Salvador Blumenkron

About Salvador Blumenkron

I’m an architect, educator, and enthusiast of furniture design and real estate development. My work experience, from Mexico City to Minneapolis, has been culturally diverse. Since 2010, I’ve been a project designer at Collage Architects, a firm that feels to me like my professional soul. I believe architecture goes beyond buildings, it\'s about ideas, people, and community. That belief, inspires my work as an educator at the College of Design, University of Minnesota, where I guide students through everything from Design Studio 3 to specialized BDA workshops. One of my favorite courses explores the legacy of Luis Barragán, helping students channel his poetic design language into their own dream homes. Another workshop focuses on designing flexible spaces, born out of the creative challenges of the COVID era. Since 2003, I’ve taught a wide range of courses, including design methods, research integration, CAD, studios, and hands-on workshops.Outside the firm and the classroom, I co-founded Revival Homes MN, a venture that restores older homes with high-end finishes on real world budgets. This isn’t about flipping houses; it’s about revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding access to homeownership, and strengthening our community.Together with my wife, I also own and manage short, mid and long term rentals in Minneapolis and vacation properties in Puerto Vallarta, México. That hands-on experience in hospitality inspired me to dig into furniture design. Why buy, when you can create? I am, since, developing a business, crafting custom furniture with local wood, collaborating with a master carpenter to bring each piece to life.Academically, I earned my professional architecture degree with Honor of Merit from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), followed by a Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota. I began doctoral studies at Bauhaus Universität in Weimar, but chose to return to practice, where I felt I could make the most impact. My Master’s thesis, Urban Transformations | Immigration, envisioned the reactivation of Nicollet Avenue & Lake Street in Minneapolis as a community anchor for Hispanic immigrants, a deeply personal project.Some of the most formative moments in my career include working at Casa Luis Barragán and collaborating with Andrés Casillas de Alba, whose mentorship left a life lasting imprint.

Experience

1. Project Designer

   Collage Architects

   Sep 2010 — Present · Minneapolis, MN, US

   Work entails residential, commercial, institutional, corporate and residential interior architecture. Going from conceptual, schematic to design development. Exterior and interior design, presentations, competition proposals, 3D modeling and rendering, office branding, site analysis, programming, conceptual and schematic design.

Education

• University of Minnesota College of Design

  Master of Architecture (M.Arch.), Architecture

  2001 — 2003

• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

  Architecture

• University of Minnesota College of Design

  International Exchange Program, Architecture

  2000 — 2000

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

  Licenciatura en Arquitectura, Architecture