2025 Year in Review: Ámbar Margarida, Spacesmith

What accomplishment, milestone, project or transaction stood out for you or your firm in 2025? 

Opening the new U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was an extraordinary milestone. The project began in 2012 as a collaboration between Spacesmith, Davis Brody Bond, and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, and its completion reflects our legacy, talent, and commitment to work with real civic meaning. This was a once-in-a-generation undertaking: more than 7.5 years of construction to consolidate 5 buildings into one secure diplomatic campus. What stands out most is the impact: creating a new home for 1,500 employees whose work shapes the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico every day.

What emerging trends or shifts will shape opportunities for you, your firm, or market sector in 2026?

Creative reuse is quickly becoming one of 2026’s most powerful design shifts, going far beyond recycling to transform what already exists and uncover material value hidden in plain sight. This movement is driven not only by creativity: reusing what we already have remains the most effective strategy for lowering carbon footprints. As more cities and states explore deconstruction ordinances and embodied carbon material requirements, creative reuse is moving from optional strategy to mainstream design pathway. The richest design opportunities will come from reforming the old, not replacing it.