VERONICA CASTRO DE BARRERA
VCdB Architecture & Art
SAY IT LOUD - TEXAS Exhibitor
Texas Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Walkable cities inspire me greatly because our most organic form of transportation is our legs.
VERONICA CASTRO DE BARRERA
Bio:
The great architect, Veronica is the founding principal of VCdB Architecture & Art, a design consulting practice in Austin, Texas. She is a licensed architect who has dedicated her career designing and managing public investments towards more walkable cities & mass transit projects that connect people to opportunities, are respectful to the human scale and protect the environment. As a mother of two children, Veronica finds enormous joy & inspiration sketching livable cities from the magic of sidewalk cafes.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
As a child I had the enormous privilege of growing up in a dense, walkable city in the heart of Mexico. My parents trusted the city to "take care of their young". I believe that the "free range childhood" I had were my first lessons in architecture
What do you do?
I have recently founded my own design, architecture & public art firm so I am wearing every [hard] hat imaginable, from marketing, design, obtaining jurisdictional approvals all the way to construction administration.
What excites you in the work you do?
To see that the work I design makes my city more inclusive.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Walkable cities inspire me greatly because our most organic form of transportation is our legs.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Working on mass transit projects that help connect people to life, to work, to a prosperous future.
Featured Project Name:
Austin Convention Center Exterior Renovations
Featured Project Location:
Austin, Texas
Featured Project Completion Date:
2017
Role in Featured Project:
Architect & Project Manager
Featured Project Description:
We transformed four blocks of downtown Austin surrounding the convention center into accessible public spaces for outdoor venues. Project included restoration of existing structures, planting dozens of new trees and accessible terraces connecting to Waller Creek. 95% of existing materials were reused or diverted from the landfill. This project culminated with a permanent, interactive public art installation in the form of eight gigantic “name tags” where Veronica the artist
