ON July 1, 2024, we, at Palafox, celebrated a remarkable milestone: our 35th anniversary. Over the past 3-and-a-half decades of practicing architecture, urban and environmental planning, master planning, interior and urban design, engineering and development consultancy as a firm in 40 countries, we have been immensely grateful for opportunities to plan and design healthier, more livable, sustainable, and resilient buildings, communities, cities and regions here and abroad. Above all, everything we do is pro Deo, patria, et terra (for God, country and planet earth).

I have also been thankful to share that I have marked 52 years as an architect and 50 years as an urban planner this year. Back in 1989, when I started the firm with just a team of four, I never imagined the breadth and scope of what we could contribute as a firm. At that time, all I knew was that I was committed to creating memorable yet inclusive spaces, focusing on environmental stewardship and resilience.

With that as a guiding purpose, I have had the privilege to meet and work with partners, colleagues, clients in the public and private sectors, and friends in the profession, who shared the same dedication and mindset. It is an honor to have worked alongside such like-minded people to complete more than 1,900 projects, covering more than 54 billion square meters (sqm) of land, and the architecture and design of more than 30 million sqm of building floor area. Most importantly, these buildings, spaces and comm.