Studio Elsa Ponce

Elsa studied architecture and urbanism at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, where she received her degree with honorable mention and obtained the award for the best thesis of the year. Since 2008, Elsa has practiced as a Project Manager in renowned design firms like Esrawe Studio and TEN Arquitectos, worked as Project Lead with Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, and as Associate Design Director with 2x4, an interdisciplinary design consultancy headquartered in Manhattan.  Currently, she is a part-time Managing Director at the volunteer-based non-profit Open Architecture New York, a co-founding member of WIP Collaborative and an independent practicioner based in New York City and Mexico City.

She holds a master’s degree in Design Management from Pratt Institute in New York. Through academic and practical experience, Elsa developed a holistic understanding of creative management, design thinking, and business strategy to drive her independent practice and to support organizations as a design consultant and design director.

Continuously seeking her voice as a professional between places, Elsa is fascinated by the nuances of contrast, the cross-pollination in practice, and the power of interrelationships and dialogue. She recognizes the importance of a global exchange by having worked in projects in China, South Korea,USA, Haiti, and Mexico. 

Elsa is a recipient of Mexico's prestigious Endowment of the Arts FONCA fellowship and was awarded the New York State Council on the Arts Independent Projects grant in two consecutive years.

Elsa is a Registered Architect in New York State and Mexico.