Luis E. Carranza obtained his BArch at the University of Southern California and his PhD in Architectural History and Theory from Harvard University. He teaches theoretically grounded design studios, the theory of architecture, the history of modern architecture, and seminars on modern architecture and art in Latin America.
His research and published work focus on modern architecture and art in Latin America (with an emphasis on Mexico). This work underscores how social, literary, philosophical, and theoretical ideas impact the conceptualization and materialization of architecture and design. Much of his research on these themes can be found throughout his publications such as Architecture as Revolution: Episodes in the History of Modern Mexico (University of Texas Press, 2010), Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, Utopia with Fernando Lara (University of Texas Press, 2015), (Radical) Functionalism in Latin America (Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, 2019), and Radical Functionalism: A Social Architecture for Mexico (Routledge, 2021).