IFI Interiors Declaration Adoption – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
“It is the nature of Humankind not only to use spaces, but to fill them with beauty and meaning”
The above line from the IFI INTERIORS DECLARATION (IFI ID) sheds light on our universal prerogative as human beings. We are, at our core, inhabitants. We cultivate the spaces we live in and these spaces cultivate us in return. As interior architects, this prerogative is also our craft. We channel the universal and hone the particular to shape the habitable so that it supports and inspires. We do this because we know that “Thoughtfully designed spaces can help us learn, reflect, imagine, discover and create.”
The IFI Interiors Declaration (IFI ID) is a powerful policy vehicle for the support of professional efforts to enhance human health and well-being on all continents through design of the built-environment.
Today, seven years after its introduction in 2011, the IFI Interiors Declaration has been adopted by 125 cities around the world. Each adoption continues to educate governmental bodies and increase public awareness of the intrinsic power of Interior Architecture/Design. This important IFI program supports the legitimization and recognition of the profession at national / local levels around the world.
Entitled “Ignacio Allende and the History of Mexico,” this mural documenting Mexico’s War for Independence is located in San Miguel de Allende’s Instituto Allende. The mural was painted by David Leonardas in 1999.
IFI and SMI Proudly Announce San Miguel de Allende Declaration Adoption
It is with great pride that IFI, in collaboration with Sociedad Mexicana de Interioristas (SMI), announces the adoption of the IFI Interiors Declaration by the historic city of San Miguel de Allende!
Situated in the mountains of Guanajuato in central Mexico, San Miguel is a “city of culture, creativity and beauty” renowned for its colonial architecture and important role in Mexico’s War for Independence. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, San Miguel made history yet again when it became the 125th city to adopt the IFI Interiors Declaration (IFI ID) on 10 March 2017.
The striking Hacienda San Jose Lavista sits on a hill overlooking the city of San Miguel de Allende and the Allende Dam. Designed for romantics, the building is surrounded by lakes and gardens and contains a spacious chapel for weddings. The project was conceived by architects Jose Seoane Castro and Pedro Urquiza in 2010.
Publicly endorsed by the Mayor, Ricardo Villarreal, and the President of the city’s College of Architecture, Sara Negrete, among other civic leaders, San Miguel’s Interiors Declaration proclaims the city’s commitment to enhancing life-quality for its citizens through and by principles of Design.
Julio Cesar Chavez (above), longstanding national president of Sociedad Mexicana de Interioristas (SMI). Founded in 2003, SMI is the largest association of Interior Architects/Designers in Mexico, with over 1,500 active members and partnerships with several countries across the US and Europe.
Initiated by SMI President, Julio Cesar Chavez, representing IFI at the adoption ceremony were IFI Executive Board Members Lucy Topete of Mexico and Albert Fakhoury of Lebanon and the UAE, who attest to the great value San Miguel brings to global interiors.
L to R: Sara Negrete (President, College of Architects of San Miguel de Allende), Albert Fakhoury (IFI Executive Board Member 2015-17), Ricardo Villarreal (Mayor of San Miguel de Allende), Pavel Hernandez (Municipal Trustee, San Miguel de Allende),Lucy Topete (IFI Executive Board Member 2015-17).
I would like to thank the President of SMI and the architectural design community for this great accomplishment. On behalf of the world community of IFI, I express great appreciation to Mayor Villarreal and his team for their important and essential support in this adoption. We appreciate Mexico’s continued commitment to the practice of Interior Architecture/Design and their promotion of the IFI Interiors Declaration in Mexico. IFI thrives because of the good work our members do locally, and our shared efforts to advance IFI’s mission on the national front.
Painted by David Alfaro Siqueiros in the 1940’s, this unfinished mural is located in San Miguel de Allende’s Bellas Artes cultural center. Formerly a convent, the cultural center is also called “El Nigromante” in honor of San Miguel writer Ignacio Ramirez.
At a time when so many are divided, we urge civic leaders to advocate for unity through recognition of design and its strength for essential community building. By working together and by implementing the IFI Interiors Declaration, not only does the profession benefit, but we all benefit through sharper awareness of the impacts of our shared built environment.
To learn how to promote the adoption of the IFI Interiors Declaration (IFI ID) in your city or country, please reach out to the IFI Secretariat – staff@ifiworld.org – so we may offer our full assistance.
IFI’s dedicated staff is available to work with you to support and promote the adoption of the Interiors Declaration in progressive cities around the world.
Sebastiano
president@ifiworld.org
International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI)
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New York, NY 10017
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