Nicolas Delgado Alcega has made quite a mark at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture (SoA).
Professors talk about him as a disciplined, skilled designer who has a “passion for design” and is meticulous in his work.
“Nicolas has a genuine curiosity about the world and is passionate about pursuing architecture design that is technically proficient and poetic. He balances those two worlds. He is also interested in developing an architecture that is full of meaning and can stand the test of time. That is incredibly mature for such a young student of architecture,” said Carie Penabad, associate professor at SoA and director for Undergraduate Studies.
The child of a designer and a systems engineer, Delgado Alcega learned to love design and drawing at a young age in Caracas.
His parents, Kika Alcega and Raúl Delgado, owned a design brand studio named Neutroni, where they designed and manufactured clothing, shoes, accessories and household items and where their son started helping with small projects from the age of 12.
“I started with small projects like designing a t-shirt or a label.” he said. “But I was drawn to photography, sculpture and drawing.”
Seven years ago the family moved to Miami and set up Neushop, a brand space in downtown Miami similar to the one they had in Venezuela. Delgado Alcega decided to attend SoA but continued working at his parents’ business, where besides participating in all aspects of the enterprise he organizes lectures with prominent architects and designers, as well as public programs.
“I decided to study architecture because it was an education that would allow me get in touch with a lot of things I was interested in such as art history, sculpture and drawing,” he said.
For Delgado Alcega, SoA has been the perfect place to learn and develop his craft.
“UM School of Architecture is a nurturing school,” he said. “They teach you to enjoy what you are doing and you learn to love doing it.”
His internship with the firm Cure & Penabad (both professors at SoA) allowed him to work in design development, furniture design and a couple of projects including construction of housing in Guatemala.
Adib Cure, SoA assistant professor in practice, who also supervised him during the internship said, “Nicolas is a very special student. Without any doubt, one of the major sources of Nicolas’ strength is his intellectual intensity, curiosity and passion toward architecture. Apart from his excellent design and drawing abilities, Nicolas brings a great level of discipline and commitment toward his academic endeavors, which have made him a leader within the design studios throughout his five years at the UM SoA.”
Delgado Alcega was also involved in a project where he – along with a group of UM architecture students – developed a plot of land in Allapattah into an apartment building on the site of the original Florida Power & Light (FPL) site. The students collaborated with another SoA professor, Jorge Trelles, in developing construction documents and getting documents ready for the permitting phase for the building.
In the near future, Delgado Alcega hopes to continue working on this building project. He is also considering graduate school.
