INTERVIEW – Ortiz Leon Arquitectos SLP
1. Kindly tell us something about your work profile/business including yourself.
Ortiz Leon Arquitectos is an international design firm with a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability and innovation. Since 1984, we have pioneered sustainable architecture in Europe, leading the way with the region’s first LEED-certified buildings. For us, architecture is more than a technical endeavor—it is a profound dialogue between innovation and the natural world. At its highest level, design transcends the constraints of technology, evolving into a language that harmonizes with the environment, shaping spaces that breathe, adapt, and inspire. Every structure becomes an extension of nature itself, embracing sustainability, material honesty, and timeless elegance. We strive to create spaces that elevate human experience and wellbeing while seamlessly integrating with the landscapes that surround them. With offices in Madrid, Lisbon, Shanghai, and Vietnam we craft office, hotel, and residential projects into strategic investment opportunities, tailoring each design to its city and context while prioritizing ESG principles.
The office is lead globally by four partners Iñigo Ortiz, Enrique Leon, Gonzalo Echarri y Miguel de Leon. Miguel is the partner overviewing all the strategy for Asia, including Vietnam. In his 20-year experience, he has participated in many projects across Europe and Asia.
In Vietnam, Daniel Uribe is the person in charge of managing the office. With more than 12 years of experience in Asia he is leading the design of the projects in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
2. What made your company decide to develop in the Asian market, especially in Vietnam?
Our presence in Vietnam began as a way to support existing clients with projects in the region. However, as we established ourselves, we recognized Vietnam as an exciting and rapidly growing market—one with immense potential for architectural innovation.
Despite having an office in Shanghai, we saw Vietnam as a strategic hub from which we could provide services across Southeast Asia and beyond. The country’s dynamic development, combined with a forward-thinking approach to urban planning, creates the perfect environment for pioneering architectural solutions. Vietnam’s trajectory offers a unique opportunity to shape some of the most progressive urban and architectural landscapes of the coming years, making it a natural fit for our commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge design.
3. How has your professional career or your company’s career developed since then?
When we arrived in Vietnam, the real estate market faced post-pandemic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, and disruptions among major stakeholders. Instead of rushing in, we took time to understand the local culture, market needs, and urban landscape.
By building strong relationships and showcasing our expertise through feasibility studies and concept designs, we earned the trust of key developers. This led to successful collaborations and competitive RFP wins
Today, Ortiz Leon Arquitectos continues expanding in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, delivering sustainable, innovative architectural solutions while adapting to the region’s evolving real estate sector.
4. As far as your sector stands today, what services does Ortiz Leon Arquitectos offer to their clients?
At our core, we are a team of architectural thinkers, dedicated to shaping spaces and enhancing human experience through architecture and master planning. While we also provide interior design and urban planning, our approach is always grounded in architectural principles, ensuring that every project—whether a lift lobby interior or an entire urban township—embodies our commitment to sustainability, human-centric design, and seamless integration across scales, from interior to exterior. Our most fulfilling projects are those where our clients entrust us with unifying planning, landscaping, and architecture into a cohesive, harmonious design vision.
In Vietnam, we are fully invested, offering a comprehensive scope of work—from feasibility studies and concept design to site supervision and construction detailing. We also, prioritize and research locally available materials and site-specific design solutions, ensuring that each project is seamlessly adapted to local market and budget while maintaining our dedication to sustainable and innovative architecture.
5. What do you think are the biggest challenges for this sector in the future?
Across many cities worldwide, architecture often feels repetitive, with studios offering recycled solutions that overlook the unique context of each project. This lack of rigor and creativity not only makes the built environment predictable and uninspiring but also fails to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change.
For us, every project is an opportunity to push the boundaries of creativity and sustainability. As part of our standard scope of work, we conduct studies to measure not only operational carbon footprints but also the embedded carbon within permanent structures. Beyond supporting environmental certifications, we encourage a human-centric design approach that enhances user well-being and ensures architecture serves both people and the planet.
6. What type of promotional and communication campaigns do you work on?
Most of our clients are institutional investors, real estate developers, also some private owners seeking exceptional design and personalized service. That’s why we don’t rely on broad promotional campaigns—instead, we focus on building tailored relationships and adapting our approach to the unique needs of each project, always encouraging human connection and face-face interaction and conversations both in Vietnamese, English or Spanish.
Additionally, we enjoy collaborating with research institutions and like-minded organizations to co-develop site-specific design strategies and innovative ideas. We often organize workshops and talks to share our research, exchange perspectives, and engage with the broader design community.
7. What is your advice to companies interested in your services?
Just give us a call, besides architecture we are also passionate about Vietnamese coffee, so we are always open to share a cup of coffee and explore potential collaborations. We are constantly on the move across Vietnam and Europe so even though we are based in Saigon, we have flexibility to find a time and place to arrange a meeting and discuss how to maximize the value of an asset.
8. Please tell us a little about the future plans of your company in Vietnam.
Our goal is pretty straightforward: keep doing great work in our ongoing projects, grow strong local relationships, and steadily positioning ourselves as a leading design studio throughout Southeast Asia. We’re currently focused on earning our place in the market through consistency, creativity, and listening closely to what clients actually need.
We want to do meaningful work with people who value design, wise investments and long-term thinking. Vietnam has huge potential, and we’re here for the long run.
Many thanks to Ortiz Leon Arquitectos for sharing your experience with us. For futher information, you can visit its website here: https://www.ortizleon.com/en/