Derek Dellekamp + Erick Maass

Derek Dellekamp and Erick Maass met as architecture students in Mexico City, spending their formative years in Tetelpan, Mexico, where Derek’s grandfather had created a cultural sanctuary that became a hub for artists, writers, and thinkers. Surrounded by this creative atmosphere, they developed a lasting friendship and a shared reverence for architecture as a discipline rooted in place, memory, and transformation. While Derek remained in Mexico and Erick moved to Europe, the two maintained a close connection—each shaping a distinct trajectory while nurturing a common ethos. Derek is the founder of Dellekamp, a studio recognized for its architectural research, social impact, and unconventional thinking, with award-winning projects across Mexico and the Americas. Erick, with postgraduate studies at ETSAM in Madrid, spent three decades leading urban design and masterplanning efforts for firms like Richard Rogers Partnership and Lamela, with a focus on regenerative development throughout Europe. He has also collaborated with the architecture firm FR-EE/Norman Foster on the design of Mexico City's airport project. After more than two decades of parallel practice, they co-founded Dellekamp + Maass, a studio based in Portugal dedicated to regenerative masterplanning, life-centered design, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Together, they also launched Circular, a gallery and hospitality concept that reimagines the relationship between culture, experience, and place.