M u t u o was established by Jose Herrasti and Fernanda Oppermann in Los Angeles in 2014. Since then they have explored common grounds in their passion for design, in finding extraordinary uses for ordinary materials and methods, in discovering new perspectives, and in creating meaningful impact through architecture.
They believe in blurring the lines of their profession’s boundaries in ways that allow them to proactively create meaningful impact through architecture. M u t u o has been searching for different opportunities to foster collaborations and expand the traditional roles of the architecture firm into a more dynamic role with a bigger influence on creating built environments and solving complex city challenges.
M u t u o aims to use design as catalyst for social impact. We believe that small, organic interventions have the potential to alleviate big social challenges. We welcome design collaborations with a diverse range of contributors: developers with similar interests in design, communities that we design for, artists, non-profit organizations, software engineers, out-of-the-box financial institutions... We often find that collaborations push the boundaries of architecture into the unexpected.
Awards:
They believe in blurring the lines of their profession’s boundaries in ways that allow them to proactively create meaningful impact through architecture. M u t u o has been searching for different opportunities to foster collaborations and expand the traditional roles of the architecture firm into a more dynamic role with a bigger influence on creating built environments and solving complex city challenges.
M u t u o aims to use design as catalyst for social impact. We believe that small, organic interventions have the potential to alleviate big social challenges. We welcome design collaborations with a diverse range of contributors: developers with similar interests in design, communities that we design for, artists, non-profit organizations, software engineers, out-of-the-box financial institutions... We often find that collaborations push the boundaries of architecture into the unexpected.
Awards:
2018 Next LA Honor Award for Boyle Tower from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter.
2019 Presidential Emerging Practice Award from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter.
2019 Presidential Emerging Practice Award from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter.
Jose Herrasti graduated with a Master in Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University, New York in 1997 and Bachelors of Architecture from Universidad Cristobal Colon, Veracruz, Mexico in 1993. Jose was a visiting professor at the School of Architecture - Cal Poly Pomona. He is the co-chair of the AIA LA Political Outreach Committee, is on the Board of Directors of L.A. Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, and is on the Board of NAHR (Nature Art & Habitat Residency). Jose is a registered architect in Mexico, California and Texas.
Fernanda Oppermann graduated with a Master in Architecture from the University of Southern California in 2005 and Bachelors of Architecture and Urban Design from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil in 2000. Fernanda is a USC Ross Minority Program in Real Estate alumni, participated in the 2018 GROW Mentorship Program led by the Women’s Leadership Initiative at ULI - LA and is a member of AIA - LA, and ULI - LA. Fernanda is an architect in Brazil and a registered architect in the State of Minnesota in the US.
