CONGRATULATIONS DIEGO O'NEILL!

We are excited to celebrate Diego O’Neill on successfully passing all of his Architectural Registration Examinations and becoming a licensed Architect in New Mexico. With this achievement, Diego is stepping into his new role as Architect within our office.

This milestone represents years of focus and determination in his studies and in the office. We are in awe of Diego’s numerous hours dedicated to studying for the tests, and his engaged questions at the office always during projects. He was an enthusiastic intern asking all the great questions during all phases of projects. We look forward to seeing how he continues to develop as an architect and the leadership impact he brings to projects in our communities!

MADE IN NEW MEXICO

Made in New Mexico: Design Education Is Preparation, and It Is Production

At McClain + Yu Architecture & Design, early design education is not a warm-up. It is infrastructure. Through the Made in New Mexico paper, Kristina Yu and Sasha Adams argue that the first two years of studio must engage material, labor, and construction realities from the start. Modeled on the urgency and clarity of the Bauhaus, periods of constraint can create real opportunities for development.

Set within the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, the work positions studio as a site of consequence, grounded in the economies and making culture of New Mexico. This is not preparation alone. It is production. The paper was presented at the National Conference on the Beginning Design Student in February 2026.

As this work continues to develop, Sasha Adams will begin the next phase of her academic path this fall in a Master of Architecture program at University of British Columbia. We look forward to her continued growth and contribution to the field.