italian.