This week's guest is Emmanuel Garcia, a project architect at Wheeler Kearns Architects in Chicago and the president of Arquitectos, The Society of Hispanic Professional Architects in Chicago, IL. At WKA, Manny has led institutional, commercial, and educational projects including the Purple Llama Coffee & Record Shop in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, schematic design for Ednovate’s USC Hybrid High in Los Angeles, and the Chapel of St Joseph at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Des Plaines, IL – which has received several awards including an Interfaith Design Award from Faith & Form and an Interior Architecture Award from AIA Chicago. In 2021, Manny helped transform a former bank building into a welcoming new headquarters for the North Lawndale Employment Network, a nonprofit on the West Side of Chicago whose clients include citizens returning from incarceration and others who face the day-to-day financial hardships of poverty.

Apart from his experience, Manny gives us so much insight into creating community spaces, building relationships and working with members of the community to create thoughtful projects. This episode is very informative and I particularly appreciate the tips Emmanuel give to young designers pursuing community oriented design.  

Link to Emmanuel's full bio: https://wkarch.com/person/emmanuel-garcia/

Learn more about Arquitectos: https://arquitectosinc.org/