HABITABLE studio
DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE / ART
info@habitable.studio
t. (+1) 530 507 8896
DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE / ART
info@habitable.studio
t. (+1) 530 507 8896
PHILOSOPHY
Economy + Ecology + Elegance
A Habitable space is
one that changes
just as our lives change.
Habitable spaces emphasize precise proportions and a sense of spatial freedom.
We believe that design contributes to ecology, health, and economic progress. In our projects, nature and architecture coexist in a symbiotic relationship.
MISSION
Habitable Studio creates
transformable environments
for living, working, and playing.
HABITABLE emphasizes flexibility and elegance across projects of multiple scales.
Our designs embody thoughtful simplicity, meticulous materiality, and adept play with light and proportion.
DESIGN SERVICES
︎ Dynamic Co-working Spaces
︎ Flexible Living Environments
︎ Joyful MicroLiving
︎ Online Design Consultations
ARCHITECTURE / ART / URBAN DESIGN
Our work introduces an adaptable form of architecture. To transform your space, we will act as an emissary between the building's potential and your needs and wishes.
We carefully study the natural and cultural context before developing our ideas. With our culturally rich perspective and decades of design experience, we are skilled in infusing your environment with efficiency, harmony, and joy.
“Marta’s expertise of maximizing small spaces is without compare.” Jay Marroquin, client.
FOUNDER
“I promote healthy living through harmonious proportions, sustainable materials, and biophilic design. My journey from Tokyo to Paris has fueled a passion for joyful micro-living, intergenerational design, transformable furniture, and human-centered urban design.”
MARTA RODRIGUEZ
PH.D. ARCHITECTMARTA@HABITABLE.STUDIO
Marta Rodriguez started her career as an architect in 2004 at OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture)/Rem Koolhaas in Rotterdam. She was part of the team that won the international competition to design the New Court Rothschild Bank in London.
In 2006, while working at an Engineering company (Ingenor) in Madrid, she won the first prize in the competition for designing the new University Library of the South Campus of the UPM in Madrid. From 2007 to 2009, Marta collaborated with Lahoz Lopez Architects in designing and developing schools and hospitals, including the expansion of the Toledo National Hospital of Paraplegics and San Gil Abad Public School in Cuenca.
In 2008, she initiated her own practice in Madrid, winning several awards in public architectural competitions. These included the first prize in a competition for designing a University Research Center for the University of Valladolid (2010), the second prize for designing a research & classroom building facility for the UVA (2009), and the second prize in the architectural competition for building Affordable Housing for Young People in Cordoba (2008).
In 2013, after extensive studies at UC Berkeley and Science Po in Paris, and research in Tokyo, Marta earned her Ph.D. in Architecture (ETSAM), specializing in Japanese architecture and French Design. Interview
Subsequently, she moved to Houston in 2014, where she became an Associate Professor (tenured since 2020) at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. Currently, she teaches the "Intergenerational, Compact, Communal Living" architectural design studio, and the "Design for Dignity and Ethics for the City" seminar. Her research primarily centers on collective housing, small living, and inclusive human-scale urban design.
In 2020, Marta founded HABITABLE Studio, a design firm focused on creating healthy, sustainable, inclusive, and transformable environments, indoors and outdoors. HABITABLE operates worldwide to bring well-being, creativity, and joy to projects of various scales in a subtle, non-intrusive way.
Marta's research-driven design approach has received accolades, earning her invitations to lectures and conferences worldwide. Her work has been featured in numerous design and architecture publications. In 2021, she authored a book on Charlotte Perriand and Kazuyo Sejima, a manifesto reflecting her philosophy that advocates bringing a more humanistic and ecological sensitivity into the built environment. Marta has also created an online journal, Habitable City, which promotes a more egalitarian, connected, safe, and livable city.
HABITABLE TEAM
+ Marta RodriguezFounder & Principal - Architect, Professor, Author, and Architecture & Design Consultant.
+ Michael Lindemann
Architectural Designer.
+ Collaborators since 2008:
Lené Fourie, Alejandra Velazquez, Dijana Handanovic, Tuan Mai, Ghazal Saliman, Ingrid Selse, Emine Canak, Eirik Erstad, Marta de las Heras, Alejandro Sanz, Rafael Ureña, Natalia Varela.
HABITABLE studio
DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE / ART
info@habitable.studio
t. (+1) 530 507 8896
PUBLICATIONS
MEDIA
︎ Instagram
︎ Linkedin
︎ Habitable CityPromoting a more egalitarian, connected, safe, and LIVABLE city.
︎ Subtle RevolutionSMALL is not only beautiful but sustainable and has enabled architectural subtle revolutions beyond borders and times.
︎ Linkedin
︎ Habitable CityPromoting a more egalitarian, connected, safe, and LIVABLE city.
︎ Subtle RevolutionSMALL is not only beautiful but sustainable and has enabled architectural subtle revolutions beyond borders and times.
LET’S TALK!
info@habitable.studio t. (+1) 530 507 8896
HABITABLE
DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE / ART
Casa FonJay
Houston, TX (2021-2023)
Expansion and renovation of a shotgun house.
The project maintains the spirit of the original shotgun house, while maximizing the feeling of spaciousness and freedom, thanks to diagonal visuals, circular circulation, and careful manipulation of natural light.
Casa FonJay is highly flexible and adaptable to life changes, such as moving the main room to the back when the family grows.
A series of sliding doors increase the freedom and sensation of spatial fluidity. Moreover, the careful interior-exterior openings allow the integration of garden and house for pleasant days in Houston.
Simple structure, clean lines, and flexible design influenced by Japanese architecture and French design.
More quality, comfort, elegance, health, and flexibility within a smaller footprint, and less energy and material consumption. In just 700 sq. ft, the home includes two bedrooms, a living room and dining area, a kitchen, and two full bathrooms (one of them with an isolated bathtub). The room on the back of the house can be rented thanks to its independent entrance and its own bathroom and kitchenette.
“I firmly believe joyful micro-living, embracing proportion, views, angles, and elegance, can bring order and calm to our lives. “More in less” became my mantra, advocating for quality, comfort, health, and flexibility within a smaller footprint.”
- Marta Rodriguez
A Japanese-Inspired Home in Texas.
“Marta Rodriguez ’s expertise of maximizing small spaces is without compare.” Jay Marroquin, the client, 2022.
CONTACT
info@habitable.studio
t. (+1) 530 507 8896